Gabrielle Lichterman’s hormonal horoscope

Not many would disagree with my statement that women are the most complicated species amongst all species alive. In my personal humble opinion a man may spend his lifetime exploring the complexities of a woman but won’t be able to understand a woman completely.

Luckily I came across an article published in Mumbai Mirror dated 3^rd September 2014 by Gitanjali Chandrasekharan. She has mentioned about Gabrielle Lichterman’s hormonal horoscope. By studying it one can enhance his/her understanding about women’s complexities to some extent. For married men this can enhance their skills to deal with their wife in a better way.

Gabrielle Lichterman is an American Health Journalist. She spent nearly 2 decades researching hormones. She teaches women how to live their life in sync with their monthly hormone cycle. She intends to make women capitalize on hormonal strengths that occurs on certain days in their cycle—such as high energy, a sharper memory & an upbeat mood—& overcome hormonal challenges that crop up on other days of your cycle—such as fatigue, fogginess or the blues. She has devised a Hormone Horoscope calendar that syncs with a woman’s menstrual cycle.

Ms. Lichterman has mentioned about 3 main hormones oestrogen, progesterone & testosterone.   Oestrogen is a primary female sex hormone & Progesterone is involved in menstrual cycle.

Lichterman’s Hormone Horoscope is divided into 4 weeks.

Week 1: Day 1 (First day of period) to Day 7

This period begins with the beginning of menstrual cycle. During this period oestrogen level rises. Women may experience cramps & fatigue. Rising of oestrogen can boost brain’s ability, make women talk more, open to begin a conversation with anybody, make them eat a bit lesser. Best things that can be done during this time are to think about a new project, think about new ideas, planning a healthy diet as rise in oestrogen level can help quiet cravings, think about a new exercise regime, or increasing the intensity of new exercises.

WEEK TWO: Day 8 to Day 14 or ovulation

During this period oestrogen & testosterone rise till they peak. The rise in these hormones can make facial features slightly more symmetrical. It can even cause levels of dopamine to rise & thus women can crave for excitement. They may look more confident & optimistic. Memory gets sharper. High oestrogen can enhance ability to tolerate pain by triggering a greater output of pain masking endorphins in the brain. Thus it’s the best time for any dental procedure or any body piercing, using new shoes, etc. Women can become more audacious, bold, brave, competitive, courageous, daring, enterprising, fearless, gallant, etc. Their desire to spend quality time with their loved one increases. It’s considered the best time to make love as there’s a sharp rise in libido. This makes orgasms more intense & easier to achieve. The best things that can be done during this time are to enhance your relationship with your spouse, increase intensity of your work-out or exercises.

WEEK THREE: Begins day after ovulation and lasts 8 days

During this period Progesterone rises; oestrogen & testosterone drop for half the week, then oestrogen rises again. Progesterone is a sedating hormone thus it can make women lazy & decrease their enthusiasm, increase forgetfulness. Thus during this time women may have to work harder than normal to achieve their goals. They may get bored easily & find difficult to understand new & difficult topics, they can even find it difficult to begin new projects. They’ll become less social & find it difficult to begin a conversation. Libido will decrease & food cravings especially fatty foods can increase.

WEEK FOUR: Final 6 days of your cycle (Day 23 to 28 in a 28-day cycle)

During this time oestrogen & progesterone plunges. During this time women can become more cynical. Regarding health it can cause hamper mood, headache, fatigue, cause muscle cramps, insomnia. The libido returns as the nerve endings below get stimulated as the body prepares for menstruation.

References: -

1. Lichterman, Gabrielle. Hormone Horoscope. 2014. http://hormonehoroscope.com/ (accessed September 12, 2014).

2. Chandrasekharan, Gitanjali. Hormone helpdesk. September 3, 2014. http://www.mumbaimirror.com/others/you/Hormone-helpdesk/articleshow/41546071.cms (accessed September 12, 2014).