Do Hormone Levels REALLY Change Between Seasons? The Cyclical Rise and Fall of Testosterone and Estrogen

First things first…hormones are very complicated. There are a lot of environmental factors that play in to the amount of testosterone and estrogen our bodies produce. We know what you’re thinking…no one is calling you old. 

In fact, most of the environmental factors that affect hormone production and activity are NOT age related. Factors such as diet/nutrition, sleep, stress levels (measured by cortisol), lack of exercise, and medication side effects all have an equal(if not greater) impact on hormone balance in the body. Now, assuming that all of the environmental factors are being address ( you’re eating properly, exercising, sleeping well, maintaining stress etc.)… is it possible that hormone levels can be affected by the changing of seasons? 

According to this study: https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2003926118, female and male dominant hormone levels tend to be higher in January and August, while secondary hormones tend to be highest in April. In other words, males exhibited their highest testosterone levels in January and August, but their highest estrogen levels in April. Conversely, females typically exhibited their highest estrogen levels in January and August, while yielding their highest testosterone levels in April.

According to the data, the hormone levels are constantly experiencing mini “peaks and valleys”, which are magnified by the environmental factors we talked about earlier. However, there are distinctive “peaks” at particular times of the year. Professor Alon (who conducted the study) even claims:

“It is not so surprising that our hormones have seasonal cycles. “Many animals living in temperate climates have strong cycles, for example, all giving birth in the same season. We think that our hormonal systems have ‘set points’ that produce peaks, for example, in stress or reproductive hormones, and these may be adaptations that evolved to help us cope with seasonal changes in our surrounding environment.”

So if our hormone levels are constantly ebbing and flowing, would it not make sense to have an option to help level them out when the swings are at their greatest? If you are experiencing any of the following symptoms, or notice that you experience them more at certain times of the year, it may be time to have your levels drawn and consider Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT):

Make sure you consult a licensed medical professional when considering BHRT.

If you’re looking for more information on the BHRT process, you can check out our article on the treatment here:

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