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Estrogen is the Meryl Streep of hormones, its versatility renowned among scientists. Besides playing a key role in sexual and reproductive health, it strengthens bones, keeps skin supple, regulates sugar levels, increases blood flow, lowers inflammation and supports the central nervous system.
“You name the organ, and it promotes the health of that organ,” said Roberta Brinton, a neuroscientist who leads the Center for Innovation in Brain Science at the University of Arizona.
But appreciation for estrogen’s more expansive role has been slow in coming. The compound was first identified in 1923 and was henceforth known as the “female sex hormone” — a one-dimensional reputation baked into its very name.
“Estrogen” comes from the Greek “oestrus,” a literal gadfly known for whipping cattle into a mad frenzy. Scientifically, estrus has come to mean the period in the reproductive cycles of some mammals when females are fertile and sexually active.
Women don’t enter estrus; they menstruate. Nevertheless, when researchers named estrogen, these were the roles it was cast in: inducing a frenzy and supporting female sexual health. Now, estrogen is gaining recognition for what may be its most important role yet: influencing the brain.
Neuroscientists have learned that estrogen is vital to healthy brain development but that it also contributes to conditions including multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer’s. Changes in estrogen levels — either from the menstrual cycle or external sources — can exacerbate migraines, seizures and other common neurological symptoms.