Ovarian Cysts & Phytoestrogens
I hear you - what is she talking about now? Phytoestrogens ke? She don come again o! Hear me out. Phytoestrogens are, simply put, estrogen found in plants. Yeah, since when did plants have hormones? Apparently they do. How did I find out? I've always had polycystic ovaries - a condition where the ovaries have multiple immature cysts at any point in time. This condition lends to hormonal imbalances, infertility and weight issues. When a woman ovulates, the egg grows within a cyst (of sorts) and the egg is released when it is mature by the rupturing of the cyst/encasement. Sometimes, the cyst/encasement doesn't rupture for a variety of reasons - one of which is an imbalance of hormones. For the reproductive cycle, there is always one hormone decreasing in levels for another to increase in levels (or vice-versa) in order for one thing or the other to occur. This imbalance can be caused by any of many reasons - stress, illness, medication, food. And it is about the food I...