Female sex hormones and their effects on the immune system

Abstract

Sex hormones assign the gender features of person but it is not their only function. While
doing that, those hormones also affect other functions of cells and organs. Some
particular cells express sex hormone receptors and when they are exposed to those
hormones, the hormone-receptor binding occurs and some specific pathways may get
blocked or activated. Female sex hormone system is really complex and the hormone
levels vary during menstruation cycle, in other words most of the life time of a woman
witnesses constant hormonal changes. The changes in the level of female sex hormones
affect the whole body during menstrual cycle as stated above. One of the most critical
body systems which can be influenced by the hormonal changes is the immune system.
Changes in the immune system organs, cells and their functions affect the whole body
and women’s life quality during some particular stages of the menstruation.
Understanding the hormonal changes and their impact on the immune system may be a
huge help to develop treatment methods for the autoimmune diseases, infectious
diseases, hormonal allergies, healthy pregnancy and even cancer.