Hormones are a body of wisdom we need to learn more about

In this week’s health pages we look at hormones and the impact they have on our physical and mental wellbeing. Author Eleanor Morgan’s fascinating new book Hormonal is a call to arms for women to learn more about their biology in a bid to understand ourselves better, and fight gender stereotypes. Eleanor explores the way the term “being hormonal” has been used to downgrade a female’s feelings. From puberty to the moment we hit the menopause, a woman’s thoughts and fears can so easily be dismissed as a symptom of our biology. What woman hasn’t at some point been fobbed off with “is it the time of the month?” after a heated exchange? When a man asserts himself at work or has an argument with his wife, he is not asked to examine whether it’s a hormone-induced overreaction. We saw this played out on the global stage in 2015 when Fox News journalist Megyn Kelly was dismissed by Donald Trump as suffering from PMS, or as he put it: “She had blood coming out of her whatever.” Did his misogynistic remarks dent his presidential campaign? Nope, he was elected leader of the free world. Eleanor’s point can be boiled down to one phrase:“Knowledge is power.” Perhaps if we took more time to understand our own ecosystem we would have the confidence to challenge these stereotypes. The next time you feel low or anxious, ask yourself what else is going on in your life? Of course, being a woman means having to navigate the natural ebb and flow of our hormones – but that is just part of a much bigger picture.