Have you ever thought why the same diseases are experienced more by women than by men?

Why, for example, women are 4 times more likely to have migraines, twice as likely to experience depression and 2 times more likely to be diagnosed with autoimmune disorders that attack the brain, such as multiple sclerosis, in comparison to men?

Or course, there is no single one reason for that, but scientists find more and more confirmation that beyond genetics and environmental factors, there are hormones, namely oestrogen in women, that are responsible not only for fertility but also for the brain health. Oestrogen also seems to be the essential contributor to the differences in multiple sclerosis in women and men.

Oestradiol, the type of oestrogen produced by the ovaries during a woman’s reproductive years, is one of the most important hormones for brain health. According to a recent study, a longer exposure to oestradiol may offer some protection to the brain while aging. The study showed that women in their reproductive years were better protected against progressive forms of multiple sclerosis. The study also found out that the more pregnancies a woman had, the less her disease progressed. The researchers explained that oestradiol, in addition to other important hormones (such as progesterone and androgens), increases the tolerance of the immune system by reducing inflammation and increasing the survival of neurons, which are biological mechanisms related to neurodegeneration and to the progressive phase of multiple sclerosis.

Curious? HERE is the source