Webinar, Oestrus 1

The Tide of Eostre: Oestrogen and the Dawn of the Fertile Years

The watery world of hormones orchestrates the unfolding of our body’s structure – through embryogenesis, childhood, puberty, gestation, childbirth, and death. This is the base tone of our body’s great orchestra. The fluctuating tides of our hormones are connected to the movement of the planets, the circadian rhythm of day and night, the monthly moon cycle, and the cycle of the seasons – creation and dissolution.

In resonance with this great flux and flow, we turn our attention to a potent messenger in the rhythms of our collective body: oestrogen.

Our upcoming May and June webinars dive into the fluid, alchemical realms of the endocrine system, with focus on the early stages of the woman’s cycle from the first light of menarche through the full radiance of the fertile years.

Webinar 1: Pathophysiology and Manifestations of Imbalance

Where Electricity Meets Alchemy: The Hypothalamic Intersection

We start at the sacred junction where the electrical charge of the nervous system sets the tone for the “master pulse” of GnRH, whose rhythm then determines downstream hormonal cascades. Here we begin to appreciate the intricate feedback mechanisms that influence this neuro-endocrine heartbeat – a porous interface sensitive to the “biological noise” of the modern world, either harmonising or fracturing its delicate choreography: epigenetics, nutrition, stress, light, metabolic and oestrogenic signalling.

Menarche: The First Awakening

The timing of a girl’s first moon (menarche) is a biological sentinel, reflecting the health of her internal and external terrain. We will investigate the troubling trend of “early awakening” in our modern era. What is the body hearing? From the signalling of leptin to environmental cues, we seek to understand this early onset, and the long-term consequences of this premature dawn on a woman’s health landscape.

The Transmutation of Steroids

Another profound pattern reveals itself in the transformative alchemy of steroid hormones – from cholesterol to pregnenolone, progesterone, androgens, and finally oestrogen. Like yin switching into yang, the classical female hormone oestrogen is enzymatically transformed into male hormones (androgens) by the aromatase enzyme. What factors dictate the force of this current? What expressions may ensue when this is out of balance?

The Oestrogen Switch: Character and Power

Oestrogen is often exclusively framed as a reproductive hormone, but its power is far more pervasive. It is a hormone of growth, lubrication, inflammation and cognitive clarity. The intricate feedback of oestrogen is a biological switch that influences menarche, ovulation, and menopause. By understanding oestrogen’s character and purpose, we will be better able to navigate the complexities of its imbalance.

The Modern Shadow: An Epidemic of Dominance 

Finally, we turn attention to a shadow cast on this hormonal landscape – the epidemic of oestrogen dominance. Our world is now saturated with xenoestrogens – unnatural “mimics” ubiquitous in water, soil, and food. This clouds the body’s fluid cycles. We will explore the contributors to this state – impaired hepatic clearance, insulin resistance, inflammation, a disrupted gut microbiome, and the loss of the balancing force of progesterone.

Manifestations of Imbalance

Having grounded our appreciation of this finely regulated hormonal system and the contributors to its imbalance, we will survey the now-common manifestations, focusing on the feminine – early menarche, PCOS, adenomyosis, endometriosis, infertility, and fibroids.

Thus, we will be better placed to identify when things are out of kilter and why – with clarity on the pathways back into balance, restoring the rhythm of a dance interrupted by the cacophony of the 21st century.

Rites of Passage: Celebrating the Mystery of Fertility

In the second part of this webinar, Naa Adjeley offers a lens through which the biology of fertility gains depth and meaning, drawing on the wisdom of Ghanaian puberty rites. Here, womanhood is understood not as a mere biological threshold, but as a cultural, communal, and profoundly sacred passage.

Through elements such as diet, seclusion, simplicity, and the embrace of community, we will uncover the lessons these ancient practices still hold. They are not relics of the past, but living wisdom – honouring not only the dawn of a woman’s journey, but its ongoing unfolding.

This lesson includes:

The following resources will be posted to the lesson page after the live webinar, along with BONUS handouts and guides, and curated third-party resources.

• Detailed slide deck with mind maps and illustrative graphics
• Webinar recording (video and MP3 audio – 90+ minutes)
• Helpful glossary of key terms