Azteca ants, unsung heroes of coffee pest control.
Kate Mathis
Azteca ants are self-appointed protectors of coffee plants on Mexican plantations. But they have a lot to contend with from other insects.
Some women breeze through perimenopause and never have a symptom, whereas others have a horrid time.
Rob Bayer/Shutterstock
Every woman who reaches midlife will experience menopause when her ovaries eventually run out of eggs. So what’s happening with her hormones?
What are the hormones that cause cravings during pregnancy?
from www.shutterstock.com.au
Multiple hormones produced by the mother, placenta and the foetus drive and coordinate the amazing biological changes and development of the baby that occur with conception, foetal growth and birth.
Some women are very sensitive to small shifts in hormones, others aren’t.
Petras Gagilas/flickr
In recent times, we have learnt more about the connections between the “reproductive” or gonadal hormones and the brain, and how they affect not only women but men as well.
Whether or not you feel inclined to eat depends on the balance of the activity between two sets of neurons.
Dennis Skley/Flickr
Our bodies have a complex system to control food intake, driven by hormones. Hormone levels also change when we gain and lose weight.
The activities we do during the day – from having a fight with a partner to using our iPhones at night – also affect our hormone levels and, in turn, our quality of sleep.
Jan Faukner/Shutterstock
Sleep allows many of our hormones to replenish so we have the optimal energy, immunity, appetite and coping ability to face the day’s highs and lows.