Why hormones matter

Endocrinology is the study of hormones, which are essential for health and wellbeing. Hormones are biological messengers that travel throughout the body, telling cells and tissues what to do. When they are out of balance or fail, this can lead to the development of prevalent chronic diseases such as diabetes, thyroid disorders, cancer, osteoporosis and obesity, and other health challenges such as infertility. There are also more than 400 rare endocrine conditions that affect millions of people in Europe, but often go undetected.  

To learn more about endocrinology and the endocrine system, see the infographic and animation below: 

Joining forces to raise the profile of endocrine health and disease 

Despite scientific progress and increased awareness in some areas, there’s still a lot more that can be done to raise awareness of and address hormonal health. Given that hormones affect such a wide range of conditions, it’s vital that the endocrine community joins forces to push for change.  

To that end, European Hormone Day doesn’t stand alone: there are many other European and worldwide initiatives that we can all add our voice to (perhaps your organisation has one, too).  

ESE and ESE Foundation published a leaflet with a calendar of awareness-raising days to help the endocrine community focus our combined efforts over the coming year, which you can download here:

• "Because Hormones Matter" leaflet of awareness-raising initiatives (online and print)
• Printable calendar (online, A2 print, A3 print).
  
  There are many other materials in the European Hormone Day Toolkit - to help you continue the conversation on social media and at in-person events.

We encourage you to use the hashtag #BecauseHormonesMatter on any endocrine-related awareness days to keep the momentum going and build the profile of endocrine health and disease in Europe.