Can Taking Hormones Hurt A Woman?

What is estrogen?

Estrogen is a hormone that plays a vital function in women's health. Estrone, estradiol, and estriol are the three forms of estrogen. They have an impact on girls' and women's sexual and reproductive development. The majority of estrogen in your body is produced by your ovaries. Estrogen is also produced at modest levels by the adrenal glands and fat cells.

Estrogen affects the health of all of these things:

• Breasts
• Skin
• Hair anywhere on the body
• Mucous membranes
• Pelvic muscles
• Brain
• Reproductive system
• Urinary tract
• Heart and blood vessels
• Bone
• Muscles

Changes in estrogen levels

During perimenopause, estrogen levels in women decrease. Perimenopause is the time when a woman's hormones begin to shift and create symptoms, but before her menstrual flow completely ceases (menopause). When you haven't had any menstrual blood for 12 months, you've reached menopause.

Symptoms of low estrogen can include:

The most frequent symptoms of insufficient estrogen are hot flashes, flushes, and nocturnal sweats. Blood surges to the surface of your skin at times. This can give you a warm feeling (hot flash). It's possible that your face is flushed. Night sweats are hot flashes that occur while you are sleeping.

Low estrogen can also cause mood swings. You might be depressed, worried, or frustrated. Changes in hormone levels and night sweats can make it difficult to get a good night's sleep. This might lead to exhaustion, which can exacerbate mood swings.

Tissue thinning can be uncomfortable. It's possible that your skin will become more wrinkled. Bladder infections can be caused by urinary tract thinning. You may also feel the desire to urinate urgently. You could also lose control of your bladder (incontinence). Dryness and uncomfortable intercourse can be caused by vaginal thinning.

Major health risks of low estrogen include:

Osteoporosis. Estrogen prevents calcium loss, which helps to maintain strong bones. Fractures of the spine, hips, leg, and arm bones can all be caused by a lack of calcium. Women who consume a lot of alcohol, smoke, are not physically active, and are slender or small are at a higher risk. A family history of osteoporosis may also raise the likelihood of developing the disease.

Heart disease. The hormone estrogen, which is produced by the body, appears to protect against heart disease. It may do so via increasing HDL (good) cholesterol levels in the blood. The risk of heart disease increases dramatically after menopause. Consult your doctor about strategies to keep your heart in good shape.

What are the basic types of hormone therapy?

Hormone replacement therapy aims to restore the estrogen that your body stops producing after menopause. Estrogen therapy is divided into two categories.:

Systemic hormone therapy. Systemic estrogen, which can be taken as a tablet, a skin patch, a ring, a gel, a lotion, or a spray, contains a larger amount of estrogen that is absorbed throughout the body. It can be used to alleviate any of the common menopausal symptoms.

Low-dose vaginal products. Low-dose vaginal estrogen treatments, including creams, tablets, and rings, reduce the amount of estrogen absorbed by the body. As a result, low-dose vaginal preparations are often reserved for the treatment of menopausal vaginal and urinary symptoms.

If your uterus hasn't been removed, your doctor will likely give estrogen as well as progesterone or progestin (progesterone-like medication). This is due to the fact that estrogen, when not balanced by progesterone, can increase the growth of the uterine lining, raising the risk of endometrial cancer. You may not need to take a progestin if your uterus has been removed (hysterectomy).

What are the risks of hormone therapy?

Hormone replacement therapy, which comprised of an estrogen-progestin tablet (Prempro), was found to raise the risk of some serious disorders in the largest clinical trial to date:

• Heart disease
• Stroke
• Blood clots
• Breast cancer