Estrogen hormone is a group of compounds called steroid. It is dubbed as estrogen because of its big importance in the oestrus cycle. The main function of it is, as female sex hormone.
This hormone is found in both men and women but women of reproductive age have high levels of it. Estrogen hormone helps in developing the breast of the women, thickening of the endometrial, affects the discharge of hormones from pituitary gland and changing the menstrual cycle.
There are a total of six estrogenic substances in the womens body. However, there are only three top occurring estrogens in women namely: estrone, estradiol and estriol.
1. Estrone this is the most powerful among the three. This is the main estrogen being produced in the ovary.
2. Estratiol this is the most common estrogen. It is adapted to estrone. This is the most powerful estrogen produced by the ovary before menopausal stage.
3. Estriol – this is the least powerful among the three.
Since these estrogen hormones can be taken, they have the same effects and side effects especially if the doses are the same. The hormones should not be used when a woman is pregnant because it can lead to miscarriage. If taken at the earlier stage of pregnancy, it can badly harm the developing fetus.
For most senior women, they take the hormone even without any preventive measures. What they do not know is the risk of its side effects increases as they become older and older.
What are the possible side effects when a woman takes an estrogen hormone? The most common side effects with estrogen hormone are:
Softness of the breast, either men or women
Inflammation of the ankles and legs
Lesser cravings for food
Sudden changes in weight
Nausea
Vomiting
Abdominal pains
Skin Irritation
Other side effects are:
Bleeding gums
Vaginal bleeding and spotting
Changes in menstrual flow
Painful menstruation
PMS or the pre-menstrual syndrome
Vaginal infection such as Candida
Diarrhea
Loss of scalp hair
Migraine
Faintness
Despair
Increased sexual desires
Decreased sexual desires
Rare side effects include:
Blood clotting
Sudden feeling to urinate
Unclear speech
Changes in vision
Breathlessness
Estrogen hormone should always be balanced. When a woman has an imbalance or has a lesser count of hormone, chances are, she has an irregular menstrual cycle. This is the reason why there are women who resort to different estrogen hormone therapy just in order to make her hormone balance.
Though this is important still, women should be aware of its side effects before taking it.