Positive and Negative Effects of Estrogen

Compared to other hormones, there are many large and dependable researches of estrogen and its possible effects on the body that have been performed. These researches have presented that estrogen offers many significant benefits. Because of this, many women are recommended to take estrogen to reduce menopause symptoms.

While many women are benefited by estrogen during or after menopause, some are found at greater risk for particular diseases if they take it. As researches give more information about estrogen, it may help pinpoint the reasons should those persons take it or not.

To most women, the helpful effects of estrogen are far more important than the harmful effects it can give. Estrogen helps reduce hot flashes and lessen the threat for osteoporosis. Other researches show that estrogen also lessens the risk of cardiovascular diseases like heart disease.

However, there are also researches, which presents that estrogen has no beneficial effects for heart problems. Others suggest that estrogen can protect a woman from having Alzheimers disease, but this is not yet confirmed. Recent clinical tests of estrogen in postmenopausal women with symptoms of Alzheimers disease have not presented any effects.

Other beneficial effects of estrogen are:

Reduce night sweats
Reduces the risk of colon cancer
Improves pelvic musculature
Avoid loss of collagen in the skin

However, besides its promises, estrogen has also increased the number of severe concerns because there are dangerous effects that could possibly happen with some women. For instance, some women take an estrogen with another hormone called progestin. Estrogen may also increase a risk of blood clotting, which can damage the proper circulation in the arteries.

Significant proof suggests that long-term use of estrogen can slowly increase the risk of breast cancer. In addition, researches have also shown that there is a greater risk of breast cancer among women who use both the estrogen and the progestin.

Other possible negative effects of estrogen include:

Vaginal bleeding or spotting
Abdominal pains
Poor sleeping habit
Skin rashes
Depression
Head aches, migraine headaches
Causes endometrial cancer

Therefore, with both of these positive and negative effects presented, the decision in taking estrogen will not be all yes. It depends on the woman if she wants to use it still despite of all the negative effects it could have.

Always remember, even if many years will pass, researchers will continue to find out information about the advantages and disadvantages of estrogen. When these new findings come out, more women and their physicians might reconsider their decisions about taking estrogen.

No Health Benefits for Estrogen Pill

In the year 2003, the National Institute of Health was encouraged to stop their estrogen study because of the increase on the number of patients affected by strokes. This part of the anti estrogen news explains that there are really no health benefits in taking estrogen pills and that the health threats undoubtedly frustrate any menopause benefit of estrogen.

There were two top newspapers, which presented articles about this study. The articles were based on an incomplete report given by the NIH. The report was in a preface that it did not presented concrete information about the estrogen study. The report suggested that there is a great stroke risk in taking estrogen-only pills.

On the other hand, a complete report was served which included the results of the conducted study which talked about the drawbacks of estrogen on the proper performance of the mind. For that matter, clinical practitioners were alarmed and advised their patients who use estrogen pills to protect their health. The users were even recommended to use a natural, bio-identical estrogen.

A large number of women stopped taking estrogen pills after they have heard the initial report of the National Institute of Health that showed the serious danger of the estrogen pills. However, there are still some women, which are continuously using the pill. Why is it?

Most women still use estrogen pills perhaps:

Have not heard anything about the life-threatening danger it could give.

These women have no idea of what is happening around them. Perhaps, she did not even know that such report exists.

Simply do not care at all.

This may be the same as the first situation. Otherwise, a woman already knows about the health risk of the estrogen but is still not bothered about it. What they want is to get rid of the menopause symptoms immediately even if it will give her in return unbearable diseases.

Do not know that there are also effective but safe ways to remove hot flashes and other menopause symptoms without the need to use the estrogen pills.

This is a common situation. As mentioned on the second, women always wanted to have an immediate relief of what they feel may it give hundred of benefits or thousand of drawbacks.

Most women are concerned about the released studies of the NIH. Some may have stopped using the pill, but are expected to experience the return of the menopause symptoms. While others, continue using it because they do not know how to adjust from using an estrogen pill to the natural therapy or simply do not know about other safe treatments.

Estrogen as a Contributor in Signalling our Body Clock

As medical technology advances throughout the years, there has been much fuss in the medical field about estrogen.

Many studies and researches were conducted towards finding out the very nature of estrogen.

All of these undertakings agreed on one thing, estrogen is a primary component in the indication of the human body clock. It was found that it directly relates in the body cycle of a human being.

Estrogen, as defined in the modern medical dictionary- does not only pertain to a single compound but is rather made up of groups of steroid compounds.

While it is present in both male and female, it has higher concentrations in female, because it is the one responsible for the promoting of female secondary characteristics.

This includes breast development, and it is an important hormone that helps in promoting sexual vitality, relieving hot flashes, night sweats and other deficiency symptoms that go along with old age.

The female body produces three major types of this estrogen, these includes estriol, estradiol, and estrone.

Estriol is found to be the weakest among the three estrogens. Its high level of existence in the body denotes a less likely possibility of developing breast cancer.

As mentioned in the American Medical Journal Association dated in 1966, according to Dr. H.M. Lemmon, M.D. there is a higher concentration of this particular substance in the body of those women who does not have breast cancer.

It is very beneficial to the vagina, vulva and cervix. In cases where there is a related affliction to the mentioned parts, it is safest if the patient is going to use Estriol Estrogen preparation.

Estradiol is known to be the principal estrogen, it is helpful in carrying out reproductive functions and is produced in the ovaries. Because it is stronger than Estriol it is more effective symptomatic alternative than the latter.

Estrone on the other hand has the same function as the Estradiol, but it is considered to have a weaker effect.

The pituitary gland and the hypothalamus is the one responsible for producing these types of hormones, and acts as the lutienizing agent in controlling its production in the body.

As the menopausal stage occurs, it is usually characterized by a full year without menstrual period and the level of estrogen in the body gradually goes down. Decrease in egg production, low level of sexual desires, lower bone density and muscle firmness as well as skin integrity follows.

As the estrogen production starts to diminish in the menopausal period, this marks the transgression of the human cycle.

Lastly, this ultimately signals the descent of the human body clock as determined by the particular hormone-estrogen.

Benefits of Estrogen Replacement Therapy

Maintaining the hormonal balance of a person is difficult. A woman is advised to take an estrogen replacement therapy to improve the level of estrogen that decline due to a disorder called hysterectomy after the menopausal period.

It is given for women who undergo either the premenopausal and postmenopausal period in their menstrual cycle. This is usually done in order to avoid possible discomfort and health problem brought by the imbalance estrogen hormone in the system of a woman.

The therapy is classified into short-term and long term relief. The short term relief usually lasts for one or two years. On the other hand, there is no exact duration for a long term relief because as long as the patient needs cure in order to lessen the risk, she will be recommended for a thorough treatment.

Estrogen replacement therapy replaces the hormones that are no longer produced by the ovary. It also provides relief for the unpleasant risks and effects that are brought by the symptoms of menopause in a womans body specifically the hot flashes and the night sweat.

Aside from merely using estrogen it is also sometimes associated with progestin. This is another type of hormone that is important during the menopausal period. It still varies on the doctors advice whether the patient still needs to have the progestin replacement.

There are some women who make use of herbal treatments for treating their hormonal imbalance. However, most of the doctors still prescribe the use of conjugated estrogen because this is proven to be more effective. Several arguments rise regarding the use of conjugated estrogen, but it was also studied that it can even help in reducing the risk of heart diseases.

Due to the great effect that has been brought by estrogen replacement therapy in curing other types of illnesses, this paves the way for the American women to support the use of estrogen replacement therapy to cure the disorder in their estrogen hormones. At present, the therapy is patronized not only in America but in many parts of the world.

For most women who are going through estrogen therapy, they are required to have salivary hormone testing to gauge the level of the saliva hormone as well. According to some studies, this is an important factor for recommending the dosage of medicines that will be given to the patient. Thus, it will prevent the person from overdosing on medication or lack dosage on the medications of the therapy.