Home > Health & Fitness > General Health > Health Risks
Should post-menopausal women take estrogen?
Results so far:
| Yes | 40% | 213 votes | Total: 526 votes | |
| No | 60% | 313 votes |
Yes
by Katley Demetria Brown
Created on: February 13, 2009
I am post menopausal and I take estrogen. Why?
I realize this choice is not for everyone, and consider myself fortunate that my doctor prescribed it for me.
There are women out there who are advised by their health care providers not to take estrogen if they have certain health conditions such as: breast cancer or suspected breast cancer, history of strokes and blood clots, or if they have unexplained vaginal bleeding that could be caused by cancer of the uterus. Estrogen can be dangerous when these health issues are present.
There are risks and benefits associated with estrogen replacement, and in my opinion, the risks have been broadcast excessively by the mainstream media. Women who could benefit from the relief of hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia, confusion and depression are suffering in hordes because they are afraid of cancer. The symptoms impact their quality of life in such a negative way that they will try anything to get relief, except take estrogen. Women are prescribed anti-depressants during menopause, and oftentimes they're not effective when estrogen will do the job. Over the counter remedies, such as black cohosh and genistein (a phytoestrogen derived from soy products), work for some, but nothing works as well as estrogen.
Did you know that the number one killer of women is not breast cancer, but heart disease? Estrogen prevents the buildup of plaque in the arteries, and keeps them dilated, lowering the blood pressure.
Estrogen is the primary female sex hormone. It is produced in abundance during a woman's reproductive years, which are from about age 12 to age 50.
During peri-menopause, all hell breaks loose as a woman's estrogen production sputters then stops. This is the time when the symptoms start, and life can be miserable.
Why is something that is natural and produced by the ovaries during the child bearing years considered so dangerous after menopause?
Part of the problem is the drug industry. Instead of biodentical preparations, which are the same as the hormones a woman produces during her child bearing years, drug companies concoct foreign substances, which are similar chemically to a woman's estrogen, but with a slightly different molecular structure. It is this molecular structure that causes disease, because the hormone is not identical to what she produced. These counterfeit substances are the ones, responsible, for the most part with women suffering from heart attacks, strokes, and breast cancer related to hormone use.
The drug companies aren't interested in women's health, but in making lots of money.
There is a dire need to be more studies to be done on bioidentical estrogen. However, this seems to be the safest alternative for the menopausal woman who wants her life back.
Some may think it's unnatural for a woman to take estrogen after menopause. Menopause is a state of hormone deficiency, just like diabetes, and can be corrected with supplementation. Estrogen improves brain function, relieves depression and hot flashes, gives good sleep quality, and strengthens bone. Although there are non-hormone treatments for osteoporosis, they have more side effects and dangers than does estrogen. The consequences of untreated osteoporosis are sometimes deadly, especially in a woman who fractures her hip and is bed-ridden for a long period of time.
If a menopausal woman chooses to take estrogen, she should be monitored regularly by her doctor, and she should be given that option if there are no contraindications for it.
I have estrogen to thank for giving me my happy, productive life back. I don't know what I'd do without it.
Learn more about this author, Katley Demetria Brown.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.
No
by Barbara Kasey Smith
Created on: February 27, 2008
I'm a victim of taking estrogen's for several years for post-menopausal symptoms. I felt since my doctor prescribed them for me that they were safe. After I had been on them for several years, my doctor recommended I go off of them because a study by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) found that post-menopausal women taking estrogen's with progestin have an higher risk of heart attack, stroke, breast cancer, and blood clots. An ancillary study of the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) called the Women's Health Initiative Memory Study (WHIMS) released more results showing that the combination of estrogen and progestin (Prempro) increased the risk of dementia in women 65 and older and failed to prevent memory loss.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) continues to encourage all manufacturers of estrogen and estrogen with progestin drug products indicated for use by post-menopausal women to update the labeling for their products. The WHI trial about estrogens and progestins continues to have significant public health implications for post menopausal women. As new study results from WHI become available, FDA is strongly recommending that sponsors update the labeling for their estrogen-and progestin-containing drug products to include new information from these studies. Easy access of current information pertaining to post-menopausal women is important and health care providers and these women should be aware of the risks of taking estrogen-and progestin-containing drug products.
Estrogen is a hormone. It is given either alone to a women without a uterus, or is given in combination with progestin to a woman with a uterus. Estrogen is used to:
* reduce hot flashes in menopause
* treat vaginal dryness, itching, and burning due to menopause
* help reduce chances of getting osteoporosis (thin weak bones) in menopause
* treat certain conditions in women before menopause if their ovaries do not
make enough estrogen
* ease symptoms of certain cancers that have spread through the body,
in men and women.
Estrogen with progestin drug products contain two kinds of hormones: estrogen's and progestin. Adding progestin reduces the risk of endometrial cancer in a woman with a uterus.
Estrogen with progestin drug products are given to post-menopausal women with a uterus to:
* reduce hot flashes
* treat vaginal dryness, itching, and burning
* help reduce chances of getting osteoporosis (thin weak bones)
Menopause is when the ovaries normally stop making estrogen's when a woman is between 45 and 55 years old. A drop in body estrogen levels causes menopause (the end of monthly menstrual periods) or the "change of life." Every woman experiences menopause differently. Some women may not experience any noticeable effects at all. When estrogen levels commence to drop, women may experience changes such as:
* Hot flashes
* Vaginal changes/vaginal atrophy - the tissues lining the vagina may become drier,
thinner and less elastic.
* Irregular menstruation - the menstrual cycle may become lighter, heavier, or stop.
* Sleep disturbances or night sweats
* Emotional changes - mood swings, irritability
A study by WHI and WHIMS found that of every 10,000 women per year taking estrogen with progestin, there would be:
* 8 more cases of breast cancer
* 7 more cases of heart attacks
* 8 more cases of stroke
* 18 more cases of blood clots in the lungs and legs
* 23 more cases of dementia in women over 65 years of age
The WHI study found the risks that were lowered in women taking estrogen with progestin - results showed that of every 10,000 women per year taking estrogen with progestin drug products, there would be:
* 6 fewer cases of colon cancer
* 5 fewer cases of hip fracture
The FDA is not thinking of taking estrogen's or estrogen with progestin drug products off the market at this time. Currently, FDA is seeking to minimize risks and maximize benefits of estrogen and estrogen with progestin drug products by ensuring that women and health care providers fully understand these risks and benefits.
After reading and reviewing all the information that is available about the use of estrogen in the post-menopausal stage, I concluded for me, myself, that I would rather fore-go the use of hormone treatment because I felt the risks were too enormous. Each woman has to make their own decisions as to if they want to use or not use the hormone treatment.
More information is available through the Food and Drug Administration's Web Site.
References Used & Studied:
www.fda.gov/ CDER/Drug/infopage/e strogens_progestins
Learn more about this author, Barbara Kasey Smith.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.
Write and get published
Share with other writers
Polish your freelancing skills
Quality articles from proven freelancers
Exclusive rights, fast turnaround
Brand engagement, business blogging -- our writers do it all
INFORMATION
Copyright © 2002-2012 Helium, Inc. All rights reserved.
Helium.com: A Service of RR Donnelley