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Should post-menopausal women take estrogen?

Results so far:

Yes		38%	134 votes	Total: 354 votes
No		62%	220 votes	Total: 354 votes

Yes

1 of 7

To start off, I would like to point out why a woman needs estrogen to start with. After a woman reaches a certain age, her menstrual cycle stops working. Menopause occurs after a woman ceases to have their menstrual periods. During menopause a woman's ovaries stop functioning, therefore, they no longer produce the natural estrogen needed in the woman's body.

The ovaries are the main source of female hormone, which controls the development of the female body characteristics such as the breast, body shape, and body hair. Estrogen also helps to protect the bone density, osteoporosis, which is a thinning of the bone), occurs later in life when her ovaries do not produce enough estrogen.

Most women go through menopause at around the age of 51 or a little later, but menopause can be brought on earlier by a woman having a hysterectomy at an early age.

As a woman who has had a hysterectomy at age 27, and went through her first menopause at the age of 33, I do agree that taking estrogen has helped me drastically. I had the sweats so bad that I would have to change my clothes three or more times a day, at night I would sleep with a fan on me, because I would sweat so much, my bedding would get soaked in minutes otherwise.

My emotions were all over the place. I stood and cried my head off at times, just because I had dropped something on the floor, or forgot where I had put something down. One minute I would be doing something and singing along with some music that I was listening to on the radio, the next minute I would be crying, for no apparent reason, at least none that I could figure out.

The doctor put me on estrogen, and everything seemed to settle down, at least for me, at least for a while.

I don't know how some of you other women feel when you go through menopause, but I felt like I was completely falling apart at the seams. The changes in my mood would come on so suddenly, and so strongly, that I would not even realize what was happening to me. My family did not know if they should even talk to me at times, in fear that I would fly off the handle.

After I was on the estrogen and it had settled things down, it was a relief; my family could get back to normal again.

It was after I had been on the estrogen for a long time that I had a talk to my husband about how the estrogen may be causing other health risks. I decided to consult with my doctor and try and come off the estrogen.

They weaned me down a little at a time until I was down to the lowest dose there is. The next step was none at all. So I stopped taking estrogen all together. It was only a couple of months that I experienced menopause again. The sweating and crying and the short temper and all that good stuff, all started to happen to me again. The emotional roller coaster came back in full force. I was once again, at a loss as to what I should do.

I went back to my doctor and she put me back on the estrogen and things settled down once again. I guess for me I will remain on estrogen for the rest of my life.

Now, some women may be able to stop taking the estrogen and not experience any side effects, which are good for them, but for those of us that cannot go off the estrogen, it's just part of life. It seems that some women's body cannot handle the lack of estrogen in their systems.

Learn more about this author, Linda Shrigley.
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No

1 of 13

by Barbara Kasey Smith

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.
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