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.

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