And the continued low estrogen levels lead to more serious health concerns. The rate of bone loss speeds up, increasing your risk of low bone density, osteopenia and osteoporosis. You also have a higher chance of having a heart attack, stroke or other heart-related issues.
Post-Menopausal Women Should Not Take Hormone Therapy to Prevent Chronic Conditions. The USPSTF reviewed current evidence and reaffirmed an earlier recommendation.
It depends on your situation. Not all women need, want or are candidates for estrogen therapy. Estrogen can reduce menopausal symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats and vaginal dryness. If you have a uterus, you'll likely need to take progesterone along with the estrogen.
Are there risks to stopping HRT? The most likely risk is that your menopausal symptoms return. Some research also suggests a rise in blood pressure and a slight increase in risk of heart attack or stroke in the year after stopping HRT. But overall, the risks of stopping HRT are low.
When your ovaries are removed (oophorectomy) during a hysterectomy, your estrogen levels drop. Estrogen therapy (ET) replaces some or all of the estrogen that your ovaries would be making until menopause. Without estrogen, you are at risk for weak bones later in life, which can lead to osteoporosis.
Skin health, sexual and bladder function will all be impacted by lack of estrogen. The skin will become drier and so will the lining of the vagina. The impaired blood supply in these tissues of the vagina, for example, impacts on cell repair, nutrition and sexual response.
If you're younger than age 45, you need enough estrogen to provide protection against the long-term health effects of estrogen deficiency. If you have lasting menopausal symptoms that significantly impair your quality of life, your doctor may recommend longer term treatment. Seek regular follow-up care.
Bioidentical or "natural" hormones
Bioidentical hormones are hormone preparations made from plant sources that are promoted as being similar or identical to human hormones. Practitioners claim these hormones are a "natural" and safer alternative to standard HRT medicines.
The International Menopause Society guidelines recommend that if menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) is prescribed, it be commenced before the age of 60, or within 10 years of menopause.
The most widely cited natural remedy is soy, which is very high in phytoestrogens, or plant estrogens. Other sources are red clover and flaxseed, both of which are available as supplements.
A Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center study involving postmenopausal, overweight, and obese women who took 2,000 IUs of vitamin D daily for a year found that those whose vitamin D blood levels increased the most had the greatest reductions in blood estrogens, which are a known risk factor for breast cancer.
Stopping HRT
The risk is linked to all types of HRT except vaginal oestrogen. The increased risk of breast cancer falls after you stop taking HRT, but some increased risk remains for more than 10 years compared to women who have never used HRT.
The menopausal transition most often begins between ages 45 and 55. It usually lasts about seven years but can be as long as 14 years.
Natural and synthetic estrogen may cause the following common adverse effects: breast tenderness, nausea, vomiting, bloating, stomach cramps, headaches, weight gain, hyperpigmentation of the skin, hair loss, vaginal itching, abnormal uterine bleeding, also known as breakthrough bleeding, and anaphylaxis.
Progesterone or corpus luteum hormone can be used safely and effectively to treat menopausal symptoms or for hormone substitution in menopausal women, as it constitutes a bio-identical preparation which can be used to correct deficiency symptoms.
Low-dose birth control poses fewer health risks than birth control that uses high levels of estrogen. This is because high doses of estrogen are more likely to cause side effects. Estrogen slightly increases the risk of heart health issues and may raise blood pressure.
Most women are able to stop taking HRT after their menopausal symptoms finish, which is usually two to five years after they start (but in some cases this can be longer).
B Vitamins
Because B vitamins play a vital role in the creation of estrogen, low levels of B vitamins can result in reduced production of estrogen. Vitamins B2 and B6, in particular, are associated with healthy estrogen levels.
Your mental health is declining
Estrogen is associated with serotonin, which is one of your brain's neurotransmitters responsible for boosting our moods. This is why women with low estrogen can suffer from depression. They can also experience strong mood swings, anxiety, irritability, and anger.
As you age and approach menopause, your oestrogen levels naturally decrease. So it's common to experience tiredness and fatigue at this time. Mood swings, headaches, and finding it hard to concentrate are also common menopausal symptoms.