Taking estrogen for too long, especially without proper medical guidance (like in hormone replacement therapy (HRT) or contraceptives), can increase risks for serious conditions like blood clots, stroke, and certain cancers (breast, uterine), though benefits often outweigh risks for severe menopause symptoms under doctor supervision. Potential downsides include weight gain, headaches, bloating, and mood changes, but personalized risk-benefit analysis with a doctor is crucial, considering factors like age, health history, and the specific type of estrogen used.
The overall increased risk of serious adverse effects—including breast cancer, stroke, and pulmonary embolism—with long term hormone replacement therapy (HRT) outweighs the potential benefits in disease prevention, warns a review of major trials published last week.
There Is No Arbitrary Time Limit on HRT
For many women who start hormone therapy around the time of menopause, the benefits are profound—and in many cases, continuing therapy long-term is both appropriate and health-promoting.
The drop in estrogen just before your period may cause headaches. Many people with migraines report that they have migraines before or during their periods, also known as menstruation. You can turn to proven treatments for migraines related to hormone changes.
UCSF researchers discover that estrogen can turn on pain signals associated with conditions like irritable bowel syndrome. Women are dramatically more likely than men to suffer from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a chronic condition causing abdominal pain, bloating, and digestive discomfort.
Before menopause, estrogen helps regulate fat distribution, often favoring the hips and thighs. But as estrogen levels drop, fat storage patterns shift—often toward the abdomen. This is one reason many women experience an increase in belly fat during midlife, even if their weight doesn't change much.
Symptoms of high estrogen levels
Menopause headaches typically present as throbbing, one-sided pain that can last from 30 minutes to 72 hours. We often see these headaches accompanied by sensitivity to light and sound, nausea, and dizziness – occurring most frequently during perimenopause when hormone levels fluctuate dramatically.
Hormones out of whack can show up as mood swings, fatigue, unexplained weight changes, irregular periods, skin issues (like acne), hair loss, low libido, sleep problems, digestive issues (constipation/diarrhea), temperature sensitivity, and brain fog, affecting metabolism, energy, and emotional regulation. Recognizing these signs, like persistent fatigue, heavy periods, or new-onset anxiety, helps prompt a doctor visit for diagnosis and treatment.
Estrogen can ease vaginal symptoms of menopause, such as dryness, itching, burning and pain with intercourse. It also may help bladder symptoms of menopause, such as urinating often, having a strong urge to urinate, leaking, burning and urinary tract infections. Need to prevent bone loss or broken bones.
Women older than 60 or 65 don't automatically have to stop taking HRT and can consider continuing HRT beyond age 65 for persistent hot flashes, quality-of-life issues, or prevention of osteoporosis after appropriate evaluation and counseling of the benefits and risks of HRT.
Side effects of oestrogen
breast pain or tenderness. unexpected vaginal bleeding or spotting. feeling sick (nausea) mood changes, including low mood or depression.
However, among women whose ovaries were removed, age affected the health effects of taking estrogen. During the 7-year treatment period, estrogen was significantly associated with increased risk of adverse events among older women (ages 70 and older at the start of the trial) but not for women in their 50s or 60s.
Goldman: If a woman begins hormone therapy within 10 years of menopause or before age 60, the benefits usually outweigh the risks. And there's no reason to stop based on age. But as women get older, they may develop cardiovascular risk factors.
Mood swings are another effect of low estrogen. You may feel sad, anxious, or frustrated. Shifting hormone levels and night sweats may disrupt your sleep. This can cause fatigue, which may make mood swings worse.
Listen to your body — it's trying to tell you something
Chemical messengers called neurotransmitters, which are in charge of sending impulses between nerve cells, are the main hormones linked to depression and sadness. In specifically, dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin are three neurotransmitters that are vital.
What happens during an estrogen test? If you are tested at your provider's office or a lab, you will provide a blood or urine sample. If you use an at-home test, the sample is usually saliva (spit). For a blood test: A health care professional will take a blood sample from a vein in your arm, using a small needle.
Where are menstrual headaches located? Head pain associated with a period headache usually affects one side of your head. It's common to feel pain around your forehead, but it can also happen in other locations or move from one spot to another area. These headaches are slightly different for each person.
Some of the common symptoms of low oestrogen levels include:
Headaches. Breast tenderness. Depression. Irregular periods/no periods.
Sleep Deprivation
Sleep hygiene, much like nutrition and hydration, is a key aspect of your wellbeing. Lack of sleep can cause fatigue, stress, and low mood, all of which can contribute to headaches. Aim to get between seven and eight hours of sleep per night, and do so consistently.
However, higher levels of estrogen can also cause adverse mood related symptoms. Some women experience depression and anxiety during the menopause transition and post-menopausal period.
Here are six estrogen-positive foods to avoid:
What Does A High Estrogen Face Look Like? High estrogen levels can cause puffiness, redness, or acne on the face. Skin may appear more oily, and some women experience melasma (dark patches on the skin).