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Estrogen Levels During Menopause

Menopause is a process that involves gradual changes in your body's fertility over the course of several years, eventually resulting in the loss of fertility. Shifting estrogen levels in your body contribute to a variety of changes you experience during menopause.

  1. Estrogen and Perimenopause

    • During perimenopause (the time when you experience menopause symptoms as your body transitions to menopause), your estrogen levels typically begin to shift randomly, causing your body to ovulate irregularly.

    Estrogen and Postmenopause

    • Eventually, your body's estrogen levels drop low enough that you stop ovulating completely; once you have gone 12 months without ovulating, you have officially passed menopause.

    Significance

    • The fluctuating levels of estrogen in your body during perimenopause cause most of the symptoms you'll experience as you go through the change of life, including hot flashes, mood swings and vaginal dryness.

    Effects

    • The Mayo Clinic says that shifting estrogen levels during menopause increase your chances of developing osteoporosis and heart disease as you lose bone mass and your levels of bad cholesterol rise.

    Treatment

    • According to the North American Menopause Society (NAMS), if changing estrogen levels during perimenopause cause extreme symptoms, your doctor may recommend hormone therapy, a prescription treatment for menopause symptoms that involves supplements of estrogen or progesterone or even both.

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