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Is Estrogen Safe?

With so much information from Internet, TV, radio and newspaper sources, it can be difficult to determine what is safe for use and what is not. This is especially true when it comes to estrogen, a hormone important to a woman's health. Learning the truth about estrogen can help you decide whether or not it's for you.

  1. Identification

    • An estrogen is a type of hormone that naturally occurs in the female body. Often, the term is used to describe just one hormone, but in fact, there is a whole group of hormones that fit under this heading. They may be referred to as estrogens in some cases. Estrogen is found in both men and women, but it is present in higher levels in the female body, where it is the primary sex hormone.

    Function

    • The ovaries produce estrogen, which has a range of responsibilities, including regulating menstrual cycles, preparing the uterus for implantation of a fertilized egg and contributing to physical difference between men and women, such as softer skin and less facial hair growth. As women grow older, their estrogen levels may decrease, and many women experience such things as hot flashes, vaginal dryness, lower sex drive and the onset of osteoporosis. Estrogen treatment may help to relieve and/or prevent these things. It is also used in some types of birth control pills, and it may even be useful for treating symptoms related to some breast and prostate cancers.

    Effects

    • Though estrogen is necessary and even beneficial, it has been implicated in some types of health issues. According to MedLinePlus, estrogen-containing treatments may increase the risk of endometrial cancer, heart attack, stroke, blood clots and breast cancer. However, according to ABCNews, a large study by the Women's Health Initiative revealed that estrogen-only treatment may carry less heart-related risks than treatments that combine estrogen with progestin. In fact, the study revealed that estrogen-only therapy may be slightly healthy for the heart vessels of women between the ages of 50 and 59 (see Resources below).

    Warning

    • There are some symptoms that may indicate a potential problem in a woman who is taking estrogen. They include the sudden onset of a severe headache, vomiting, dizziness, fainting or blurred vision. Other troubling symptoms include sudden shortness of breath, leg pain, difficulty thinking clearly, chest pain or heaviness, numbness in an extremity, loss of vision, speech difficulties, sudden memory problems and bloody cough. If you discover breast lumps, nipple discharge or any of these other symptoms, call your doctor right away.

    Considerations

    • There are some ways to minimize the risk of dangerous health effects while you're on estrogen. Talk to your doctor to learn the latest news on estogen's effects and discuss the implications for your particular situation. Take the lowest dose possible to relieve your symptoms, and see your doctor for regular checkups. Report changes in your health and any troubling symptoms, and perform monthly breast exams to stay on top of any changes in your breast tissue.

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