Estrogen Deficiency
Estrogen deficiency occurs when a person's body does not produce enough of the hormone estrogen. This typically leads to unpleasant symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, mood changes, trouble sleeping, and discomfort during sex.
Estrogen levels begin to decline naturally around perimenopause, which can start several years before actual menopause. During the menopausal transition, the ovaries gradually make less estrogen. By menopause, estrogen levels are significantly lower. Surgical removal of both ovaries also causes immediate menopause and plummeting estrogen.
Some key facts about estrogen deficiency:
- It's very common among women over 45 due to natural aging and menopause. Up to 80% of menopausal women have troublesome symptoms.
- Treatment often helps relieve short-term symptoms like hot flashes. Longer-term risks include bone loss and heart disease.
- Hormone therapy (HT) with estrogen or a combination of estrogen and progesterone is an effective treatment option for moderate to severe menopause symptoms.
- Healthy lifestyle measures like proper nutrition, exercise, stress reduction, and quality sleep are also important.
- Precancerous cell changes in the uterus are a potential risk of traditional systemic HT containing estrogen.
- Lower-dose vaginal estrogen preparations treat urogenital atrophy and painful intercourse.
- Phytoestrogens from soy foods, flax seeds, and supplements may provide modest relief for some.
In younger premenopausal women, lack of periods (amenorrhea) or absent ovulation signal estrogen deficiency. Causes can include problems with the menstrual cycle, over-exercising, low body weight, problems with the pituitary gland or ovaries, or medications. Doctors figure out any underlying issues to guide treatment.
I hope this overview on estrogen deficiency gives you a helpful understanding of what it is, common causes, troublesome symptoms to watch for, along with both short-term relief options and longer-term health risks to consider. Let me know if you have any other questions!