Estrogen is an umbrella term for the most important female sex hormones. Most of it is generated in the ovarian follicles and the placenta, but it can also be found in men’s bodies in smaller quantities. During a woman’s life cycle estrogen levels keep changing. With advancing age estrogen levels drop, which results in menopause.
If you are in your 40s and you start waking up at night drenched in sweat and your periods become erratic and irregular, it is likely that you have arrived into the perimenopausal phase. Many women experience a set of symptoms varying in severity around that age due to the hormonal shifts leading up to a complete halt of the menstrual cycle called menopause.
Fertility and estrogen
Estrogen levels are constantly changing during the reproductive years; they rise and fall fairly predictably each month. The production of estrogen is mostly controlled by two other hormones called the luteinizing hormone (LH) and the follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). The latter stimulates follicles located in the ovaries to produce estrogen, resulting in the release of an egg from its follicle in a process called ovulation. The follicle then produces progesterone in addition to estrogen, to prepare the body for pregnancy. As estrogen and progesterone levels rise, the levels of FSH and LH drop. If pregnancy doesn't occur, progesterone falls, menstruation takes place, and the cycle begins again.
Perimenopause is a phase of changes in the body, and these changes are due to hormonal alterations, especially variations in the level of estrogen. The end of the female cycle means the end of the fertile period in a woman’s life.
Cardiovascular health and estrogen
There is a significant difference in cardiovascular health, or the health of the circulatory system, between men and premenopausal women: men are at higher risk of cardiovascular diseases and issues than women before menopause. After the onset of menopause and the fall of estrogen levels, the risk of cardiovascular issues increases significantly, which implies that estrogen has a huge role in maintaining heart health.
Laboratory studies found that estrogen can reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases via a variety of mechanisms, such as increasing the levels of preferable lipids. With the dramatic drop of estrogen levels in the body after menopause comes the increased risk of cardiovascular issues.
Other symptoms of menopause caused by low estrogen
The most notorious symptoms of menopause are generally caused by the fall of estrogen levels in the body, simply because it regulates so many bodily functions. For instance, it has a role in promoting bone density, so menopause may cause osteoporosis. Low estrogen levels cause vaginal dryness and hot flashes, two of the most often-reported symptoms, and it may cause psychological symptoms as well, such as depression, due to its role in regulating serotonin.
HRT to combat menopause symptoms
Although menopause is a completely natural phase with all of its symptoms affecting women to varying degrees, that does not mean that you have to suffer too. Hormone replacement therapy is meant to balance hormone levels artificially during the perimenopausal period in order to alleviate the symptoms. Observational studies and randomized clinical trials suggest that hormone replacement therapy (HRT) started soon after menopause may confer cardiovascular benefits.
Consult your doctor to choose the therapeutic method most suitable for you.