WHAT IS ESTROGEN THERAPY?
HOW DOES ESTROGEN THERAPY WORK?
HOW MUCH DOES ESTROGEN THERAPY COST?
HOW LONG DOES ESTROGEN THERAPY LAST?
About Estrogen Therapy
Are you looking for a way to improve your overall health and well-being? Estrogen therapy may be the answer you've been searching for. This type of therapy can help to improve your cardiovascular health, bone density, mental sharpness, and sexual function. In addition, estrogen therapy can also help to alleviate hot flashes, night sweats, and other menopausal symptoms. Please get in touch with our office to schedule a consultation if you're interested in learning more about estrogen therapy. We would be happy to answer any questions and help you decide if this treatment is proper for you.
The benefits of hormone therapy may outweigh the risks if you're healthy and you:
- Have moderate to severe hot flashes. Systemic estrogen therapy remains the most effective treatment to relieve troublesome menopausal hot flashes and night sweats.
- Have other symptoms of menopause. Estrogen can ease vaginal symptoms of menopause, such as dryness, itching, burning, and discomfort with intercourse.
- Need to prevent bone loss or fractures. Systemic estrogen helps protect against the bone-thinning disease called osteoporosis. However, doctors usually recommend medications called bisphosphonates to treat osteoporosis. But estrogen therapy may help if you either can't tolerate it or aren't benefiting from other treatments.
- Experience early menopause or have estrogen deficiency. If you had your ovaries surgically removed before age 45, stopped having periods before age 45 (premature or early menopause), or lost normal function of your ovaries before age 40 (primary ovarian insufficiency), your body has been exposed to less estrogen than the bodies of women who experience typical menopause. Estrogen therapy can help decrease your risk of certain health conditions, including osteoporosis, heart disease, stroke, dementia, and mood changes.
Estrogen therapy can improve the symptoms of menopause and help protect against osteoporosis. But did you know that it can also help to keep your skin healthy and prevent wrinkles? That's right - estrogen therapy can help to keep your skin looking young and radiant. In addition, estrogen therapy can also help to treat vaginal dryness, urinary incontinence, and hot flashes. So if you're suffering from any of these issues, don't hesitate to talk to your doctor about estrogen therapy. It could be just what you need to feel like yourself again.
We offer estrogen therapy at Beverly Hills Rejuvenation Center to help our clients achieve optimal health and wellness. Estrogen is a vital hormone in the female reproductive system, and it also has significant effects on bone density, cholesterol levels, and heart health. However, as women age, their estrogen levels naturally decline, leading to various symptoms, including hot flashes, night sweats, weight gain, and fatigue. Estrogen therapy can help to replenish these lost hormones and alleviate these symptoms. In addition, estrogen therapy has been shown to improve heart health, bone density, and cholesterol levels. As a result, it can help our clients live healthier, happier lives. Please get in touch with us today if you are interested in learning more about our estrogen therapy services. We would be glad to answer any of your questions.
Estrogen Therapy FAQ’s
What happens if women take estrogen?
Estrogen is a powerful hormone that significantly affects many parts of your body. It stimulates egg production by the ovaries and other functions like regulating development and functioning in reproductive systems throughout almost all organs, including skin cells! Some of the body parts affected by estrogen are:
- Gastrointestinal system
- Urinary tract
- Skin
- Hair
- Breasts
- Blood vessels
- Bones
Is it safe to take estrogen?
The benefits of hormone therapy may outweigh the risks if you're healthy and you:
- Have moderate to severe hot flashes
- Have other symptoms of menopause
- Need to prevent bone loss or fractures
- Experience early menopause or have estrogen deficiency
When should women start taken estrogen?
Many women, and even some doctors, are basing fears of estrogen therapy (ET) on outdated research and are underutilizing estrogen when it's safely indicated to ease menopausal symptoms in women in their 40s, 50s, and possibly 60s, says Bruce Carr, MD, director of the Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility Fellowship Program at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.
Source: Endocrine Web
What are the side effects of estrogen therapy?
- headache
- upset stomach
- vomiting
- stomach cramps or bloating
- diarrhea
- appetite and weight changes
- changes in sex drive or ability
- nervousness
- brown or black skin patches
- acne
- swelling of hands, feet, or lower legs (fluid retention)
- bleeding or spotting between menstrual periods
- changes in menstrual flow
- breast tenderness, enlargement, or discharge
- difficulty wearing contact lenses
Source: Medlineplus.gov:
Who should not use Estrogen Therapy?
You shouldn't use hormone therapy for menopause symptoms if you have the following:
- Heart and blood vessel (cardiovascular) disease
- Breast cancer
- Estrogen-dependent cancer or precancer
- A known risk of developing blood clots, such as deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism
- Liver disease
- Abnormal vaginal bleeding that a doctor hasn't evaluated
- A sensitivity to the components of hormone therapy, such as conjugated estrogens
Source: Mayo Clinic
What should I tell my doctor before getting Estrogen Therapy?
Before taking estrogen replacement therapy:
- Tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are allergic to estrogen, progestin, or other medications.
- Tell your doctor and pharmacist what prescription and nonprescription medications, vitamins, nutritional supplements, and herbal products you take. Be sure to mention any of the following: acetaminophen (Tylenol); anticoagulants ('blood thinners) such as warfarin (Coumadin); cyclosporine (Neoral, Sandimmune); medications for seizures such as carbamazepine (Tegretol), phenobarbital (Luminal, Solfoton), and phenytoin (Dilantin); morphine (Kadian, MS Contin, MSIR, others); oral steroids such as dexamethasone (Decadron, Dexone), methylprednisolone (Medrol), prednisone (Deltasone) and prednisolone (Prelone); rifampin (Rifadin, Rimactane); salicylic acid; temazepam (Restoril); theophylline (Theobid, Theo-Dur); and thyroid medication such as levothyroxine (Levothroid, Levoxyl, Synthroid). Your doctor may need to change the doses of your medications or monitor you carefully for side effects.
- In addition to the conditions listed in the IMPORTANT WARNING section, tell your doctor if you have had a hysterectomy and if you have or have ever had asthma; toxemia (high blood pressure during pregnancy); depression; epilepsy (seizures); migraine headaches; liver, heart, gallbladder, or kidney disease; jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes); vaginal bleeding between menstrual periods; and excessive weight gain and fluid retention (bloating) during the menstrual cycle.
- Tell your doctor if you are pregnant, plan to become pregnant, or are breastfeeding. If you become pregnant while taking this medication, call your doctor immediately. Estrogen and progestin may harm the fetus.
- If you are having surgery, including dental surgery, tell the doctor or dentist you are taking hormone replacement therapy.
- Tell your doctor if you smoke cigarettes. Smoking while taking this medication may increase your risk of severe side effects such as blood clots and stroke. Smoking also may decrease the effectiveness of this medication.
- Tell your doctor and pharmacist if you wear contact lenses. See an eye doctor if you notice changes in vision or the ability to wear your lenses while taking hormone replacement therapy.
Source: Medlineplus.gov
What should I do before my Estrogen Therapy?
- Tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are allergic to estrogen, progestin, or other medications.
- Tell your doctor and pharmacist what prescription and nonprescription medications, vitamins, nutritional supplements, and herbal products you are taking. Be sure to mention any of the following: acetaminophen (Tylenol); anticoagulants ('blood thinners) such as warfarin (Coumadin); cyclosporine (Neoral, Sandimmune); medications for seizures such as carbamazepine (Tegretol), phenobarbital (Luminal, Solfoton), and phenytoin (Dilantin); morphine (Kadian, MS Contin, MSIR, others); oral steroids such as dexamethasone (Decadron, Dexone), methylprednisolone (Medrol), prednisone (Deltasone) and prednisolone (Prelone); rifampin (Rifadin, Rimactane); salicylic acid; temazepam (Restoril); theophylline (Theobid, Theo-Dur); and thyroid medication such as levothyroxine (Levothroid, Levoxyl, Synthroid). Your doctor may need to change the doses of your medications or monitor you carefully for side effects.
- In addition to the conditions listed in the IMPORTANT WARNING section, tell your doctor if you have had a hysterectomy and if you have or have ever had asthma; toxemia (high blood pressure during pregnancy); depression; epilepsy (seizures); migraine headaches; liver, heart, gallbladder, or kidney disease; jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes); vaginal bleeding between menstrual periods; and excessive weight gain and fluid retention (bloating) during the menstrual cycle.
- Tell your doctor if you are pregnant, plan to become pregnant, or are breastfeeding. If you become pregnant while taking this medication, call your doctor immediately. Estrogen and progestin may harm the fetus.
- If you are having surgery, including dental surgery, tell the doctor or dentist you are taking hormone replacement therapy.
- Tell your doctor if you smoke cigarettes. Smoking while taking this medication may increase your risk of severe side effects such as blood clots and stroke. Smoking also may decrease the effectiveness of this medication.
- Tell your doctor and pharmacist if you wear contact lenses. See an eye doctor if you notice changes in vision or the ability to wear your lenses while taking hormone replacement therapy.
Source: Medlineplus.gov
What should I do after my Estrogen Therapy?
Keep all appointments with your doctor and the laboratory. You should have a complete physical exam, including blood pressure measurements, breast and pelvic exams, and a Pap test at least yearly. Follow your doctor's directions for examining your breasts; report any lumps immediately.
If you are taking hormone replacement therapy to treat symptoms of menopause, your doctor will check every 3 to 6 months to see if you still need this medication. If you take this medication to prevent bone thinning (osteoporosis), you will take it for a more extended period.
Before you have any laboratory tests, tell the personnel that you take hormone replacement therapy because this medication may interfere with some laboratory tests.
Do not let anyone else take your medication. Ask your pharmacist any questions you have about refilling your prescription.
You need to keep a written list of all the prescription and nonprescription (over-the-counter) medicines you are taking and any products such as vitamins, minerals, or other dietary supplements. You should bring this list with you each time you visit a doctor or if you are admitted to a hospital. It is also important information to carry with you in case of emergencies.
Source: Medlineplus.gov