Is Estrogen replacement therapy right for me?

Women have a hormone associated with them called, estrogen. Men do produce this hormone but it’s more common within women. When your estrogen levels drop symptoms and concerns may arise.

Although low levels of estrogen are most common in older women, this can happen at any age and the reasons are far from few. When your estrogen levels drop it will have effects on your body, health, and wellbeing. In most cases as women approach menopause, they will notice their estrogen levels decreasing. Women will notice their estrogen levels drop years before menopause arrives, more so around perimenopause. 

During a decline in estrogen, you’ll notice that your bones are more fragile and can possibly break easier. Estrogen and vitamin D work together to create strong healthy bones therefore you may experience density in your bones if your estrogen levels drop. Estrogen deficiency is common and shouldn’t be looked past as symptoms can worsen over time. If your decline in estrogen is due to menopause, there are natural menopause remedies for estrogen deficiency. 

What are the symptoms of low estrogen?

There are many health conditions that can lead to a decline in estrogen, but we’re here to focus on the cause of menopause and hormonal changes. Any time your hormones are changing, it’s likely that your estrogen levels may fluctuate and eventually drop.  These are the signs of low estrogen you want to look out of:

• Frequent mood swings – Estrogen and serotonin which is a chemical in your brain that boosts your mood work together simultaneously. When these levels drop, mood swings are bound to happen. 
• Irregular periods – Estrogen is the main hormone that works with your menstrual cycle. If you’re not in menopause yet and still getting your period then you may notice that low estrogen is called missed periods. 
• Hot flashes and night sweats – This is commonly caused by estrogen decline. 
• Painful sex – If your estrogen levels become too low then vaginal dryness may occur which leads to painful sex. 
• Depression – Estrogen increases the serotonin receptors in your brain that is known to boost your mood. Estrogen deficiency can cause a drop in serotonin levels which leads to mood swings and or depression. 
• Fatigue – Loss of estrogen causes sleepless nights leading to constant fatigue. 
• Breast tenderness
• Headaches or migraines

Women 40 and above may notice signs of low estrogen which is actually an indication that they are entering perimenopause, the phase before menopause hits. Although during this time your body will still be producing estrogen, it will start to decrease over time until you reach menopause. Once you’re in menopause, your estrogen levels will fall completely and you will not produce any more estrogen. 

Will hormone replacement therapy help with estrogen deficiency?

A very common treatment for women with low estrogen levels is called Hormone Replacement Therapy, other known as HRT. Some people even consider this as estrogen replacement therapy. Either of these can be taken in different forms such as: 

• Oral (by mouth)
• Injections
• Topical
• Subdermal

Each woman will have a different way of taking HRT as this depends on the severity of your symptoms.

Unfortunately not all women will qualify for this treatment if there have been underlying health conditions diagnosed in the past or present. Typically higher doses of estrogen are given to women in menopause as their symptoms may be too uncomfortable to handle.

Most health care providers will start with a low dose and eventually work their way up depending on how symptoms decrease over time. Although HRT can be great for some women, we always like to recommend natural hormone replacement for menopause as side effects an be dangerous. When taking any hormone pills or hrt therapy side effects are likely to be present such as: 

• Leg cramps
• Vaginal bleeding
• Headaches
• Nausea
• Breast Tenderness

Therefore for some women who do not want to go through hormone replacement therapy for menopause but have symptoms of low estrogen should opt-in for natural menopause remedies.

Some things that you can do naturally are simply such as, maintaining a healthy weight, reducing exercise time, eating natural foods, taking supplements, or eating estrogen rich foods. These are a few natural menopausal hormone therapy treatments that you can start by making a few lifestyle changes. 

Does low estrogen cause weight gain?

One of the benefits of hormone replacement therapy is that it can help control and manage weight gain. During a time of menopause, weight gain is a common side effect. When your estrogen levels drop, weight gain is bound to happen. This is the point that many women opt-in and search for supplements for menopause to control their hormones. One of the first symptoms of low estrogen levels after menopause is weight gain. If you’re wondering, what are the signs that you need hormone replacement therapy then weight gain might be one. It can help level out your hormones and keep them balanced. Low estrogen levels and weight gain go hand in hand, but it is not impossible to take control over. If weight gain due to low estrogen is your only concern, you do not need to go through menopausal hrt rather you can find a natural method. Simply changing your lifestyle choices and eating healthy can help manage this period. In addition, you can begin eating estrogen rich foods to increase your estrogen levels naturally. Hrt treatment is a great option, but if you want to do things naturally then finding foods that contain estrogen is a great way to keep your weight balanced. 

Are there other options for hormone therapy for women?

Hormone therapy for women is very common, but before turning to medication you may want to try taking the natural route like natural herbs to alleviate symptoms of low estrogen.

Although there are many benefits of hormone replacement therapy you can still opt-in for a more natural option if you feel that would suit you best. When you begin noticing signs of low estrogen you can immediately start changing your diet and adding in herbs to balance your hormones. If you’re wondering, does low estrogen cause weight gain, it does as we mentioned above but you can simply take control of this by making a few lifestyle changes.

Before jumping into hrt therapy you may want to give natural menopause remedies a try. In some cases natural hormone replacement for menopause will work but in others they may need something stronger like hrt treatment. There are plenty of other options for hormone therapy for women that you should look into. Most of the time side effects will subside and go away. If they continue to persist you may need to contact your doctor for further assistance.