Estrogen: a hormone that serves many needs

It is quite common for female patients of mine to question me concerning the need for estrogen as part of their bioidentical hormone regimen This is especially true if they don’t have symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats. In fact most physicians will only recommend estrogen to woman who have severe symptoms like these, and they still do it reluctantly, fearing it may cause breast cancer (i have addressed why this fear is unfounded based on many clinical studies in my previous postings).

So I thought I would list some of the 200 roles estrogen plays in a woman’s body, as well as a more comprehensive list of symptoms of deficiency

Estrogen:

Decreases total cholesterol, triglycerides and bad cholesterol (LDL)
Increases good cholesterol (HDL)
Increases growth hormone
Helps maintain your bones
Improves (sustains) sleep
Decreases fatigue
Works as an antioxidant
Maintains memory

Decreased estrogen symptoms in women include:

Thinner skin
More wrinkles/Aging skin
Decrease in breast size
Stress incontinence
Oily skin
Acne
Decreased sex drive
Decreased dexterity
Increased insulin resistance/possible diabetes
Vaginal dryness
Decreased memory
Osteoporosis
Urinary tract infections
Increased cholesterol
Increases blood flow to the brain
Improves the function of neurons (brain cells)

I hope these lists are helpful to you when it comes time to make a decision about whether or not estrogen is for you. Any fellowship trained, board certified anti-aging physician will not only consider estrogen (in the form of Biest cream or gel, typically) along with proper balancing with other important hormones like progesterone, testosterone, thyroid and cortisol.

Good health to you!