Dealing with Low Estrogen? Here are Important Things Women Should Know
Estrogen is the primary hormone in women, just like testosterone is for men. Even though men have deficient estrogen levels, women have it in large amounts. So, women must have enough estrogen since this hormone facilitates the reproductive system. It is a sex hormone that manages sexual development in females. When this hormone is low, a woman experiences various complications. This article is an overview of low estrogen, its causes, and its effects on the body.
What is the Role of Estrogen in Women?
As mentioned earlier, estrogen plays a vital role in women facilitating sexual development. However, this is not its only role. It helps in:
● Regulating metabolism for controlled body weight
● Regulating menstrual cycles
● Promoting cardiovascular health
● Development of bone tissues and prevention of bone loss
● Initiates breast growth in young women
● Reducing insulin sensitivity
The Causes of Low Estrogen in Women
Estrogen is produced by the ovaries, which means the health of your ovaries plays a vital role in the estrogen level in the body. Low estrogen levels are experienced by women mostly in their menopause stage when their ovaries can no longer produce a lot of estrogen hormone. Other causes of low estrogen include:
● Malnutrition
● Excess exercise
● Anorexia and bulimia
● Ovarian cysts
● Chronic kidney disease
● Pituitary gland failure or malfunction
● Turner syndrome
● Chemotherapy effects
Common Symptoms of Low Levels of Estrogen
The symptoms of low levels of estrogen can be mild or severe. Most of these symptoms are similar to menopausal symptoms. However, an evaluation is required before your diagnosis is ruled out as low estrogen levels. A diagnosis may involve examining your medical and family history and blood tests to check your hormone levels. It is crucial to ensure a secure hormone test to know the root cause of these symptoms and get the proper treatment.
Here are the leading and most common symptoms:
Breast Tenderness
Breast tenderness before your cycle is regular. During this period, the estrogen level drops, causing soreness or tenderness in the breasts.
Irregular Menstrual Cycles
Irregular menstrual cycles may also be a result of low estrogen. Remember, estrogen is responsible for menstrual cycles. Once the levels go low, a woman may experience irregular periods, or the periods may disappear entirely. It mostly happens in perimenopause and during menopause.
Night Sweat and Hot Flashes
Hypothalamus is responsible for controlling body temperature. You may start experiencing hot flashes or night sweats when estrogen affects the hypothalamus. These are common symptoms of menopause.
Mood Swings
Estrogen facilitates the production of serotonin, a chemical substance responsible for good mood. Once the level of estrogen hormone lowers, the level of serotonin lowers, too, causing mood swings.
Depression
Estrogen also facilitates mental health stresses in women. Studies show estrogen is a vital hormone that promotes mood and confidence. Low levels may cause complications like depression.
Insomnia and Fatigue
As mentioned earlier, estrogen facilitates serotonin production. Serotonin facilitates melatonin, a sleep hormone. A lack of melatonin causes sleeplessness and fatigue. Therefore, if you have insomnia or feel fatigued most of the time, even when you wake up in the morning, it could mean your estrogen level is low.
Headaches
Headaches like migraines are also a symptom of low estrogen. Remember, estrogen affects the chemicals in the brain responsible for controlling pain. Once the hormone levels go low, you can experience severe headaches that don’t go away quickly.
Frequent UTI
Estrogen is also responsible for helping the Lining of the urethra. It facilitates the job of the Lining to eliminate harmful bacteria. When this Lining fails because of low estrogen, UTI attack frequently.
Bone Loss
Bone loss is also partly a result of low estrogen levels. Bones require estrogen for their density and strength. Therefore, when there is not enough estrogen to support these aspects, you may start experiencing bone loss where you fracture easily.
Treatment
The most effective treatment for low estrogen is HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy). The doctor may also recommend other remedies like diet and lifestyle adjustments. They may also suggest reducing exercise, eating natural foods and supplements, and balancing weight. If you choose HRT as the best treatment, your healthcare provider may administer it orally through the vagina, injection, creams, and lotions or pellets. However, you must qualify as an HRT candidate. HRT may not be the treatment for you if you have cancer, heart attacks, stroke, or high blood pressure.
A few natural supplements that you may want to look into for female hormonal support that Stina, Hello Lovely Living founder, has tried to much success in managing the following symptoms during the monthly menstrual cycle are:
● Tension headaches
● Hot flashes at night
● Anxiety, depression, mood swings, irritability
● Acne, breakouts
These are the exact supplements Stina uses to treat her PMS symptoms:
● Seamoss
Stina also shares her Natural Migraine Remedies That Work on Kindle and her natural and effective migraine detox remedy on the blog.
Takeaways
From the details above, estrogen indeed plays a vital role in different body functions. It impacts your emotional, physical, and sexual health. Therefore, consider doing more research for a diagnosis and treatment if you have the symptoms discussed above.