Oestrogen deficiency can have such an adverse affect on women and it is important, especially now that people are living a lot longer, to consider what the long-term effects of this might be.

Prior to the onset of menopause, a woman’s risk of having heart disease is about one fifth of that of a man. However, once the menopause has struck, and a woman’s oestrogen levels have declined, a woman’s risk of heart disease increases sharply. In fact, heart attacks in post-menopausal women are the most common cause of death, followed closely by strokes.

Why heart attacks?

There are two reasons for this. One is thrombosis - this is where a clot starts to form in the coronary artery. If the artery in which the clot has developed, is narrow, then the supply of blood to the heart is cut off resulting in a heart attack. The seconde reason why a women might be more prone to heart attacks is because the arteries themselves have a residue of fatty substances on their walls.

It is known that oestrogen reduces the formation of clogged up arteries and is beneficial for the blood vessels. In fact a research study carried out by the Medical Research Council showed that women taking HRT are only half as likely to suffer fatal heart attacks or strokes as those who do not undergo this therapy.

Osteoporosis is the condition where bone becomes so brittle and fragile that it breaks very easily.

In fact osteoporosis is a major risk factor for fractures which can cause many long-term mobility problems for the sufferer. It is a vastly under-estimated condition both in the number of people who suffer from it (both men and women) and in the terrible effect it can have on a person’s life. Whilst it is not directly a life-threatening problem, it can be an indirect cause of death.

HRT can be taken to prevent osteoporosis - however, note that there is no treatment that can replace lost bone significantly, and the keyword here is ‘prevent’. It is never too late to starting taking HRT in order to prevent or delay
osteoporosis. However, to be most effective, it should be taken for at least a minimum of five years, and better yet taken within about three years of starting the menopause.

Is it advisable for women to take some form of oestrogen replacement therapy?

Research studies, carried out on women undertaking oestrogen replacement therapy,
showed that these women were at a significantly reduced risk of death from all causes, in relation to those women who had not taken any oestrogen supplements.

Further, it was found that there was a definite reduction in heart attacks leading to death, for those women who were on oestrogen. Similarly, it was found that oestrogen replacement therapy seemed to reduce the cancer risk to a significant degree as well. 

Tags: menopause and oestrogen, menopause

The effects that menopause and especially oestrogen deficiency can have on women are varied and not all women will be affected in an adverse way.

It also depends on a woman’s mental attitude and outlook on life and things in general. This can have a profound effect on the way that an individual will cope with this milestone in her life.

Indeed, there are women who fly through menopause without any emotional changes at all. For some, the mood swings and terrible stomach cramps they may have suffered whilst menstruating, will be gladly forsaken and swapped for the menopause, which they may find to be a more tranquil and less shaky time than their menstrual cycles provided.

That said, the lack of oestrogen can have a wide variety of symptoms. Some of these are listed below:

A loss of libido
Hot flushes
Excessive sweating
Headaches
Itching or burning sensation in the skin
Insomnia
Fatigue
Arthritus
Joint pains
Irritability and anxiety
Sudden increase in facial hair
Dry skin and or sudden onset of wrinkles
Vaginal dryness
Dizziness

Oestrogen deficiency can have such a vast effect on the body because receptors for this hormone can be found in many places in the body such as genital organs, bones, skin and brains.

The long-term effects of oestrogen deficiency affect women differently. Some women will suffer from many of the ailments listed above whilst others won’t appear to have any problem and seem to have come out of the menopause unscathed.

Generally, over time, oestrogen deficiency causes a higher risk of osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease and sexual dysfunction in women who have gone through the menopause.

Cardiovascular Disease
For women, the risk of cardiovascular disease (diseases pertaining to the heart and blood vessels) increases after the menopause. This increase in risk of exposure to such diseases may be related to the oestrogen deficiency which in itself causes changes in blood cholesterol levels. That is, the levels of ‘bad cholesterol’ increase and levels of the so-called ‘good cholesterol’ decrease. This resulting cholesterol imbalance increases the chances of atherosclerosis (blockage and hardening of arteries).

In fact studies have shown that women who have early menopause have a far greater risk of heart disease than women who undergo menopause ten years later. However, research has also shown that some sort of oestrogen replacement can restore the imbalance in cholesterol levels. In fact, the risk of cardiovascular disease can be reduced by up to 50% if women start to take oestrogen during or soon after menopause.

Its not only their cardiovascular system that is affected by the menopause. A few years after having gone through "the change", women may have some dryness, thinning and atrophy (shrinkage) of the vagina. This can be avoided to a degree by taking oestrogen replacement therapy. And there are women who continue to have fulfilling and active sexual experiences well into their sixties and seventies. So, menopause need not necessarily be the end of a fertile and loving period of one’s life.

Tags: menopause, early menopause,