Menopause is a natural time in a woman's life when everything changes. For some, the transition is barely noticeable; for others, uncomfortable symptoms occur like hot flashes, weight gain, mood swings, insomnia, and vaginal dryness. The reason for these symptoms is the reduction of progesterone and estrogen. These sex hormones regulate menstrual cycles, and the cessation causes menopause. But if menopause is natural and happens to all women, do you need estrogen after menopause?
The short answer is that it does depend on various factors, including your health history, individual symptoms, and personal preference. But overall, regardless of how you feel, you do need estrogen after menopause. In fact, estrogen comes in different forms, and women produce different kinds throughout their lifetimes.
What is Estrogen?
Estrogen is considered a female sex hormone produced in the ovaries, adrenal glands, and fatty tissues. In reproduction, it helps build the release of eggs in anticipation of fertilization. But it has other vital functions for women. Estrogen helps build bone density, and a loss of estrogen can cause bones to weaken. In addition to its bone-building capacity, it also helps your skin become soft and smooth. It also helps strengthen your immune system and keeps your nails and hair strong.
When we talk about estrogen, we must also discuss progesterone. Progesterone is the mighty sister of estrogen and together manages the menstrual cycle and other vital functions. Usually, when you're low on estrogen, you also have low progesterone levels.
Types of estrogen
Your body produces three distinct types of estrogen. The type produced depends on whether you're fertile, pregnant, or postmenopausal.
Estrone (E1)
Estrone is the weakest form of estrogen and the only one released after menopause. Like other forms of estrogen, it still plays a role in reproductive health and sexual function. Your body can also convert estrone into other forms of estrogen when needed.
Estradiol (E2)
This is the primary and most potent form of estrogen. It's produced the most throughout a woman's reproductive life, but postmenopausal women no longer produce the hormone. Estradiol helps regulate fertility by preparing the uterine lining for egg implantation and fertilization.
Estriol (E3)
Estriol is the type of estrogen produced when a woman is pregnant. Its role during pregnancy is to help sustain a healthy pregnancy and prepare the body for childbirth and breastfeeding. Women only produce estriol in high quantities when they're pregnant. Too much estriol or too little during pregnancy can indicate something is wrong with the baby.
What is Menopause?
Menopause typically occurs in your early 50s due to decreasing estrogen and progesterone. However, perimenopausal women can experience symptoms for years before and after the change. The reason is that hormone levels increase and decrease due to age, medical conditions, and environmental factors. It's as if your body is test-driving different levels of hormones to figure out how to live without them.
Do I Need Estrogen After Menopause?
This is a tricky question to answer. Your entire life, you've used estrogen to help with many bodily functions, yet naturally, you stop producing the most potent form of estrogen. While every woman is different and will depend on your situation and doctor's advice, most women benefit from optimal estrogen levels. It helps you stay youthful, full of vitality and decreases menopausal symptoms.
Benefits of Estrogen
It's important to note that all women benefit from estrogen, but how much depends on the individual's health needs and circumstances.
- Reproductive health
- Menstrual cycle regulation
- Cognitive function
- Cardiovascular health
- Skin health
- Emotional wellbeing
How to increase estrogen naturally?
Menopause has gotten a bad rap over the years. Mainly because it can cause terrible symptoms for years before and after the change, and women are seemingly meant to suffer through it. But menopause, while a profound transition, doesn't have to be terrible and can be managed naturally.
Estrogen Hormone Replacement Therapy
One of the best ways is through hormone replacement therapy (HRT). HRT with estrogen is replacing the missing estrogen with a natural form. However, different kinds of estrogen therapy come in various forms. Synthetic blends usually come in pill, suppository, or patch form and contain chemicals, fillers, and non-natural ingredients.
Estrogen bioidentical therapy mimics the exact estrogen compound, so your body doesn't know the difference between the supplement and the real thing. BIOLabs Pro is a leader in estrogen therapy and offers topical creams or ointments made with 100% natural ingredients. The high-quality creams contain no chemicals, parabens, or fillers, making them the best estrogen hormone you can find.
Estrogen transdermal creams are added to the skin daily. The cream is odorless and greaseless, making it as simple as applying lotion after a shower. Your skin is a giant organ that lapses the estrogen cream and transports it throughout the body. The supplement alleviates menopausal symptoms naturally.
Exercise Habits
Exercise at any time in a person's life is beneficial for increasing well-being and hormones. Along with hormone therapy, women can look at adding beneficial exercise into their lives. Menopausal women can benefit from adding strength training, HIIT, or sprints to their exercise schedule. Research shows that building muscles helps women create estrogen.
Dietary Choices
Committing to a healthier diet can help build estrogen and manage symptoms. More research is needed into what foods to eat to build estrogen, but foods that are estrogen-building are fatty fish like salmon and sardines and adding cruciferous vegetables. Some women have reported that a ketogenic diet (low carbs, high healthy fats, and moderate protein) help manage symptoms and increase overall well-being.
Estrogen is a powerful hormone that women need before and after menopause. The exact amount of estrogen varies and depends on a woman's health and lifestyle. But there are ways to increase hormones through hormone therapy, diet, and exercise.
