Are There Other Things I Can Do To Protect Myself Against Osteoporosis
Doctors have long known that estrogen therapy helps prevent osteoporosis . There are many other ways to protect your bone health. Regular weight-bearing exercise and a diet high in calcium and vitamin D strengthen bones. There are also many bone-building medications available to women today. Your doctor can help you decide the best bone health strategy for you.
Hot Flushes And Sweating
Hot flushes and sweating can be troublesome. They may last for 2 to 30 minutes and you may have a few a month or more often. They are the same as the hot flushes women have when going through menopause.
Lowered testosterone levels cause hot flushes. They are most likely to happen when taking LHRH agonists, also called LH blockers , because these drugs cut testosterone production off altogether.
Getting overheated, drinking tea or coffee, and smoking can all make flushes worse.
They may gradually get better as you get used to the treatment. But, in some men the flushes keep on happening as long as you take the drug.
Talk to your doctor or clinical nurse specialist if you have problems coping with hot flushes and sweating. There are treatments that may help.
Important Questions To Ask About Menopause Hormone Medicines
- Are hormones right for me? Why?
- What are the benefits?
- What are the serious risks and common side effects?
- How long should I use hormone therapy?
- What is the lowest dose that will work for me?
- Are there any non-hormone medicines that I can take?
Want more information about menopause? Check the FDA website at: www.fda.gov/menopause
The drug and risk information in this booklet may change. Check for the latest facts on each product listed in this booklet.
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What Is Hormone Replacement Therapy
The term “hormone replacement therapy” or HRT, refers to the hormones estrogen and/or progesterone that are taken regularly to stabilize and increase a menopausal woman’s hormone levels. It’s good to know all the options that are available, from pills to patches, creams, and vaginal rings. Your doctor can explain them.
Balancing The Risks And Benefits
Transgender women and transfeminine people are people whose assigned sex at birth is male, yet they exist as women. Transgender people represent a group that includes not just transgender women but also non-binary people who have a more feminine gender identity than the one that is expected for their recorded sex at birth. The term “transfeminine” is an umbrella term that encompasses both transgender women and feminine people of non-binary identity. Many transgender people experience what is known as gender dysphoriathis is discomfort caused by people’s bodies not matching their sense of identity.
This photo contains content that some people may find graphic or disturbing.
Not every transgender person deals with their gender dysphoria in the same way. However, for many people, hormone therapy can help them feel more like themselves. For transmasculine people, this involves testosterone treatment. For transfeminine people, this usually involves a combination of testosterone blockers and estrogen treatment.
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Reducing The Cancer Risks Of Hormone Therapy
If you and your doctor decide that MHT is the best way to treat symptoms or problems caused by menopause, keep in mind that it is medicine and like any other medicine its best to use it at the lowest dose needed for as short a time as possible. And just as you would if you were taking another type of medicine, you need to see your doctor regularly. Your doctor can see how well the treatment is working, monitor you for side effects, and let you know what other treatments are available for your symptoms.
All women should report any vaginal bleeding that happens after menopause to their doctors right away it may be a symptom of endometrial cancer. A woman who takes EPT does not have a higher risk of endometrial cancer, but she can still get it.
Women using vaginal cream, rings, or tablets containing only estrogen should talk to their doctors about follow-up and the possible need for progestin treatment.
For women who have had a hysterectomy , a progestin does not need to be a part of hormone therapy because theres no risk of endometrial cancer. Adding a progestin does raise the risk of breast cancer, so ET is a better option for women without a uterus.
Women should follow the American Cancer Society guidelines for cancer early detection, especially those for breast cancer. These guidelines can be found in Breast Cancer Early Detection.
How Does Estrogen Effect The Buttocks
Estrogen is mainly the one that helps women get their curves during puberty. Its the one thats responsible for the development and maintenance of the secondary sexual characteristics which includes the increase in breast size, increase in the size of the buttocks and gives women that beautiful healthy skin and feminine glow.
It affects your breasts and buttocks in a simple enough way: estrogen triggers the body to store more fats on the breasts and butt. When someone says fats it might sound horrible and bad, but in this instance, fat cells are the ones the fills out your curves and makes the breasts, butt and hips bigger.
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Manufacturing And Mass Producing Synthetic Estrogen
Eventually, scientists found they could manufacture estrogen rather than taking it from the placenta, by collecting substances from the urine of pregnant mares. When commercial production got going, the drug was named Premarin, after “pregnant mares urine.” Premarin was dominated by estrone, but it contained other estrogen types as well.
In 1942, Premarin was approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of menopausal hot flashes.
Interestingly, this happened nearly two decades before the first hormonal birth control pill was approved, in 1960.
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According to the nonprofit sexual-health organization, Our Bodies Ourselves, Premarin was very effective for this condition, giving women relief from the uncomfortable hot flashes and night sweats many women in menopause suffered.
But as early as the 1950s, some womens health advocates began raising concerns that taking hormones might harm a womans health. Unfortunately, they were not taken seriously at the time.
A Marketing Frenzy Made Ht A Bestseller
With so much money to be made from HT, drug companies promoted it extensively to women and gynecologists during the last decades of the twentieth century, especially touting its protection for the heart.
Their marketing efforts worked. By 1992, Premarin was the No. 1 prescribed drug in the United States. By 1997, its sales exceeded $1 billion.
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What Does Estrogen Do
Estrogen and progesterone are steroid hormones naturally occurring in the body. Though commonly known as female sex hormones, males also have estrogen and progesterone in low levels.
Estrogen plays an important role in the development and regulation of the sexual and reproductive system. Estrogen also stimulates egg production by the ovaries. Apart from the reproductive system, estrogen has effects on almost the entire body including:
- Gastrointestinal system
The central nervous system functions such as:
- Mood
The body produces three forms of estrogen:
- Estradiol: Produced by the ovary and predominant in premenopausal women.
- Estrone: Formed from estradiol in a chemical reaction predominant after menopause.
- Estriol: Secreted by the placenta during pregnancy, and also derived as a metabolite from estradiol and estrone.
Progesterone is a form of progestogen, another important hormone produced by the body. Progesterone prepares the uterus to receive the fertilized egg by thickening the uterine lining , and supports pregnancy. Progestin is a synthetic progestogen used in the preparation of hormonal medications.
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- Menopausal symptoms can be managed with education, lifestyle changes, support and hormone replacement therapy , also known as menopausal hormone therapy .
- In the early postmenopausal years, HRT is an effective therapy for menopausal symptoms. In most women with moderate to severe symptoms, the benefits outweigh the small increases in risk.
- The long-term use of HRT has some benefits, but also has some risks.
- The current role of HRT is for menopausal symptom relief, at the lowest effective dose and for the shortest duration required for the control of bothersome menopausal symptoms.
- The decision to use HRT, and for how long it should be used, must be based on individual assessment and needs.
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May Have Anticancer Effects
Test-tube and animal studies suggest that DIM supplements may help prevent the growth and spread of breast cancer cells. However, human studies are limited .
A yearlong study gave 130 women with breast cancer on tamoxifen therapy either a placebo or 150 mg of DIM twice a day. DIM supplements resulted in a significantly improved ratio of two types of estrogen 2-hydroxyestrone and 16-hydrozyestrone .
Although research is ongoing, increasing the ratio of 2-hydrozyestrone to 16-hydrozyesterone may reduce breast cancer risk and cause anti-tumor effects .
A 30-day study in 19 post-menopausal women with early-stage breast cancer found that taking 108 mg of DIM per day also resulted in beneficial changes in estrogen levels .
Test-tube and animal studies indicate that DIM protects against ovarian, prostate, and colon cancers as well. All the same, human studies are needed (
What Hormones Are Used To Treat The Symptoms Of Menopause
The hormones most commonly used to treat symptoms of menopause are estrogen and progesterone. . Often, these 2 hormones are used together, but some women are given estrogen alone. Its important to know which hormones you are talking about when looking at the risks.
Common estrogen preparations used to treat menopausal symptoms include conjugated equine estrogens and estradiol, but several forms or types of estrogen are available.
There are also many progestins available, but medroxyprogesterone acetate , is often used with an estrogen to treat menopausal symptoms. Some preparations contain both an estrogen and a progestin.
Androgens are also sometimes used to treat menopausal symptoms. This is not common, though, and because only a few studies have looked at this practice, it isnt clear how safe it is in the long run.
Tibolone is a synthetic hormone drug that can act like estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone in different tissues of the body. Because this drug isnt available in the US, its not discussed here.
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Here Are Some Questions You Can Ask Yourself And Discuss With Your Physician:
- Am I experiencing difficult menopause symptoms?
- Do I have any medical conditions or a family history of certain conditions that might make HRT beneficial for me?
- Do I have any medical conditions or a family history of certain conditions that might make HRT riskier for me?
- Have I considered alternatives to HRT?
Where Can I Buy Male To Female Hormones
Transfemme® male to female hormones in pill and cream forms are available online on this website. Transfemme is a completely natural system to feminize the male body to varying degrees depending on which products you use and the dosages. We recommend calling one of our advisors on our Customer Success Team at or email us at
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Treatment And Gender Surgery
Currently, most surgeons recommend that transgender women and transfeminine people stop taking estrogen before they undergo gender affirmation surgery. This is because of the potentially increased risk for blood clots that is caused both by estrogen and by being inactive after surgery. However, it is unclear whether this recommendation is necessary for everyone.
Transgender women and non-binary feminine people who are considering surgery should discuss the risks and benefits of discontinuing their estrogen treatment with their surgeon. For some, discontinuing estrogen is no big deal. For others, it can be extremely stressful and cause an increase in dysphoria. For such people, surgical concerns about blood clotting may be manageable using postoperative thromboprophylaxis.
However, individual risks depend on a number of factors including the type of estrogen, smoking status, type of surgery, and other health concerns. It is important that this be a collaborative conversation with a doctor. For some, discontinuing estrogen treatment may be unavoidable. For others, risks may be managed in other ways.
Causes Symptoms And Treatment
Estrogen is a hormone produced in the ovaries and commonly associated with the female reproductive system. However, it is also present in small amounts in mens bodies. Hormones are substances that regulate the activity of specific cells and organs. There are many hormones, many of which work together to release other regulatory hormones in the body.
Estrogen is considered a sex hormone because it regulates sexual development in females. There are also synthetic hormones used in supplementation for women with low hormone levelssuch as low estrogen.
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The Function Of Estrogen
Estrogen is the hormone that is primarily responsible for the sexual development in girls as they reach puberty age. Other functions of estrogen include:
- initiates changes in breast tissue during adolescence and pregnancy
- helps to regulate menstrual cycles
- regulates bodyweight by helping to control metabolism involved in the development and growth of healthy bone tissue
- may play a role in promoting healthy cardiovascular activity, according to the American Heart Association
What Are The Benefits Of Hrt
Benefits of hormone replacement therapy for post-menopausal women, include:
- Increased elasticity of the blood vessels, allowing them to dilate and let the blood flow more freely throughout the body
- Improved short-term symptoms of menopause such as hot flashes and mood swings, as well as vaginal dryness, dry skin, sleeplessness and irritable bladder symptoms
- Possible decreased incidence of Alzheimers disease
- Possible improvement of glucose levels
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Usc Doctor Searches For Truth About Hormone Therapy For Women
Hodis is conducting more studies into why hormones might fight brain fog, inflammation and other changes that happen alongside menopause. His newest investigation tests a combination of conjugated estrogen and bazedoxifene, which isnt a hormone but works like one in the body. Hodis believes it could protect against uterine and possibly breast cancer. Participants in the Advancing Postmenopausal Preventive Therapy trial are women aged 40 to 59 within six years of menopause. Half will get the medication, and the other half will receive a placebo. The researchers will follow them for three years and see if the medication reduces atherosclerosis and cognitive decline.
Hodis is hopeful that the results will back up his timing theory and change minds about the benefits of hormone replacement therapy for heart health. Before the Womens Health Initiative study in 2002, 25% of U.S. women were on the treatment. Today, its only about 4%.
53% of U.S. women die from cardiovascular disease.
That has implications for quality of life and longevity, given that 53% of U.S. women die from cardiovascular disease. Hormone therapy also helps prevent bone loss, which is critical for older women. One in 10 women who break their hip after age 70 die.
What Changes Can I Expect From Feminizing Hormone Therapy
People assigned male at birth produce low levels of estrogen. Feminizing hormone therapy brings about physical and emotional changes that are more consistent with feminine anatomy and behavior.
With this treatment, you will receive hormones and other substances. They include anti-androgens medication, estrogen and possibly progesterone.
Anti-androgen therapy blocks male sex hormone production.
Changes from anti-androgen therapy include:
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Who Is Feminizing Hormone Therapy For
Feminizing hormone therapy is an option for transwomen people who were assigned male at birth but identify as women. This therapy is a common treatment for gender dysphoria .
Nonbinary or intersex people may also choose to undergo feminizing hormone therapy. Nonbinary people have gender identities that dont fit inside traditional male or female categories. Intersex people are born with reproductive or sexual characteristics that dont fit traditional perceptions of male and female bodies. They may have conditions affecting their gonads, external genitals or chromosome patterns.
Stated simply, feminizing hormone therapy is for anyone who feels that theres a mismatch between their external appearance and their authentic sense of gender and self.
Menopause Symptoms And Hrt
Menopause symptoms that may be relieved by HRT include:
- hot flushes and night sweats
- vaginal dryness
- hair loss or abnormal hair growth
- dry and itchy eyes.
Other therapies, including vaginal oestrogen products, antidepressants or other medications, may be used depending on the symptoms and risk factors. Seek advice from your doctor.
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Hormone Replacement Therapy May Cause Side Effects Tell Your Doctor If Any Of These Symptoms Are Severe Or Do Not Go Away:
- headache
- changes in sex drive or ability
- nervousness
- brown or black skin patches
- acne
- swelling of hands, feet, or lower legs
- bleeding or spotting between menstrual periods
- changes in menstrual flow
- dark-colored urine
- light-colored stool
Hormone replacement therapy may increase the risk of developing endometrial cancer and gallbladder disease. Talk to your doctor about the risks of taking this medication.
Hormone replacement therapy may cause other side effects. Call your doctor if you have any unusual problems while taking this medication.
If you experience a serious side effect, you or your doctor may send a report to the Food and Drug Administration’s MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program online or by phone .