estrogen

Timing is everything

Posted by Liz on Mar 16, 2009 in estrogen, hot flash, menopause, nightsweats | 0 comments

Headache, irritability and mood swings….they’re going to disappear someday. Promise.

Research findings show that certain symptoms commonly linked with menopause decline linearly, meaning that as you move through the transition, those bothersome symptoms will move with you and then gradually diminish. Phew!

A study that appeared in Obstetrics & Gynecology early last year showed a direct association between menopausal symptoms and reproductive hormones at any given time during the menopause. Researchers evaluated menstrual bleeding patterns, symptoms and levels of estradiol, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and testosterone in women over a nine-year period. Stages of menopause were analyzed based on bleeding patterns. All women underwent structured interviews, completed symptoms questionnaires and were followed for bleeding dates and hormone measures.

The results showed that headache was significantly associated with stage of menopause, declining in the pre- to postmenopause transition. Mood swings and irritability were both associated with declining FSH levels. Additional analyses also revealed a link between PMS, perceived stress and all three of these symptoms (i.e. headache, irritability and mood swings).

So what about other symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats and depression? A small percentage of women may have to deal with them a bit longer. In fact, data suggest that they may persist well into the postmenopausal period although the reasons are not entirely clear.

Hope springs eternal: black cohosh

Posted by Liz on Oct 18, 2008 in breast cancer, estrogen | 0 comments

There may be good news on the horizon for perimenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer.  Researchers from the University of Missouri-Columbia are conducting an animal study to see how black cohosh and the tamoxifen interact.

Unfortunately, breast cancer patients who take tamoxifen to prevent their cancer from recurring, are unable to take hormones for menopausal symptoms that often occur as the drug starts working to shut down estrogen production. Consequently, one of the only options available to them are antidepressants, which are not always effective and depending on the agent, may cause side effects such as weight gain, fatigue or reduced sexual desire.

It’s a hopeful path that may help alleviate undesired side effects in women with breast cancer. If you’re interesting in reading more about black cohosh, you can click on the word in the tags category on the sidebar.

Wednesday Bubble: Rub-a-dub-dub

Posted by Liz on Sep 17, 2008 in appearance, estrogen | 2 comments

Is a youthful appearance only a rub-a-dub-dub away?

I ran across an interesting article in the UK’s Daily Telegraph on topical estrogen. Evidently, applying estrogen to the skin can stimulate collagen production and provide a more youthful appearance.

Seems like a great post for a Wednesday Bubble, right?

A closer read of the study on which the article was based suggests that it’s not quite that easy….or accurate.

Here’s what you need to know:

A University of Michigan research team evaluated the effects of applying various strengths of topical estrogen (estradiol) to the hip, forearm and face. Study participants comprised 40 postmenopausal women and 30 men (average age ~75 years). The cream, which varied in strength between 0.01% and 2.5%, was applied three times daily for two weeks. In addition to comparisons between the cream strengths, comparisons were also made to a placebo cream.

The results showed that topical estrogen applied to areas protected from the sun (i.e. the hip) increased production of procollagen I and III, and collagen I protein levels. For your information, pro-collagen type 1 is the precursor of collagen type 1, the most abundant form of collagen found in the body. Pro-collagen type III the precursor to the main component of the fibers that are found alongside the collagen.

However, no significant changes were observed in the photoaged skin of the forearm or the face, even though estrogen receptors were stimulated.

So, what’s the bottom line?

The study results suggest that while topical estrogen can stimulate collagen production in sun-protected areas, it does not affect the appearance of photo-aged skin, (i.e. skin that has been exposed to the sun or other elements).

In other words, topical estrogen is not yet a panacea for aging skin.

More Sex: Another One Bites the Dust

Posted by Liz on Aug 5, 2008 in estrogen | 0 comments

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMenB9Ywh2Q]

Guess that I have sex on the brain these days.

Another theoretical benefit of HRT bites the dust.  Researchers at McGill University’s Laboratory for the Biopsychosocial Study of Sexuality have found that HRT is ineffective for alleviating painful sexual intercourse in a majority of postmenopausal women.

Approximately one in three postmenopausal women suffer from dyspareunia, or pain during intercourse. This has historically been attributed to declining estrogen levels and changes in the genital tract that lead to thinning skin.  HRT has long been used to treat this problem.

The McGill research team, led by Alina Kao, say that their findings suggest that numerous conditions that may be causing pain, such as infections or problems with pelvic floor muscles, are apparently being overlooked by most clinicians. Consequently, they suggest that treatment should be individualized.

The study is slated for publication in the journal Pain Research and Management. In the interim, you can learn more about the lab’s work here.

Spray that flash away

Posted by Liz on Jun 9, 2008 in estrogen, hot flash | 0 comments

The FDA just approved a low-dose estradiol spray to treat moderate-to-severe hot flashes. Approval was largely based on a study, published in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology, which showed significant declines in the frequency and severity of hot flushes after 4 to 12 weeks. Interestingly, women using the placebo spray also experienced declines in flush frequency although not to the extent as the prescription product, which is called Elestrin.

This form of estrogen carries the same risks as other forms, although delivery through the skin does bypass the liver and general metabolism to reduce some of the side effects of oral estrogen. Still, a key consideration remains the imbalance between estrogen and progesterone that I discussed in a previous post. This can become even worse with hormone replacement therapy (HRT) that focuses on the estrogen component at the expense of the progesterone component.

Clearly, I’m not huge advocate of HRT although I do believe that it is an individual decision that every woman must make for herself. I’ll be interested in monitoring responses to Elestrin. Has anybody tried it?