Unlike the perennial question posed by your grandkid – “Why is the sky blue?” (which you know has some answer principled in physics and light theory that you simply just can’t regurgitate) – the answer to “Why do we go through menopause?” is very simple. […]
Tag: estrogen
How do estrogens work?
If you have an inquiring mind you may wonder how it is that estrogens, or any other hormone or drug for that matter, actually do the things they do in the body. I find this aspect of medicine fascinating and admire the dedicated researchers who […]
Does estrogen cause heart problems?
Has your doctor told you that taking estrogen could cause a heart attack? This is one of the reasons hormone treatment fell out of favor back in 2002 when a landmark study, called the WHI (Women’s Health Initiative), published its findings. Newspapers across the world […]
What is causing my vaginal discomfort?
Statistics show that less than half of menopausal women discuss problems with vaginal dryness and discomfort with their doctors. For fairly obvious reasons this is a difficult conversation to initiate. Since we were little girls we didn’t talk openly about our “private parts” and when […]
What is progesterone and how safe is it?
When we talk about female hormones, we immediately think of estrogen and frequently don’t give much attention to the other major hormone involved in the female reproductive system – progesterone. Progesterone is like the little sister of estrogen. It compliments and does a lot of […]
Does estrogen help my bones?
You may think of your bones as the solid, dried-out sticks that your dog loves to chew on. But bones are actually a living, breathing organ just like all of our other body parts. Within the external shell of each bone are millions of tiny […]
What is menopause (and the other phases before and after)?
Technically, the term menopause refers to the point in time when a woman is no longer fertile and when the last viable egg has been released. It’s pretty amazing that we’re born with over 3 million eggs nestled in our ovaries and by the time […]
Do I have to stop my estrogen?
Has your long time physician, who seemed more like a friend than a doctor, retired and you’ve had to find a new one? And had your old doctor encouraged you to take hormones, but now your new doctor, younger but no doubt very smart, is telling you […]
Are hot flashes dangerous?
If you ever watch a woman desperately fanning herself, don’t laugh because it’s not funny. Odds are – if you’re a woman – you will be there someday. Being hot and sweaty can ruin an otherwise beautiful summer day. So, think about how uncomfortable it […]
What kinds of hormones are the best?
By the time we reach menopause, our ovaries have pretty much quit producing the two major types of female hormones – estrogen and progesterone. There is still a small amount of these hormones circulating in our systems, but at levels far lower than during our […]