Saturday 9 June 2012

Low Estrogen Levels Could Be Dangerous For You

By Jake Alexandre


All hormones are chemical messengers that act much like a switchboard operator, directing the body to do one thing or another. Hormone balance is essential to nearly all functions in the body, including growth and development, sex and reproduction, mood, sleep, and how the body uses food (or stores it as fat), just to name a few. When your hormones are in balance, you feel great, look great, and have sustainable energy, a healthy appetite and a healthy sex drive. When hormones become out of balance, however, we often experience a wide variety of symptoms that can affect mood and energy, and may also lead to more serious conditions like the development of uterine fibroid tumors, fibrocystic breasts or hormone positive cancers, among others.

Many premenopausal women in their mid to late thirties, as well as many women in the menopausal stage are overloaded with estrogen. At the same time they are suffering from progesterone deficiency because of the severe drop in physiological production during this period. There is then insufficient progesterone to balance the amount of estrogen in our body. It is most noticeable among peri-menopausal women who do not ovulate, which is quite common. It is possible to have a fairly normal cycle, but no egg is released and very little progesterone is produced.

For a womans body to function properly a certain level of estrogen is needed and in case of low estrogen levels it can greatly affect the bodys performance. Drops in estrogen levels can indicate that menopause is on its way, as well as indicating a range of other possible hormonal conditions. The first step towards treatment is the understanding that there is a low estrogen levels levels. The amount and levels of hormones change daily. The sex hormones, estrogen and testosterone, are secreted in short bursts and pulses which vary from hour to hour and even minute to minute.

Hormone release varies between night and day and from one stage of the menstrual cycle to another. Estrogen is an entire class of related hormones. They include estriol, estradiol, and estrone. Estriol is made from the placenta. It's produced during pregnancy. Estradiol is the primary sex hormone of childbearing women. It is formed from developing ovarian follicles. Estradiol is responsible for female characteristics and sexual functioning.

Low estrogen level reduces the bone density mainly by decreasing bone desorption low estrogen levels can result from disorders in your pituitary gland or ovaries, life events such as pregnancy and hormonal changes after childbirth and menopause. The effects of a low estrogen levels may be intermittent or persistent, and some women may be able to reduce their symptoms by using hormone replacements or making lifestyle changes. According to the Mayo Clinic and the National Library of Medicine, the effects of a low estrogen levels include mood disorders and sexual dysfunction. A low estrogen levels may increase your risk of mood changes such as irritability, fatigue, a short temper and mental health disorders, such as depression. If your estrogen level becomes too low, you may be unable to ovulate or sustain a pregnancy, resulting in primary or secondary infertility.




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