When a woman is having regular menstrual periods, estrogen is produced by her ovaries. Estrogen, which is considered a reproductive hormone, helps maintain strong, healthy bones. It also benefits your hair and skin. When a woman ceases menstruation, or is infrequently menstruating, this means that her estrogen level has plummeted. When this happens, she is at risk for developing osteoporosis, which is brittle bone disease. Bone fractures can occur if your bones are no longer strong and healthy. Some women take hormone replacement therapy (HRT), but that has proved to be controversial. Mayoclinic.com notes that if a woman does take HRT, she should make sure that she is taking one that contains progesterone, along with estrogen. Progesterone protects the uterine lining, or the endometrium, from cancer.
Lifelong Exposure
If you started your menstrual period at a younger age than average (before age 12), and had a late menopause (after the age of 51), your risk of acquiring osteoporosis is lower than that of the woman who started her period late and went through menopause early, according to Mayoclinic.com. The longer a woman is exposed to estrogen, the less likely she is to suffer from osteoporosis. If your estrogen exposure has been deficient, because you consistently had infrequent menstrual periods or because you stopped menstruating permanently before the age of 45, your risk is increased.
What to Avoid
Women who are postmenopausal and have been treated, or are being treated, for breast cancer, have a higher risk of developing osteoporosis. This is particularly true if their treatment included the use of aromatase inhibitors, such as letrozole and anastrozole, or chemotherapy. All of these drugs inhibit estrogen. However, if your treatment involved, or involves, Tamoxifen, this does not lead to an increased risk of developing breast cancer.
Benefits Vs. Risks
According to Dr. Jerilyn C. Prior, Scientific Director, Centre for Menstrual Cycle and Ovulation Research, HRT significantly increases the chances of breast cancer, blood clots, strokes and heart attacks. According to a study done by the Women's Health Initiative (WHI), the purpose of offering hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to menopausal and postmenopausal women was to reduce the risk of osteoporosis and colon cancer; however, the risks of hormone replacement therapy, according to Dr. Prior, outweigh the benefits of HRT.
Considerations
Mayo Clinic concurs that long-term HRT is no longer the routine recommendation for postmenopausal women because of the risks associated; however, Mayo Clinic notes that short-term use of HRT may protect women against osteoporosis, while not jeopardizing their health in other regards.
The Best Approach
If you are suffering from debilitating menopausal systems, discuss this with your physician. If you are a smoker and/or a small person or have a genetic propensity toward osteoporosis, share this information with your doctor. The Mayo Clinic says that if you do opt for HRT, use the lowest but most effective amount possible for the shortest period of time. Furthermore, you must determine the most effective HRT delivery method for you. Estrogen replacement comes in vaginal creams, slow-releasing suppositories, the vaginal ring, pill, gel and patch. Estrogen applied directly to your vagina is more effective at a lower dose than estrogen given in skin patch form or via the pill.
