If you are going through menopause, it is common for estrogen levels to drop drastically. Once this happens it can cause you many problems. Below is information about this, as well as treatment options to help you feel better.

Low Estrogen Levels Problems

Low estrogen levels can cause night sweats. These night sweats can also happen during the day. They can be extreme, or the sweats may be light. In some cases, they can be bad enough that you would need to change your clothes at night as they would become very wet with sweat. 

Low estrogen levels can also cause vaginal atrophy. This is when the walls of the vagina become very thin. This can cause sex to become very painful, so it reduces your libido. Thinning of the uterus can also cause urinary tract infections (UTIs), which must be treated by a doctor. Some women may feel moodier, have tender breasts, and may even feel depressed due to these changes. 

Low Estrogen Levels Treatment

Fortunately, there are many treatment options available to increase your estrogen levels. You can then feel like your old self again. The first thing the doctor will do is run tests to determine what your estrogen levels are. This allows them to know how to treat you. 

One thing you can use is bioidentical hormone replacement therapy. Bioidentical hormones are artificial hormones that are much like the hormones your body produces. The hormones used to come from a certain type of plant. Along with estrogen, there is also testosterone and progesterone replacement hormones. Your doctor may choose to put you on a hormone combination to help you. There are bioidentical hormones that you can purchase over the counter. You should have them prescribed by your doctor, however, as these have been approved by the FDA and are safer for you. 

The doctor may choose to put you on hormone replacement therapy (HRT). This is using synthetic estrogen and other hormones. For women a combination of estrogen and progesterone are often used. Your doctor will likely start you out on a low level first and then increase it slowly if needed. 

HRT can be taken in pill form or there are patches that you can place on your skin. These patches release a small amount of the hormones a little at a time throughout the day. You will not stay on HRT for a long period of time, however. The doctor will likely take you off them once your menopause symptoms have passed. 

Talk with your gynecologist to learn more about bioidentical hormone replacement therapy and HRT.

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