Oral estrogen is much better at protecting women against cardiovascular problems, as many studies show a significantly reduced incidence of heart attacks and. Estrogen protects the brain by helping to maintain adequate blood flow. It also protects against inflammation and disease. It even helps with memory and fine motor skills. Like other types of estrogen therapy, estrogen pills can reduce or resolve annoying menopausal symptoms.
They can also reduce the risk of osteoporosis. While there are newer ways to receive estrogen therapy, oral estrogens are the best-studied type of estrogen therapy. Because oral estrogen can damage the liver, people with liver damage should not take it. Instead, they must choose a different way to get estrogen.
While some experts believe that estrogen patches may be safer than oral estrogen in other ways, it's too early to know. For now, let's assume that estrogen patches pose most of the same risks: a very small increase in the risk of serious problems, such as cancer and stroke. They also have a lot of similar, although perhaps milder, side effects. These include breast pain and swelling, vaginal discharge, headache, and nausea.
The patch itself may irritate the skin where it is applied. Estrogen gels (such as Divigel and Estrogel), creams (such as Estrasorb), and sprays (such as Evamist) offer another way to introduce estrogen into the system. Like patches, this type of estrogen treatment is absorbed directly into the bloodstream through the skin. The details on how to apply them vary, although they are usually used once a day.
Estrogel is applied to one arm, from the wrist to the shoulder. The estrasorb is applied to the legs. Evamist is applied to the arm. Because estrogen creams are absorbed through the skin and go directly into the bloodstream, they are safer than oral estrogen for people who have liver and cholesterol problems.
Estrogen gels, creams and sprays have not been thoroughly studied. While they may be safer than oral estrogen, experts aren't sure. So, let's say they pose the same mild risk of serious diseases, such as cancer and stroke. Because estrogen is absorbed through the skin, don't let other people in your family touch these creams or gels. If they do, they could receive a dose of estrogen themselves.
For the same reason, make sure your hands are clean and dry after applying the medication. Some suppositories and vaginal rings are low-dose and only affect the immediate area. The advantage is that they can alleviate vaginal symptoms without exposing the entire body to high doses of estrogen. In theory, this could reduce the more serious risks of estrogen therapy and be a safe way if you can't take systemic therapy for relief.
Low-dose estrogen suppositories and rings only help alleviate the vaginal symptoms of surgical menopause. They won't help with other symptoms, such as hot flashes. And while higher-dose suppositories, rings, and creams can help alleviate these symptoms, they can expose you to the same risks as other types of estrogen therapy, including a higher risk of stroke and cancer. Most doctors don't recommend long-term vaginal estrogen therapy for people who still have a uterus because it can increase the risk of endometrial cancer.
When deciding what type of estrogen therapy to receive, work closely with your doctor. While oral estrogen has been around for a long time and is well studied, some ways of taking hormone therapy aren't.They may have lower risks or different risks that we don't know yet. Your doctor should be up to date with the latest research. Estrogen patches are generally considered to be the safest form of estrogen hormone therapy, especially if you're over 35 or smoke, as they're less likely to cause blood clots than estrogen pills.
Hormone therapy may be prescribed to alleviate menopausal symptoms, such as hot flashes, night sweats, mood changes, and sleep disorders. It is also used in gender-affirming care and in contraception. Transdermal estrogen has only a minimal effect on improving blood lipids (good and bad cholesterol and blood fats), while oral estrogen has a much higher value in this regard. Given conflicting evidence, healthcare providers should exercise caution when considering the risks and benefits of estrogen therapy for individual patients receiving care after a myocardial infarction.
Understanding the reasons for using estrogen therapy allows us to understand the potential benefits and drawbacks of this approach. On the other hand, estrogen deprivation after menopause has been correlated with higher mortality and a worse prognosis after myocardial infarction compared to men, underscoring the potential benefits of estrogen therapy to treat estrogen deficiency. The analysis indicated that hormone therapy offered no protective benefits against all-cause mortality, cardiovascular death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, angina pectoris, or revascularization. Learn about the benefits of BHRT for your patients, keep up to date with the latest scientific research on BHRT, and find practical tips for creating a successful and cost-effective BHRT practice.
There are some women with certain types of health history, in whom oral estrogen is contraindicated and transdermal estrogen replacement may be appropriately recommended. It is estimated that between 50 and 75% of the benefits of estrogen are found in LDL and HDL cholesterol, fibrinogen and fatty acid esters, because oral estrogen passes through the liver to improve cholesterol health. However, if you wait 10 years after menopause to start hormone replacement therapy, the risks of breast cancer, deep vein thrombosis, stroke and cardiovascular disease increase and outweigh the benefits. The Women's Extrogen for Stroke Trial (WEST) found that oral estradiol was not associated with increased blood clots, but that increased inflammation and coagulation of blood vessels were due to the presence of ten biologically active estrogens found in CEE (Premarin).
Physicians should carefully evaluate the risks and benefits of estrogen therapy for each patient, taking into account factors such as age, cardiovascular risk factors and personal and family medical history. When it comes to oral estrogen, medical studies, hormone specialists and lifestyle medicine professionals have found that oral e2 estradiol is the safest and most effective form, as it avoids the inherent side effects associated with oral CEE. Therefore, this study aims to critically evaluate existing evidence on the role of estrogen therapy in postmenopausal women for the prevention and recovery of myocardial infarction, weighing both its cardiovascular benefits and its possible risks. Hormone specialist Neal Rouzier states that “the medical literature does not support the use of creams and patches instead of using oral bioidentical estrogens.
