Bone Loss
According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, a decrease in estrogen can result in bone loss. During younger years, estrogen helps properly close epiphyseal growth plates in both boys and girls. In young women, an estrogen deficiency may result in enhanced bone resorption and increased osteoclast formation.
Bone loss is more common during a woman’s menopausal transition period. This is because the drop in estrogen level leads to accelerated bone resorption than formation, making perimenopausal and menopausal women more likely to develop osteoporosis. In addition, a higher risk of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women occurs as the body cannot get enough minerals to maintain healthy bones.
Doctors usually prescribe estrogen replacement therapy to prevent or reverse bone loss. This procedure involves consuming artificial estrogen to boost estrogen levels in the body. Estrogen replacement therapy is ideal for postmenopausal women or women who have had their ovaries removed. Besides preventing or reversing osteoporosis, estrogen replacement therapy improves other symptoms, such as hot flashes and insomnia. Artificial estrogen usually comes in the form of a pill or a skin patch. Women are advised to take one pill daily or use a skin patch twice a week.
