Menopause, Long-Term Effects Of Estrogen Deficiency, Cardiovascular Disease, Hormone Replacement Therapy, Osteoporosis, estrogen, progesterone, hot flashes, Natural Therapies, Alternative Medicine

Long-Term Effects Of Estrogen Deficiency

One of the most important health issues for middle-aged women is the threat of osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is a condition in which bones become thin, fragile, and highly prone to fracture. Numerous studies have linked estrogen insufficiency to this gradual, yet debilitating disease. In fact, osteoporosis is more closely related to menopause than to a woman's chronological age.

The risk of osteoporosis increases with age, smoking, heavy alcohol use, a family history of osteoporosis, long-term use of certain drugs (such as cortisone), surgical removal of the ovaries, radiation therapy for cancer of the ovaries, poor nutrition and other factors. Fine-boned women should pay special attention to preserving their bone mass, because they can't afford to lose any of it.

Factors That Increase Your Risk of Osteoporosis and Fractures

Genetic or Medical Factors

White (or Asian) ethnicity

Kidney disease with dialysis

Early menopause (before age 40)

Female relatives with osteoporosis

Being thin (especially if you are short)

Chronic diarrhea or surgical removal of part of the stomach or small intestine

Daily use of cortisone

Daily use of thyroid (over 2 grains), Dilantin, or aluminum-containing antacids

Previous fractures that occurred easily, without major trauma

Life Style Factors

Low calcium diet

Lack of exercise

Very high-protein diet

High alcohol use

Smoking

Lack of vitamin D from sun, diet, or pills

High salt diet

Never having borne children

High caffeine use (over 5 cups daily)

The condition of an older woman's skeleton depends on two things:

The peak amount of bone attained before menopause and

The rate of the bone loss thereafter.

Hereditary factors are important in determining peak bone mass. Black women attain a greater spinal mass and therefore have fewer osteoporotic fractures than white women. Other factors that help increase bone mass include:

Adequate intake of dietary calcium and vitamin D

Exposure to sunlight and

Physical exercise.

These elements also help slow the rate of bone loss. Certain physiological stresses can quicken bone loss, such as pregnancy, nursing, and immobility. The biggest culprit in the process of bone loss is estrogen deficiency. Bone loss quickens during perimenopause, the transitional phase when estrogen levels drop significantly.

The most effective therapy against osteoporosis available today for postmenopausal women is estrogen. Estrogen saves more bone tissue than the daily infusion of large doses of calcium.

Influences on Bone Development

Increases bone formation	Speeds bone loss
Dietary calcium	Estrogen deficiency
Vitamin D	Pregnancy
Exposure to sunlight	Nursing
Exercise	Lack of exercise

See Also: Osteoporosis

Cardiovascular Disease

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are disorders of the heart and circulatory system. They include:

Thickening of the arteries (atherosclerosis) that serve the heart and Limbs

High blood pressure

Angina and

Stroke.

For reasons unknown, estrogen helps protect women against CVD during the childbearing years.

This is true even when they have the same risk factors as men, including smoking, high blood cholesterol levels, and a family history of heart disease. But the protection disappears when the women go through menopause. After menopause, the incidence of CVD increases, with each passing year posing a greater risk.

Menopause brings changes in the level of fats in a woman's blood. LDL cholesterol appears to increase while HDL decreases in postmenopausal women as a direct result of estrogen deficiency. Elevated LDL and total cholesterol can lead to stroke, heart attack, and death.