When we talk about estrogen, we are actually talking about three distinct hormones which work in unison within the female body to maintain health. These three estrogen hormones, estriol, estradiol and estrone, each perform their own specific role in the delicate hormonal interplay within the body. Estrogens, when maintained in healthy levels throughout a woman’s life, work to protect teeth and bones, moderate high-density and low-density lipoproteins (good and bad cholesterol) in the body and maintain vascular health. All of this adds up to better health and a longer life.

Starting at puberty and continuing on throughout a woman’s fertile years, estradiol, the most potent of the estrogens, dominates the scene. Once a woman reaches menopause, estradiol production wanes and the less potent estrogen, estrone, takes over. Unfortunately, estrone does not function in exactly the same way that estradiol does, hence the undesirable symptoms of menopause and the numerous ailments that traditionally accompany old age in women.

Of course, natural menopause is not the only thing that can dramatically upset the delicate balance of hormones in women. Because estrogens are primarily produced by the ovaries, women who have full surgical hysterectomies also experience the same drop in estrogen. Though some estrogen is produced by the adrenal glands, it simply is not enough to maintain optimal estrogen levels in the body. If the ovaries are removed, it brings on surgically induced menopause.

It is not at all uncommon to hear a woman who has undergone a full hysterectomy complain that they feel “less like a woman”. No woman should ever have to utter those words when estrogen replacement with bioidentical hormones can return much of their previous health and sense of normalcy. Still, all too often these women are put on antidepressants and told to cope rather than to correct.

More often than not, women who are not put on estrogen replacement therapy are not getting the treatment they need because of misunderstandings about the distinction between synthetic and natural hormones. Studies have given incontrovertible proof that synthetic estrogen poses significant health risks. Sadly, many physicians and laypersons, alike, assume that these studies include natural bioidentical hormone too.

Because bioidentical hormones are exact matches for the hormones normally found in the body, they function in exactly the same way and do not present the same risks that synthetics do. In fact, it is safe to say that a woman who has begun to experience a drop in estrogen and is not being treated with natural estrogen therapy is putting her health at greater risk than one who is being treated. It is vital that every woman who has reached menopause or who has had a hysterectomy discuss bioidentical estrogen with their doctor or see a hormone specialists to talk about the health benefits of natural estrogen replacement therapy.

Material provided is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to treat, diagnose, cure or prevent disease and has not been evaluated by the FDA.