Estrogen is a female sex hormone that is produced primarily by the ovaries. The placenta, adrenal cortex and testes in males also produce small amounts of estrogen. When girls reach puberty, the ovaries begin to develop and secrete estrogen at the same time. Although the amount of estrogen produced is small, it acts on more than 400 estrogen receptors in the female body, mainly in the uterus, vagina, breasts, pelvis, as well as in the skin, bladder, urethra, bones and brain. Such a wide range of estrogen’s actions creates a “woman’s face”. In turn, as women go through menopause, the tissues, organs and systems where these 400 or so receptors are located change as the hormones are greatly reduced. Therefore, it is no exaggeration to say that estrogen is a protective umbrella for women and protects them from many diseases. The estrogen curve in women is basically normal from the age of 10 to 25, with some people experiencing an early decline; from the age of 25 to 30, there is a downward trend; from the age of 30 to 35, the estrogen content slowly decreases; from the age of 35 to 45, the estrogen content decreases rapidly; from the age of 45 to 50, there is still a small amount of estrogen secretion; from the age of 50 to 60, the estrogen secretion becomes less and less. What are the manifestations of estrogen decrease? 1. As the saying goes, “a woman is like water”, the most intuitive manifestation of the lack of estrogen nourishment for women is the increase of skin wrinkles, decrease of elasticity, and pigmentation on the face, arms and back of hands. 2. The most common manifestation is hot flashes and sweating, which is also a characteristic manifestation of estrogen decline. Some people will experience repeated bouts of redness on the skin of the face and neck, while feeling hot, followed by sweating, which lasts for a very short time, but can occur several times a day or even dozens of times. About 50% of naturally menopausal women will experience hot flashes, and a higher percentage of women who experience hot flashes due to a decrease in estrogen levels caused by artificial factors. 3. Emotional problems such as agitation and irritability, anxiety or depression, and depression may also occur. Memory loss and lack of concentration may also occur. 4. Vaginal dryness as well as recurrent vaginal infections and recurrent urinary tract infections. This is because estrogen is an important nutrient for the cells of the vagina and urethra. When estrogen decreases, the cells of the vagina and urethra also lack nutrients, and their resistance decreases, making them susceptible to infection. 5. Long-term estrogen deficiency can also cause osteoporosis and increase the incidence of fractures. In conclusion, a decrease in estrogen levels can affect a woman’s normal life and work and reduce her quality of life. Therefore, women should take appropriate estrogen supplements when estrogen decreases to avoid the discomforts caused by estrogen decrease. How to take estrogen supplements scientifically and reasonably Although people believe that estrogen can prevent aging and make people young, aging is actually a natural law that cannot be resisted, and taking estrogen supplements for aging is unscientific and even brings certain diseases. In clinical practice, cases of cancer caused by estrogen abuse are common. Some experts say that wrong supplementation of estrogen can increase the risk of endometrial cancer and breast cancer by 8 to 10 times. Therefore, whether or not to take estrogen supplementation should be done according to a doctor’s recommendation. Some foods contain natural estrogen, and this supplementation method has a small but constant dose and prevents the increase of gynecological tumors, and can fine-tune the secretion, which is safer and more stable. Soybeans contain a variety of isoflavones, which are known as “phytoestrogens” because of their similarity to the molecular structure of estrogen, making them the most popular form of estrogen supplementation today. In addition, fresh royal jelly, cereals, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, onions, wine, peanut butter and other foods also contain some amount of estrogen. In addition, if women consume 1 cup of milk and 500 fish every day for a long time, it can help regulate estrogen balance. Eating foods rich in selenium and zinc are also effective in balancing estrogen. Vegetables containing selenium include: capers, garlic, shiitake mushrooms, tomatoes, pumpkins, etc.; foods containing zinc include oysters, mackerel, eel, kelp, beans, sesame seeds, pecans, etc., among which oysters are particularly good in zinc content.