Estrogen, the most important female sex hormone, acts by binding to specific receptors in the nucleus of target cells and plays an important role in all periods of a woman’s life. It promotes the development of secondary sexual characteristics and the reproductive system during puberty, maintains the menstrual cycle and the female body during reproductive age, promotes embryo implantation, and causes maternal changes during pregnancy. In addition to its effects on the reproductive system, estrogen also plays an important role in the skeletal system, central nervous system and cardiovascular system. The lack of estrogen in postmenopausal women leads to atrophy of the genitourinary system, osteoporosis, and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and Alzheimer’s disease.
I. The dangers of low estrogen
Estrogen can promote the growth of bones and epiphysis closure during puberty. If the effects of estrogen are reduced or lost, such as estrogen deficiency due to aromatase gene mutation and estrogen resistance due to estrogen receptor gene mutation, it will cause sudden increase in growth during puberty, delayed bone maturation, epiphyseal insolubility and continuous growth in adulthood, and eventually lead to excessive height in adulthood.
Studies of postmenopausal estrogen deficiency have shown that estrogen has protective effects on the cardiovascular system, skeletal system, and central nervous system. The main reason why women of childbearing age are less susceptible to cardiovascular disease than men of the same age may be due to the interaction of estrogen with the NO system. The latter may prevent the development of atherosclerotic plaques. In addition, estrogen has a beneficial effect on blood lipids, and has antiplatelet and antioxidant effects. Atherosclerotic plaque formation is significantly accelerated when estrogen concentration decreases in late menopause, which increases the risk of myocardial infarction or cerebral thrombosis.
Second, what are the benefits of estrogen
1.Beauty effect
Estrogen has the effect of changing the skin quality and promoting the generation of good skin, improving the prevention of dark spots and wrinkles. It is an indispensable ingredient for women who want to have a beautiful face.
2.Breast Cancer Prevention
Did you know that estrogen is also known as female hormone? For women, female hormone is a very important ingredient, but if too much estrogen is secreted in the body, it will lead to breast cancer. However, soy isoflavones also contain ingredients that can inhibit excessive female hormones, so it has a preventive effect on breast cancer.
3.Prevention and improvement of female menopausal disorders
As mentioned earlier, if women have too many hormones, they are prone to breast cancer, but if they have too few, they have what is known as “menopausal disorder”.
Symptoms of menopausal disorders include heart palpitations, chest pain, hot flashes, vomiting, loss of appetite, headaches, difficulty breathing, frequent urination, and emotional instability, etc. Estrogen has the function of adjusting and balancing female hormones, and therefore can improve and prevent menopausal disorders.
4.Prevent osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is a condition in which the calcium in the bones is dissolved and stagnates. Many people think that osteoporosis is not a disease, but in fact, it is not. Estrogen can help the calcium in bones not to be dissolved and maintain a certain density of bones.
Third, the dangers of too much estrogen
Most health care products and skin care products contain a lot of estrogen, which plays a role in shaping femininity and regulating menopausal symptoms. However, premature and excessive use by women sensitive to estrogen can easily lead to the following diseases.
1. Tumor diseases
(1) In postmenopausal women, especially those sensitive to estrogen, after long-term use of estrogen, about 50% of the population develop endometrial hyperplasia, secondary fibroids, and even endometrial cancer.
(2) About 1.6-2.5% of women may develop breast cancer.
2. other diseases: deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary vein embolism, cholecystitis
3. Hazards: The intake or use of excessive estrogen by estrogen-sensitive women will lead to an increase in the content of estrogen receptors in the body, enhancing the biological effects of estrogen and stimulating excessive cell proliferation in estrogen-sensitive organs (breast and endometrium are the most typical), leading to a variety of diseases.