Low Estrogen: Symptoms, Causes & What You Can Do

As we age our body naturally goes through changes. One of these changes includes a fluctuation in hormone levels. Men produce less testosterone as they age and women produce less estrogen. This decline in hormone production is commonly known as menopause. This is a naturally occurring process that most women experience and can be a disruptive transition to deal with. Women can experience symptoms like low estrogen muscle pain or low estrogen dry skin. Many treatments exist to relieve symptoms of low estrogen. Treatments can include lifestyle changes or hormone replacement therapy.

What Does Estrogen Do?

Estrogen is produced by the ovaries and is necessary for maintaining sexual and reproductive health. As we age our body starts to slow down the production of estrogen causing a series of changes in the body. Estrogen is responsible for:

• Sexual development when girls reach puberty
• Controls growth of uterine lining
• Causes breast changes in teens and pregnant women
• Bone and cholesterol metabolism
• Regulates food intake, weight, glucose metabolism insulin sensitivity

Symptoms

Having low estrogen can cause women to experience a wide variety of unpleasant symptoms. Estrogen levels start to drop during perimenopause, the time right before menopause. Menopause begins for most women around age 50. Decreased levels of estrogen can lead to symptoms including:

• Dry skin
• Tender breasts
• Weak or brittle bones
• Trouble concentrating
• Moodiness and irritability
• Vaginal dryness or atrophy
• Hot flashes
• Irregular or no periods
• Increase in UTIs because of thinning urethra

Causes of Low Estrogen

Low Estrogen is often a primary sign of menopause. Low estrogen can also occur in younger women due to fertility problems, nutritional deficiency, or an underlying medical condition.

Other causes of low estrogen in non-menopausal aged women include:

• Excessive exercise
• Eating disorders
• Low functioning pituitary gland
• Premature ovarian failure
• Turner syndrome - this is where ovaries are underdeveloped leading to low estrogen
• Kidney disease

Older women often experience low estrogen because:

• It is a sign of approaching menopause
• It is signaling perimenopause, the time right before menopause begins
• Production of estrogen is slowed by the ovaries until it stops completely

How To Fix Low Estrogen Levels

Healthy hormone levels can sometimes be maintained through improved lifestyle choices such as getting enough sleep, managing stress, exercising, and eating healthy. These natural remedies for low estrogen can contribute to improving your overall health and help to balance hormones. 

Another effective and common treatment for low estrogen is hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Traditional HRT consists of using a synthetic form of estrogen called Premarin which is made from isolating a blend of hormones from pregnant horse’s urine. 

Regenerative and Sports Medicine uses Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT). This uses substances that are natural and match the hormones your body already makes to boost your hormone levels. BHRT can be administered orally, topically, vaginally or injected. HRT can help alleviate the symptoms of low estrogen and reduce the risk of bone fractures. If you are interested in learning more about this treatment visit their page on Women’s Health.