Surprising Benefits of Estrogen Replacement Therapy

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From preventing bone loss and managing menopause symptoms to improving sex life, estrogen replacement therapy offers many interesting benefits.

It boosts your low estrogen levels back to normal so you can start enjoying estrogen’s health benefits once again.

However, these benefits come with some side effects that many people manage with regular monitoring. Hence, estrogen therapy should always be taken under medical supervision.

Keep reading the article to understand the interesting effects and benefits of estrogen therapy in detail.

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10 Benefits of Estrogen Replacement Therapy

Estrogen therapy, also called hormone replacement therapy or menopause hormone therapy, can bring several positive changes to the body. Its common health benefits are described below.

Maintains Vaginal Health

Low levels of estrogen can make your vaginal muscles thin and dry. It may also change the pH of the vagina and vaginal lining.

These changes can lead to the development of atrophic vaginitis (inflammation of vaginal tissues due to dryness and irritation), vulvar atrophy (a problem that leads to urine leakage, dryness, and soreness) or vaginal dryness.

You may also experience painful sex, vaginal bleeding or low libido due to these vaginal symptoms.

Estrogen therapy may help you treat these issues and maintain vaginal health by balancing normal estrogen levels.

Estrogen is also involved in maintaining the reproductive system and releasing eggs from the ovaries. So, estrogen replacement therapy may also help manage your irregular periods.

Improves Sexual Health

Estrogen is a sex hormone required for normal sexual function. It maintains the thickness of the vaginal wall and keeps it lubricated, making sex feel pleasant.

Low estrogen can turn sex painful. This is where hormone therapy comes to help. Healthcare providers may prescribe estrogen vaginal creams to women experiencing sex-related low estrogen symptoms.

Improves the Symptoms of Menopause

Many women, when they reach menopause, think about getting estrogen therapy. It is because this therapy can restore their hormonal imbalance, ease menopause symptoms and help them live a more comfortable life.

Your estrogen concentration falls significantly when you reach menopause.

Lower estrogen levels cause menopausal symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats, chills, vaginal dryness, low sex drive, and excessive sweating. These uncomfortable symptoms can lower your level of productivity, affect your mood and negatively influence the overall quality of life.

If these symptoms disturb your life, consider getting estrogen therapy to live an improved life.

Reach out to an estrogen therapy specialist or a healthcare professional to get better suggestions for easing menopause symptoms.

Reduces Bone Loss

Estrogen maintains bone health and inhibits bone remodelling. Loss of bone density is a common issue among menopausal women.

If bone health is not maintained during menopause, it can lead to a serious issue called osteoporosis.

People suffering from this health condition have very fragile and brittle bones. They are more prone to fractures, and even minor accidents can lead to bone breakage.

Estrogen deficiency significantly contributes to bone loss and weakness.

Therefore, restoring estrogen through systemic estrogen therapy may protect your bones and make them stronger over time.

In a large 2025 study conducted on around 6 million women, researchers observed clear bone-protective effects of HRT during use. They concluded that fracture risk increased within a year of stopping treatment, peaking around 3 years post-discontinuation and then declining to levels similar to or lower than never-users.

It shows HRT’s potential role in preventing bone loss and improving bone mineral density.

Improves Muscle Mass and Strength

Estrogen promotes muscle protein production and stimulates muscle growth.

Menopausal and postmenopausal women have low estrogen which may cause muscle loss in them.

Studies show that postmenopausal women who have HRT have more muscle mass compared to postmenopausal women with no history of hormone therapy.

Keeps Skin Healthy

Estrogen is well-known for its ability to keep skin plump, moisturised, and healthy.

It boosts the production of collagen and elastin which are the structural components of the skin.

As you age, your body produces less collagen and elastin.

Estrogen therapy may assist your skin in maintaining its elasticity and true form by promoting the formation of structural proteins. It may act as an anti-ageing treatment and reduce the formation of fine lines and wrinkles.

Estrogen may protect your skin from free radicals. They damage skin cells and cause the breakdown of collagen. As a result, your skin becomes saggy, spotty, and wrinkly.

Estrogen also increases sebum production and retains skin moisture. Skin dryness and itchiness are common among people deficient in estrogen.

All in all, estrogen therapy may assist you in getting youthful, hydrated, and fresh skin.

Eases Symptoms of Ovary Issues

Estrogen is mainly produced by the ovaries. Failure or surgical removal of the ovaries results in less production of estrogen, which leads to estrogen deficiency.

If your both ovaries have failed or have been removed, then your doctor may recommend estrogen therapy.

Removal/failure of the ovaries causes premature menopause, which has negative health effects on the body.

Estrogen therapy lets you recover estrogen levels and reduce signs of premature menopause.

Protects Brain Function

Estrogen is involved in improving brain health in several ways.

It promotes blood flow, shows anti-inflammatory effects, boosts brain energy and even supports memory and learning.

A 2023 study revealed that people who had estrogen-only HRT had a 32% lower risk of dementia compared to people who did not use hormone therapy.

These results were observed when women had estrogen therapy early (within 10 years of menopause). Taking HRT (either estrogen-only or combined HRT) later in life did not promote brain health. In fact, it increased dementia risk according to the analysis.

Promotes Cardiovascular Health

Another surprising health benefit of estrogen therapy is that it may help protect the heart in some individuals.

Estrogen maintains healthy cholesterol levels, increases blood flow and reduces atherosclerosis (narrowing of arteries) risk.

So, when low estrogen women regain their estrogen levels, they may experience an improvement in cardiovascular health.

Research shows HRT may be most beneficial for heart health when started in early menopause.

Starting this treatment too late may increase the risk of heart attack or stroke.

Boosts Mood and Emotional Well-Being

Estrogen therapy can improve your low estrogen symptoms including sleep disturbance and hot flashes. This can help you feel better the next day and have high energy levels.

Estrogen also keeps serotonin, “the feel-good hormone,” levels normal. So, restoring estrogen levels with hormone therapy may help boost your mood by regulating your serotonin levels.

Estrogen Replacement Therapy Risks and Side Effects

Estrogen hormone therapy is beneficial for low estrogen women, but unfortunately, it is not risk-free. Here are the most common health risk factors and side effects of estrogen replacement therapy:

• Breast tenderness
• Nausea
• Mood changes
• Vaginal discharges
• Breast cancer
• Stroke
• Blood clot
• Liver disease
• Heart disease
• Gallbladder disease
• Birth irregularities

Data indicates estrogen therapy side effects can vary from patient to patient based on the HRT type, dosage, treatment duration, age you start it, and your personal medical history.

How to Reduce Hormone Therapy Risks?

If you plan to have estrogen therapy, here is what you can do to reduce its risk:

Start HRT at the right time: Early HRT is considered safer and more effective than late HRT. So, start it within 10 years of your last period or before age 60.

Use the lowest dose: Start with the lowest estrogen dose and see if it relieves your symptoms. Only increase the dose (after consulting with your doctor) if you find the low dose ineffective.

Choose the right HRT type: Certain HRT types may not be suitable for some individuals. Also, some types have more side effects than others. So, discuss all these options with your healthcare provider before choosing the right HRT form.

Regular monitoring: Get your hormone levels, symptoms and overall health checked by the doctor regularly via follow-up sessions. Discuss therapy’s effects with your doctor and reassess its risks over time.

Live a healthy lifestyle: Invest your time, effort and money in your health by eating a balanced, healthy diet, exercising regularly, managing weight, avoiding smoking/alcohol consumption, and managing stress.

Who Can Benefit from Estrogen Hormone Replacement Therapy?

People having insufficient estrogen levels for various reasons can benefit from this treatment.

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is mostly used to alleviate the symptoms of menopause.

Common symptoms of menopause include hot flashes, bone loss, frequent urination, and a decline in cognitive function. Estrogen therapy can reverse these symptoms by increasing estrogen levels in the blood.

Doctors may prescribe it for individuals experiencing bone loss or osteoporosis. Usually, other medications can be prescribed for bones. If they do not work, HRT may be a good option to consider.

Which Patient is Least Likely to Benefit from Estrogen Therapy?

Estrogen therapy has several benefits, but its long-term use may increase the risks of certain health issues.

It may not be a suitable treatment option for people with health problems like a high breast cancer risk. Speak with your doctor to learn whether estrogen therapy is right for you or not.

A patient least likely to benefit from HRT has one or more of these characteristics:

• Is over 60
• Started menopause more than 10 years ago
• Has a history of heart disease or cardiovascular disease
• Has a history of breast cancer, ovarian cancer or uterine cancer
• Has active liver disease
• Has a history of blood clots
• Has uncontrolled high blood pressure
• Has severe migraines
• Has a health history of Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT)

Should I Take Estrogen?

If your estrogen levels are below normal and you are experiencing related symptoms, taking estrogen may be a good option for you.

However, each case is unique and requires a proper evaluation by the doctor. So, only your doctor can provide the best answer to whether you should have estrogen or not.

Talk to our estrogen specialists today to discuss this treatment plan and find out if it is the right choice for you.

What to Do If HRT Does Not Work?

If your low estrogen symptoms have not improved even after taking estrogen for more than 3 months, you should discuss it with your healthcare provider.

They may readjust your estrogen dose or type based on your body’s response. They may also change your treatment plan after re-evaluating everything.

What to Do If You Can’t Take Menopause Hormone Therapy?

If you cannot have menopausal hormone therapy for one reason or another, discuss other possible non-hormonal solutions to your menopause symptoms with your healthcare providers.

They generally prescribe vaginal creams or moisturisers for women suffering from vaginal dryness. You may be asked to have cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for mood swings, calcium + vitamin D for bone loss, and melatonin for sleep problems.

Doctors may also suggest a few natural methods to increase hormones, including weight loss (if you have abnormally high weight), increased physical activity, etc.

FAQs about the Benefits of Estrogen Hormone Therapy

What are the estrogen gel benefits?

Estrogen gel is gentler on the body, easy to use and available in adjustable strengths. It also provides a smooth release of estrogen and is generally considered safer for women with liver concerns and higher clotting risks.

What are the benefits of estrogen for hair?

Estrogen promotes hair health as well by prolonging the growth phase of the hair cycle. This decreases hair shedding and hair thinning. It also increases scalp blood flow, supporting healthier hair.

The Bottom Line

Estrogen therapy has many health benefits. It provides protection from bone loss, maintains vaginal health, promotes skin health, and most importantly, eases menopause symptoms.

It has different types based on the forms of estrogen used in the treatment. Its popular types include estrogen creams, gels, skin patches, and oral estrogen.

If you feel you may be suffering from low estrogen levels, don’t hesitate to consult with our estrogen therapy specialists. Click the contact button to discuss your HRT options today!

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References

Platt, O., Bateman, J. and Bakour, S., 2025. Impact of menopause hormone therapy, exercise, and their combination on bone mineral density and mental wellbeing in menopausal women: a scoping review. Frontiers in Reproductive Health, 7, p.1542746.

Kaufert, P.A. and McKinlay, S.M., 2022. Estrogen-replacement therapy: the production of medical knowledge and the emergence of policy. In Women, health, and healing (pp. 113-138). Routledge.

Hashemzadeh, M., Romo, R., Arreguin, J.M. and Movahed, M.R., 2021. The effects of estrogen and hormone replacement therapy on cardiovascular systems. Future cardiology, 17(2), pp.347-353.

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