Trio M.

San Luis
BSN – 3J
Estrogen Replacement Therapy for Osteoporosis

Camacho, P. M., MD, FACE, & Toft, D. J., MD, PhD. (2017, May 3). Estrogen Replacement
Therapy for Osteoporosis. Retrieved September 08, 2020, from
https://www.endocrineweb.com/conditions/osteoporosis/estrogen-replacement-therapy-
osteoporosis

SUMMARY
Estrogen are hormones that are produced in the ovaries, and is important for the sexual
and reproductive development in females. If a woman’s ovaries stop producing
estrogen, menopause occur. Loss of estrogen is a risk and may lead to Osteoporosis. If
the estrogen levels drop during menopause, the osteoblasts aren't able to effectively
produce bone. Estrogen Therapy whether patch or pill, used to be the only treatment
and a preventive measures for Osteoporosis, successfully, drugs and medications have
been developed.

Estrogen therapy is only for post-menopausal women and is contraindicated to women

who have breast or uterine cancer, poor liver function or liver disease and recent history
of blood clots. This therapy is partnered with progesterone hormones to prevent uterine
cancer, however if a patient has undergone hysterectomy or inborn without uterus, she
can take the estrogen alone.

Despite the good effects of this therapy, risks cannot be avoided. Risks involves are
uterine cancer, breast cancer, stroke, heart attacks, blood clots, and even mental
decline. Nevertheless, this therapy is still could still be the right treatment for other
women.
REFLECTION

The article that I have read was very informing well-constructed which provides the
definition of the therapy, how to use, when to start the therapy, contraindications and its
potential risks I have already known what Osteoporosis is, however, this estrogen
therapy is quite new to me. I have just known that hormones like estrogen can affect the
bones of women if its levels drops down. Aside from that, it was nice to know that this
can help postmenopausal women in preventing Osteoporosis. Sadly, not all post-
menopausal women can do this, since there are patients who are contraindicated for
this therapy.

This article can be helpful for the future researches in line with osteoporosis and post-
menopausal women. Since this has discussed the connection of bones and estrogen in
women.

In relation to this article, this would also serve as a reference for my health teaching to
the post-menopausal women to prevent Osteoporosis.

And lastly, as a student nurse, this would come in handy when I will encounter patients
who are fit to this topic. I will be able to discuss this to them in simple terms since I
understood the article easily and I think if people who are not in the medical field can
easily understand the content of the article.
 Estrogen Replacement Therapy for
Osteoporosis
Benefits and Risks of Estrogen Treatment
Written by Pauline M. Camacho MD, FACE | Reviewed by Daniel J. Toft MD, PhD

  
If you're approaching menopause, your body will likely alert you to the sudden drop
in estrogen with physical signs (such as hot flashes) and psychological changes
(including mood swings). The effect on your bones won't be as obvious, but the loss of
estrogen will certainly affect them. If you have a high risk for osteoporosis and are
approaching or have already reached menopause, estrogen replacement therapy may
be a good osteoporosis treatment or preventative measure.
Estrogen is a sex hormone that is essential to female bone health because it promotes
the activity of osteoblasts, which are cells that produce bone. When estrogen levels
drop during menopause, the osteoblasts aren't able to effectively produce bone.

Estrogen replacement therapy used to be the only FDA-approved treatment to prevent

osteoporosis. There are now many other drugs and medications for osteoporosis, but
estrogen remains a fairly common treatment to conserve bone mass and prevent
osteoporosis-related fractures in post-menopausal women.

Who is a Good Candidate?

Estrogen replacement therapy is appropriate for most women, but it should not be used
if if you have:

 Breast or uterine cancer

 Poor liver function or liver disease

 A recent history of blood clots

Also, estrogen replacement therapy is not for pre-menopausal women or for men.
In most cases, you will also take progesterone hormones along with estrogen. This is
because taking estrogen alone increases your risk for uterine cancer, while the
combination of estrogen and progesterone greatly reduces this risk. However, if you
have had a hysterectomy, involving the removal of your uterus, or were born without a
uterus, you can safely take estrogen alone because you have no risk for developing
uterine cancer.

When to Start Estrogen Replacement Therapy

The ideal time to begin estrogen replacement therapy is during early menopause. But
many endocrinologists believe that the bone-preserving benefits of estrogen therapy
can still be achieved even if started more than a decade after menopause.

How to Use Estrogen Replacement Therapy

Depending on what brand of estrogen your doctor recommends, estrogen can be given
as a transdermal (skin) patch or a pill.
Your doctor may recommend you take estrogen daily, with progesterone for about 14
days each month. You could also take estrogen and progesterone each day, or simply
take estrogen each day.
If you're using a patch, you'll likely change the patch twice a week or weekly.

Potential Risks
though estrogen replacement therapy was once the only approved osteoporosis
medication, it is not as widely used today. Part of the reason for this is because the
therapy has been connected to increased risks of uterine cancer, breast cancer, stroke,
heart attacks, blood clots, and even mental decline.
Despite these potential side effects, estrogen replacement therapy is effective at
protecting post-menopausal women from bone loss. If you and your doctor believe
estrogen replacement therapy is the right treatment course for you, it will most likely be
used in the lowest possible dose for the shortest amount of time.