What are the risks of estrogen deficiency?
1) The risks of estrogen deficiency are considerable. For every one person who is on estrogen and who develops Alzheimer’s in a ten-year period, 240 women without estrogen will get the same disease! There is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease. Estrogen is responsible for keeping the arteries dilated and open to allow oxygen to pass to the organs that the blood supplies. When estrogen is low, the vessels shrink and the amount of oxygen that passes through them is reduced by virtue of the decrease in size (diameter) of the vessel. When this happens in the brain, the organs in the brain that detect the oxygen concentration notice a decline and a hot flash develops. The hypothalamus is a sensitive indicator of the body’s processes and will warn us if something is wrong. The hot flash is a warning that we are not getting enough oxygen to the brain! The hot flash is not some thing to be tolerated – it is something to be avoided at all costs since it really represents a mini-stroke of sorts. 2)
