An estrogen-dependent condition can be that relating to the differentiation in the steroid sex hormone that is associated with the female reproductive system and sex characteristics. These conditions can fall under the umbrella of hypoestrogenism, hyperestrogenim, or any sensitivity to the presence of estrogen in the body.

Estrogen

Estrogen Estrogen (also spelled oestrogen in British English; see spelling differences) is a category of sex hormone responsible for the development and regulation of the female reproductive system and secondary sex characteristics. There are three ...

is a critical sex hormone for women (in conjunction with

progesterone Progesterone (; P4) is an endogenous steroid and progestogen sex hormone involved in the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, and embryogenesis of humans and other species. It belongs to a group of steroid hormones called the progestogens and is the ma ...

). Estrogen is responsible for all different functions in a female body, but is also seen in any gender. These functions are seen in body tracts such as the skeletal system, liver, brain and breasts. There are three different formulations of estrogen:

estrone Estrone (E1), also spelled oestrone, is a steroid, a weak estrogen, and a minor female sex hormone. It is one of three major endogenous estrogens, the others being estradiol and estriol. Estrone, as well as the other estrogens, are synthesized ...

estradiol Estradiol (E2), also called oestrogen, oestradiol, is an estrogen steroid hormone and the major female sex hormone. It is involved in the regulation of female reproductive cycles such as estrous and menstrual cycles. Estradiol is responsible ...

, and

estriol Estriol (E3), also spelled oestriol, is a steroid, a weak estrogen, and a minor female sex hormone. It is one of three major endogenous estrogens, the others being estradiol and estrone. Levels of estriol in women who are not pregnant are almost ...

. These are commonly referred to as E1, E2, and E3, following the listing stated prior. These three formulations have different functions in a women's life. Estradiol (E2) is seen in the reproductive time period. Estriol (E3) is seen primarily during pregnancy. Finally, estrone (E1) is the form the body uses during the postmenopausal period. From all of the three formulations stated earlier, Estradiol (E2) is known to be the strongest. In a normal adult female, the normal range of estrogen in the luteal phase (when ovulation happens, as well as the vascular tissue preparing for the potential zygote ) is 100 pg/ml, in comparison to the proliferative phase (when the uterine lining is thickening) 40-250 pg/ml.

Known estrogen-dependent conditions

Known estrogen-dependent conditions include: * mastodynia (breast pain/tenderness) * breast fibroids *

mammoplasia Mammoplasia is the normal or spontaneous enlargement of human breasts. Mammoplasia occurs normally during puberty and pregnancy in women, as well as during certain periods of the menstrual cycle. When it occurs in males, it is called gynecomasti ...

(breast enlargement) *

macromastia Breast hypertrophy is a rare medical condition of the breast connective tissues in which the breasts become excessively large. The condition is often divided based on the severity into two types, macromastia and gigantomastia. Hypertrophy of the ...

(breast hypertrophy) *

gynecomastia Gynecomastia (also spelled gynaecomastia) is the non-cancerous enlargement of one or both breasts in men due to the growth of breast tissue as a result of a hormone imbalance between estrogens and androgens. Updated by Brent Wisse (10 Novemb ...

breast cancer Breast cancer is a cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a Breast lump, lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, Milk-rejection sign, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipp ...

precocious puberty In medicine, precocious puberty is puberty occurring at an unusually early age. In most cases, the process is normal in every aspect except the unusually early age and simply represents a variation of normal development. There is early developm ...

in girls and isosexual precocious puberty in boys *

melasma Melasma (also known as chloasma faciei,James, William; Berger, Timothy; Elston, Dirk (2005). ''Andrews' Diseases of the Skin: Clinical Dermatology''. (10th ed.). Saunders. . or the mask of pregnancy when present in pregnant women) is a tan or dar ...

menorrhagia Heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB), previously known as menorrhagia or hematomunia, is a menstrual period with excessively heavy flow. It is a type of abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB). Abnormal uterine bleeding can be caused by structural abnorm ...

endometriosis Endometriosis is a disease in which Tissue (biology), tissue similar to the endometrium, the lining of the uterus, grows in other places in the body, outside the uterus. It occurs in women and a limited number of other female mammals. Endomet ...

endometrial hyperplasia Endometrial hyperplasia is a condition of excessive proliferation of the cells of the endometrium, or inner lining of the uterus. Most cases of endometrial hyperplasia result from high levels of estrogens, combined with insufficient levels of th ...

adenomyosis Adenomyosis is a medical condition characterized by the growth of cells that proliferate on the inside of the uterus (endometrium) atypically located among the cells of the uterine wall (myometrium), as a result, thickening of the uterus occurs. ...

uterine fibroid Uterine fibroids, also known as uterine leiomyomas, fibromyoma or fibroids, are benign smooth muscle tumors of the uterus, part of the female reproductive system. Most people with fibroids have no symptoms while others may have painful or h ...

s *

uterine cancer Uterine cancer, also known as womb cancer, includes two types of cancer that develop from the tissues of the uterus. Endometrial cancer forms from the lining of the uterus, and uterine sarcoma forms from the muscles or support tissue of the ute ...

s (e.g.,

endometrial cancer Endometrial cancer is a cancer that arises from the endometrium (the epithelium, lining of the uterus or womb). It is the result of the abnormal growth of cells (biology), cells that can invade or spread to other parts of the body. The first s ...

) *

ovarian cancer Ovarian cancer is a cancerous tumor of an ovary. It may originate from the ovary itself or more commonly from communicating nearby structures such as fallopian tubes or the inner lining of the abdomen. The ovary is made up of three different ...

* hyperestrogenism and associated feminization in males ** such as in certain conditions like

cirrhosis Cirrhosis, also known as liver cirrhosis or hepatic cirrhosis, chronic liver failure or chronic hepatic failure and end-stage liver disease, is a chronic condition of the liver in which the normal functioning tissue, or parenchyma, is replaced ...

Klinefelter's syndrome Klinefelter syndrome (KS), also known as 47,XXY, is a chromosome anomaly where a male has an extra X chromosome. These complications commonly include infertility and small, poorly functioning testicles (if present). These symptoms are often not ...

, and

aromatase excess syndrome Aromatase excess syndrome (AES or AEXS) is a rarely diagnosed genetic disorder, genetic and endocrine disease, endocrine syndrome which is characterized by an gene expression, overexpression of aromatase, the enzyme responsible for the biosynthesi ...

. Such conditions may be treated with

drug A drug is any chemical substance other than a nutrient or an essential dietary ingredient, which, when administered to a living organism, produces a biological effect. Consumption of drugs can be via insufflation (medicine), inhalation, drug i ...

s with

antiestrogen Antiestrogens, also known as estrogen antagonists or estrogen blockers, are a class of drugs which prevent estrogens like estradiol from mediating their biological effects in the body. They act by blocking the estrogen receptor (ER) and/or inh ...

actions, including

selective estrogen receptor modulator Selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs), also known as estrogen receptor agonists/antagonists (ERAAs), are a class of drugs that act on estrogen receptors (ERs). Compared to pure ER agonists–antagonists (e.g., full agonists and silent ...

s (SERMs) such as

tamoxifen Tamoxifen, sold under the brand name Nolvadex among others, is a selective estrogen receptor modulator used to prevent breast cancer in women and men. It is also being studied for other types of cancer. It has been used for Albright syndrome ...

and

clomifene Clomifene, also known as clomiphene, is a medication used to treat infertility in women who do not ovulate, including those with polycystic ovary syndrome. It is taken by mouth. Common side effects include pelvic pain and hot flashes. Oth ...

estrogen receptor Estrogen receptors (ERs) are proteins found in cell (biology), cells that function as receptor (biochemistry), receptors for the hormone estrogen (17β-estradiol). There are two main classes of ERs. The first includes the intracellular estrogen ...

antagonists An antagonist is a character in a story who is presented as the main enemy or rival of the protagonist and is often depicted as a villain.fulvestrant Fulvestrant, sold under the brand name Faslodex among others, is an antiestrogenic medication used to treat hormone receptor (HR)-positive metastatic breast cancer in postmenopausal women with disease progression as well as HR-positive, HER2-n ...

aromatase inhibitor Aromatase inhibitors (AIs) are a class of drugs used in the treatment of breast cancer in postmenopausal women and in men, and gynecomastia in men. They may also be used off-label to reduce estrogen conversion when supplementing testosterone exo ...

s such as

anastrozole Anastrozole, sold under the brand name Arimidex among others, is an antiestrogenic medication used in addition to other treatments for breast cancer. Specifically it is used for hormone receptor-positive breast cancer. It has also been used t ...

and exemestane,

gonadotropin-releasing hormone Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) is a releasing hormone responsible for the release of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) from the anterior pituitary. GnRH is a tropic peptide hormone synthesized and rele ...

(GnRH) analogues such as

leuprorelin Leuprorelin, also known as leuprolide, is a manufactured version of a hormone used to treat prostate cancer, breast cancer, endometriosis, uterine fibroids, for early puberty, as part of transgender hormone therapy, or to perform chemical ca ...

and

cetrorelix Cetrorelix (, ), or cetrorelix acetate (, ), sold under the brand name Cetrotide, is an injectable gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) gonadotropin-releasing hormone antagonist, antagonist. A synthetic compound, synthetic decapeptide, it is us ...

, and/or other

antigonadotropin An antigonadotropin is a drug which suppresses the activity and/or downstream effects of one or both of the gonadotropins, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH). This results in an inhibition of the hypothalamic-pituit ...

s such as

danazol Danazol, sold as Danocrine and other brand names, is a medication used in the treatment of endometriosis, fibrocystic breast disease, hereditary angioedema and other conditions. It is taken oral administration, by mouth. The use of danazol is ...

, gestrinone,

megestrol acetate Megestrol acetate (MGA), sold under the brand name Megace among others, is a progestin medication which is used mainly as an appetite stimulant to treat wasting syndromes such as cachexia. It is also used to treat breast cancer and endometrial ...

, and

medroxyprogesterone acetate Medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA), also known as depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) in injectable form and sold under the brand name Depo-Provera among others, is a hormonal medication of the progestin type. It is used as a method of ...

Menopause

Menopause is the state in which the menses ceasen to occur. This is seen throughout the years 49–52. This termination of menses is associated with a dramatic drop in estrogen levels. The estrogen levels stated previously dramatically decrease to approximately 20 pg/ml or less when menopause begins. Menopause falls under the umbrella of conditions related to hypoestrogenism. There are many symptoms associated with the transition and entrance into menopause.

Endometriosis

Endometriosis is an inflammatory condition characterized by the growth and development on the endometrium tissue, found within the uterus, is growing outside of the uterus. Endometriosis is commonly found on the ovaries and other organs near/in the pelvic cavity, but it has also been seen in other organs such as the spleen or lungs. A handful of the symptoms associated with endometriosis are dysmenorrhea, dyschezia, dyspareunia, menorrhagia, and fertility complications. This inflammatory disease shares numerous symptoms with other conditions, so this at times leads to misdiagnoses. Endometriosis can have a confirmed diagnosis with exploratory surgery. This surgery is generally called a laparoscopy.

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is seen as numerous cysts developing on the ovaries, and this can be seen with additional symptoms such as oligomenorrhea, hirsutism, acne, weight gain, and fertility issues. PCOS is caused by the ovaries having an excessive amount of male sex hormones. Because of this, PCOS is associated with hyperandrogegism.

References

{{Gonadal disorder Estrogens Endocrine gonad disorders Gynaecologic disorders Mammal reproductive system

Estrogen

Known estrogen-dependent conditions

Menopause

Endometriosis

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome

See also

References