ESTROGENS (Estradiol, Estrone, Estriol) Estradiol is the most potent of the three natural estrogens, which also include estrone and estriol. Estrogens play important roles in stimulating regeneration of the reproductive tissues, maintaining healthy bones, increasing the levels of neurotransmitters in the brain, and helping keep the cardiovascular system healthy.

LOW ESTRADIOL in pre-menopausal women is unusual unless they experience an anovulatory cycle (no ovulation) or are supplementing with synthetic estrogens found in birth control pills, which can suppress endrogenous (made in the body) production of estrogens by the ovaries. A low estradiol level is much more common in post-menopausal women or in women of any age who have had a hysterectomy and/or their ovaries surgically removed (oophorectomy) and/or those who have not been treated with hormone replacement, sleep disturbances, foggy thinking, vaginal dryness, incontinence, thinning skin, bone loss, and heart palpitations.

Wall Street Journal Examines Missed Messages on Benefits Of Menopause HormoneS

Copyright 2007 Wall Street Journal, written by Tara parker-Pope

Do menopause hormones protect a woman's heart?

It's a question most doctors stopped asking nearly five years ago, when the first results of the Women's Health Initiative study showed a higher risk of heart problems among older hormone users.