Estrogen

Estrogens are a family of related molecules that stimulate the development and maintenance of female characteristics and sexual reproduction.

What is Estrogen?

Estrogens (also called Oestrogens) are steroid compounds that are important for development and functioning of females of the species. They are named so because they play an important role in the estrous cycle. Their name comes from estrus/oistros (period of fertility for female mammals) + gen/gonos = to generate.

Estrogen Function

Estrogen Types

Estrogen in Cosmetics

Estrogen in Medicine

Estradiol and Estrogen Levels

Estrogen as a Treatment for Parkinson’s Disease

Latest Estrogen News and Research

New viable therapeutic strategy found for ER+ breast cancer

Researchers say they have found a viable new therapeutic strategy for estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer, even cancers that are resistant to current standard of care treatments.

31 Mar 2020

Potential new method of breast cancer treatment using androgen receptor

Scientists may have discovered a new therapeutic approach to treat ER+ breast cancer using androgen receptor-stimulating drugs.

31 Mar 2020

$Health concerns over fracking chemical that may cause adverse effects in male sex hormones$

Health concerns over fracking chemical that may cause adverse effects in male sex hormones

A study has found that fracking chemicals can interfere with male sex hormones and possibly cause adverse health effects.

31 Mar 2020

Tofu nutrients called isoflavones could lower heart disease risk

Researchers from the Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital working in collaboration have found that tofu and other plant-based proteins contain certain nutrients called isoflavones that can help those with heart disease and lower their disease risk.

23 Mar 2020

Study provides new insight into neurofibromin-deficient ER+ breast cancer

An international team of researchers led by scientists at Baylor College of Medicine has new insights into the function of neurofibromin, a tumor suppressor produced by the NF1 gene.

5 Mar 2020

Menopause age not associated with heart disease finds study

There has been conflicting evidence regarding early menopause and an increased risk for heart disease among women. This connection has been attributed to the lowering of female hormone estrogen levels in the blood.

26 Feb 2020

Inflammation caused by radiation can promote survival of triple-negative breast cancer cells

While radiation is successfully used to treat breast cancer by killing cancer cells, inflammation caused as a side-effect of radiation can have a contrary effect by promoting the survival of triple-negative breast cancer cells, according to research published online in the International Journal of Radiation Biology by Jennifer Sims-Mourtada, Ph.D., director of Translational Breast Cancer Research at ChristianaCare's Helen F. Graham Cancer Center & Research Institute.

24 Feb 2020

Targeted combinatorial drug treatment restores beta cell function in mice

The loss of the identity of insulin-secreting beta cells in the islet of Langerhans, a process also called beta cell dedifferentiation, has been proposed to be a main reason for the development of diabetes.

20 Feb 2020

A diet rich in fruits and vegetables may result in fewer menopause symptoms

A healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables is known to benefit the human body in so many ways. Now a new study suggests that it may also play a role in lessening various menopause symptoms.

19 Feb 2020

UGA historian shines light on the evolutionary purpose of menopause

Menopause- that time in every woman's life when the ovaries no longer release an egg each month and menstruation ceases forever- is a rare thing among Earth's infinitely varied creatures.

18 Feb 2020

Increased risk of uterine cancer linked to 24 gene variants

The risk of uterine endometrial cancer is increased by 24 gene variants that code for different cellular processes such as cell growth and death, gene regulation, and estrogen metabolism, according to a comprehensive review published in the Journal of Medical Genetics.

17 Feb 2020

Prolonged hormone therapy linked to higher muscle mass, less chance of sarcopenia

Skeletal muscle mass and strength are critical in helping prevent falls, fractures, and disability. Yet, they continue to decline during the menopause transition.

12 Feb 2020

Vitamin D deficiency in postmenopausal women linked to disc degeneration and lower back pain

Lumbar disc degeneration and resulting lower back pain become greater concerns with age and disproportionately affect women more than men, likely as a result of decreasing estrogen levels during menopause.

12 Feb 2020

High testosterone in women ups risk for cancer, diabetes, and metabolic disease

Testosterone is a steroid hormone that triggers the development of male secondary sex characteristics. Though found mainly in men, the ovaries in women release small amounts of testosterone. When combined with estrogen, testosterone aids in the growth and repair of a woman's reproductive tissues.

12 Feb 2020

Age of puberty in girls the world over becoming lower

A new study on the age of initial breast development as the first sign of puberty in girls shows that over the last 40 years, this has come down by an average of 3 months per decade. The study is published in the journal Pediatrics.

11 Feb 2020

Tips to care for your skin during menopause

By the time they reach menopause - which officially begins one year after a woman's last period -; many women think they have their lives figured out. Careers are well established; children are grown and independent; and there's more time for leisure and self-care.

11 Feb 2020

A protein that plays key role in endometrial cancer growth discovered

The hormone estrogen plays many critical roles in men and women, in both healthy tissues and in cancer. In breast and gynecologic cancers, estrogen sends signals to tumors instructing the cancer cells to grow out of control.

11 Feb 2020

Study explores how some mammals postpone development of their embryos

How do some mammals postpone the development of their embryos to await better conditions for having offspring? A recent study at the UW Medicine Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine explored this reproductive enigma, which can occur in more than 130 species of mammals as well as in some marsupials.

10 Feb 2020

Researchers suggest new approach of evaluating vascular function earlier in women

Men and women differ in the way their vascular systems age and the rate at which atherosclerosis ― the hardening of artery walls or buildup of arterial blockage ― progresses over time. These sex- and age-related differences have a direct bearing on a woman's risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

6 Feb 2020