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

The Role of Estrogen in Men’s Health

Estrogen in Cosmetics

Estrogen in Medicine

Estradiol and Estrogen Levels

Estrogen Types

Latest Estrogen News and Research

Later-life estrogen therapy associated with lower risk of developing dementia

Use of hormone therapy later in life was associated with lower risk of developing dementia, according to a study published August 12, 2026, in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

12 Aug 2026

Mitochondrial gene RTN4IP1 drives triple-negative breast cancer metastasis

Triple-negative breast cancer accounts for approximately 15% of all breast cancer cases. It is characterized by the absence of estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and HER2 expression, rendering it insensitive to conventional endocrine and targeted therapies.

12 Aug 2026

Researchers tracked biological aging for decades and found a striking pattern in women

Accelerated biological age in midlife was associated with higher risks of cardiovascular disease and death in both men and women over nearly three decades of follow-up. Women with accelerated biological age also showed a higher risk of dementia, although adding biological age to standard risk factors provided only minimal additional predictive value.

12 Aug 2026

Phthalates may contribute to high blood pressure in pregnant women

Phthalates, which are chemicals found in plastics, personal care products and hundreds of other consumer goods, may contribute to high blood pressure in pregnant women, according to a study published in the Journal of the Endocrine Society.

10 Aug 2026

Thymulin curbs age-related inflammation and slows breast tumors in mice

Thymulin reduced age-associated inflammatory myeloid cells and slowed breast-tumor growth in aged mice by suppressing NF-κB signaling. The peptide also restored anti-PD-L1 responsiveness in aged mouse models, while human cell and tumor data supported an age-linked inflammatory myeloid profile.

23 Jul 2026

Study links collagen peptides to improved bone health in runners

Collagen is a protein found in skin, hair, nails, tendons, cartilage, and bones. Our bodies naturally produce collagen using the foods we eat. But, in recent years, collagen peptides have gained popularity as a supplement to support joint, hair, skin, and gut health.

22 Jul 2026

New study links specific microRNAs to cancer-associated cachexia

Cachexia-a syndrome characterized by progressive muscle wasting-affects both humans and dogs with chronic diseases such as cancer.

22 Jul 2026

UWM neuroscientist explores how estrogens regulate memory and brain function

Karyn Frick likes to think big. In college, she spent the summer after her junior year studying the neurobiology of memory in a lab at Johns Hopkins University. For hours at a time, Frick would watch rats scurry through mazes, entranced by their behavior.

22 Jul 2026

Corn-based foods linked to higher mycotoxin exposure in pregnancy

Consuming common foods such as corn chips and popcorn may put pregnant women at risk of being exposed to mycotoxins – harmful substances produced by mold – according to Rutgers researchers.

22 Jul 2026

Vitamin D falls short as an add-on treatment for endometriosis

An eight-week randomized trial of 66 women found that adjunctive vitamin D did not significantly or meaningfully improve endometriosis pain or quality of life compared with placebo during dienogest therapy. The results do not support routine short-term adjunctive supplementation, although the brief trial and absence of post-treatment vitamin D measurements leave longer-term effects uncertain.

19 Jul 2026

Weill Cornell Medicine receives DoD grant to target triple-negative breast cancer

Weill Cornell Medicine has received a $2.5 million, three-year grant from the Department of Defense (DoD) to develop therapies with fewer side effects for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive and difficult-to-treat breast cancers.

16 Jul 2026

Active birth control pills may increase emotional eating

Combined oral contraceptives are associated with increased emotional eating, suggesting hormonal effects on eating behaviors and potential binge eating risks.

9 Jul 2026

Paternal postpartum depression affects more fathers than widely recognized

Postpartum depression in mothers is a widely recognized condition that affects 1 in 7 women. But less known is that 1 in 10 new fathers also experience depression.

8 Jul 2026

New nonhormonal therapy shows promise for treating Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause

Researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz have developed a promising nonhormonal therapy for women experiencing Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause (GSM).

7 Jul 2026

Hormonal contraceptives may raise binge eating risk in women

Birth control pills are safe and effective for millions of women, but researchers are still working to understand how the hormones they contain may influence eating behavior.

6 Jul 2026

Blood biomarker may predict Alzheimer's progression differently in men

A blood test does not lie, exactly. It reports a number. The question raised by a new mini-review in Brain Medicine, which gathers and weighs a decade of scattered findings, is whether clinicians have been reading the same number in two different ways without realizing it.

30 Jun 2026

Longer hormone exposure linked to healthier brain aging in women

Research indicates that hormonal therapies and later menopause are associated with increased brain volume and thickness, promoting healthier aging.

26 Jun 2026

Gut microbes emerge as potential players in estrogen-driven cancers

A new review maps how the endocrine-microbiome axis expands the estrobolome concept, showing that gut microbes may alter estrogen recycling, produce hormone-like metabolites, and shape inflammation and tissue environments in hormone-driven cancers. Human evidence remains mostly associative, so the authors call for causal models, longitudinal multi-omics, multi-kingdom profiling, and sex-stratified studies before microbiome-guided cancer strategies enter routine care.

25 Jun 2026

Recognizing perinatal heart failure early reduces life-threatening risks

Early detection and timely treatment of heart failure in pregnant or postpartum women are crucial to prevent serious complications, such as irregular heartbeat, stroke and death, according to a new American Heart Association scientific statement, "Heart Failure Occurring in the Perinatal Period."

25 Jun 2026

Immunotherapy may help women with early ovarian insufficiency to conceive babies

A pilot study from Karolinska Institutet shows that immunotherapy may enable stimulation of egg maturation in women with autoimmune POI (premature ovarian insufficiency) – a condition that usually leads to infertility.

24 Jun 2026