Sat 21 Nov 2009
THE DANGERS OF ESTROGENS
1. Cancer of the uterus. If estrogens are used in the postmenopausal period for more than a year, there is an increased risk of endometrial cancer (cancer of the uterus). Women taking estrogens have roughly 5 to 10 times as great a chance of getting this cancer as women who take no estrogens. To put this another way, while a postmenopausal woman not taking estrogens has one chance in a 1,000 each year of getting cancer of the uterus, a woman taking estrogens has one chance in 100 to 200 each year. For this reason /( is important to take estrogens only when you really need them.
The risk of this cancer is greater the longer estro-
gens are used and also seems to be greater when larger doses are taken. For this reason it is important to take the lowest dose of estrogen that will control symptoms and to take it only as long as it is needed. If estrogens are needed for longer periods of time, your doctor will want to reevaluate your need for estrogens at least every six months. Women_ using estrogens should report any irregular vaginal bleeding to their doctors; such bleeding may be of no importance, but it can be an early warning of cancer of the uterus. If you have undiagnosed vaginal bleeding, you should not use estrogens until a diagnosis is made and you are certain there is no cancer of the uterus.
2. Other possible cancers. Estrogens can cause
development of other tumors in animals, such as
tumors of the breast, cervix, vagina, or liver, when
given for a long time. At present there is no good
evidence that women using estrogens in the meno
pause have an increased risk of such tumors, but
there is no way yet to be sure they do not. This is a
further reason to use estrogens only when clearly
needed. While you are taking estrogens, it is im
portant that you go to your doctor at least once a
year to check on your uterus, cervix, vagina, and
breasts. Also, if members of your family have had
breast cancer or if you have breast nodules or
abnormal mamrnograms (breast x-rays), your
doctor will want to carry out especially careful
examination of your breasts.
3. Gall bladder disease. Women who use estro
gens after menopause are about 2-1/2 times as
likely to develop gall bladder disease needing sur
gery as women who do not use estrogens. Birth
control pills have a similar effect.
4. Abnormal blood clotting. Oral contraceptives
increase the risk of blood clotting in various parts
of the body. This can result in a stroke (if the clot
is in the brain), a heart attack (clot in a blood vessel
of the heart), or a pulmonary embolus (a clot which
forms in the legs or pelvis, then breaks off and
travels to the lungs). Any of these can be fatal.
At this time use of estrogens in the menopause is not known to cause such blood clotting, but this has not been fully studied and there could still prove to be such a risk. It is recommended that if you have had a heart attack, angina, or stroke, or if you have had clotting in the legs or lungs associated with use of estrogens or birth control pills, you should not use estrogens (unless they are being used to treat cancer of the breast or prostate).
The larger doses of estrogen used to prevent swelling of the breasts after pregnancy have been reported to cause clotting in the legs and lungs.drugsdcom drugxscom drugsxcom drugzscom drugszcom drugsxcom drugscxom drugsdcom drugscdom drugsfcom drugscfom drugsvcom drugscvom drugsciom drugscoim drugsc9om drugsco9m drugsc0om drugsco0m drugscpom drugscopm drugsclom drugscolm drugsckom drugscokm drugsconm drugscomn drugscojm drugscomj drugscokm drugscomk
