Hello ladies
Hurdity - I take your point that women at risk of osteoporosis should have their oestrogen levels tested to ensure against the condition. Do you know if there is a minimum level required? Also do you think that women who don't use HRT are destined to develop osteoporosis and if infact their levels are fine where could they be getting their oestrogen?
Wishing you well.
K.
Kathleen, I was told 250 pmol/l at the Chelsea & Westminster. I'm not sure how much consensus there is about this. Women with a low BMI and family history of osteoporosis are among those at risk. There will, of course, be other categories.
JP x
Hi there - I did read a paper some time ago which mentioned approx 160 ish pmol/l (might be remembering wrongly but definitely less than 200) - and also the product monograph for Estradot (revised 2017) says this:
"For optimal prevention of post-menopausal bone loss in women for whom the drug is indicated, therapy should be initiated as soon as possible after diagnosis of menopause. The dosage of estradiol-17B may require adjusting according to the patient's clinical status, the plasma estradiol-17B levels and the patient's clinical status. Ideally plasma estradiol-17B levels should be maintained at 183 pmol/l (50 pcg/ml)."
I haven't managed to find the paper where they got this from although there is a reference from 1989 - sorry haven't got time to look into all of this now! Sounds like the C and W have approx the same "ball-park". As far as I understand it is dose dependent ie higher oestrogen dose confers greater bone protection ( ie minimises overall bone loss) - and I guess the main desired outcome is reduction in fracture risk, so not sure how the stated level ( 183) relates to this without doing lots of reading! Maybe someone else would like to!!!
Re who develops osteoporosis - as Joaniepat says there are lots of risk factors, which are both environmental and genetic and absolute low levels ot estradiol may not automatically mean a diagnosis of osteoporosis. Also it's age dependent isn't it - a lot of older women have it anyway? Sorry I'm just talking off the top of my head at the mo! There is a lot of info out there on osteo development...how mwany studies on hpow this relates to oestrogen levels i don't know?
Kathleen we still produce oestrogen post-menopause but they are converted from androgens produced mainly in the adrenal glands, and I understand the post-menopausal ovaries still produce a small amount of hormones. WOmen will vary is in all our biochemistry - as to how much they produce. Fatter women will store more oestrogen because estarone (which converts to estradiol) is stored in fat cells. Not an argument for being fat (having too much more than needed!) though as this comes with other health risks as we age!
Hurdity x