Estrogen

I took a three-pronged approach to managing my estrogen. First, I decided to have my ovaries removed about a year after I finished treatment. I had had a simply hysterectomy a decade ago, so I still was ovulating even though I wasn't menstruating. Second, once I went through surgical menopause, I started taking Arimidex. It effectively knocks out estrogen produced by the adrenals. Finally, I have studied all of the dietary sources and tried to make sense of the research. The plant sources of estrogen are many, and the research on its effects for breast cancer is contradictory. I have decided to be very moderate in my consumption of soybeans, for eaxmple.

For women, reduced estrogen levels sometimes confuses the part of your brain (hypothalamus) that controls your body temperature, appetite, sleep cycles, and appetite. When this happens, the brain will send messages to the heart, blood vessels, and nervous system to increase blood flow, thus causing hot flashes and increased body temperature.

Hot flashes are common with women going through menopause. During menopause, a woman's ovaries produce less estrogen. This is a natural process for women as they age.

Hot flashes may also be caused medically through medications (ovarian shutdown medications and hormonal medications) or removal of ovaries.

Ovarian shutdown medications include: Zoladex (goserelin acetate), Lupron (leuprolide), and Trelstar (triptorelin)
Hormonal medications include: Arimidex (anastrozole), Aromasin (exemestane), Femara (letrozole), Tamoxifen, Evista (raloxifene), Fareston (toremifene), and Faslodex (fulvestrant).

For pre-menopausal women with estrogen positive breast cancer, the alternatives for tamoxifen are:
- medications that temporarily stop the ovaries from producing estrogen: Zoladex (goserelin acetate), Lupron (leuprolide), or Trelstar (triptorelin)
- surgical removal of ovaries
- radiation treatment to stop ovaries from working

A couple of less common treatments are Megace (megestrol) and Halotestin (fluoxymesterone). These treatments are used in specific cases.

For post-menopausal women, Aromatase inhibitors are considered a better option in most cases.

Tamoxifen works by interfering with the effects of estrogen in the breast tissue. If a patient is determined to have estrogen positive (ER+) breast cancer, estrogen may be fueling the growth of cancer cells in the breast. Tamoxifen binds to the cancer cells in the breast preventing cancer cells from binding with estrogen, thereby keeping the cancer cells from reproducing.