Post menopausal women

In peri-menopause, you are not regularly ovulating and it's from the act of ovulation, that the corpus
luteum is formed from where the egg ruptured from the ovary. And it's the corpus luteum that produces
progesterone. No ovulation, no corpus luteum, and no progesterone. Now the unopposed estrogen is
left to continue growing the lining - and endometrial hyperplasia occurs.

Estrogen can ease vaginal symptoms of menopause, such as dryness, itching, burning and discomfort
with intercourse. Need to prevent bone loss or fractures. Systemic estrogen helps protect against the
bone-thinning disease called osteoporosis. (WHY It is common in western countries).

Starting menopause after age 55 increases a woman’s risk of breast cancer and endometrial cancer.
That’s probably because she’s been exposed to more estrogen. During a woman’s menstrual cycle,
estrogen stimulates the uterus and breast tissue. So the more menstrual periods a woman has, the
longer these tissues are exposed to estrogen.

Your endometrial thickness changes in response to hormones. In a fertile woman, estrogen is the
dominant hormone in the 1st part of the cycle. Estrogen is a growth hormone, think back to puberty,
its the reason your breasts and hips grew. Estrogen also thickens your endometrium. Once you
ovulate, your progesterone levels start to climb, progesterone is needed for the final stage of
endometrial preparation for implantation of a fertilised egg and to maintain pregnancy. If pregnancy
doesn't occur, menstruation is triggered by falling progesterone levels. Menstruation is a reset, your
lining sheds and the cycle is ready to start again. PHYSIOLOGY

Unopposed estrogen is an imbalance of the hormones estrogen and progesterone in a woman's body.
Both of these hormones are important in humans, and they both play dominant roles in the female
body. Since both hormones have important roles to play, it is critical that they are present in balanced
amounts. If estrogen is allowed to overbalance and there is no complementary progesterone or too
little of it, a range of symptoms may develop. For example, estrogen dominance is associated with
such symptoms as weight gain and heavy and painful periods; it may also contribute to difficulty
sleeping, severe headaches, hot flashes, and imbalances of other hormones.