Estrogen - what gives?

[Guest guest]

Hi,

So I was reading through something the other day and it mentioned

that our estradiol level is high prior to ovulation. That made me

think about the fact that lots of information refers to ESTROGEN as

if it was one hormone when in fact it should be estrogens. I just

wonder is it estradiol that is causing estrogen dominance/fibroid

growth or some other estrogens or combination of hormones -- and are

these dependent on whether the woman is pregnant, menopausal, or just

hormonally off-kilter. Hopefully someday they will have done enough

research to know the answer.

Anyway, I felt prompted to search out more info on the web about

estrogens -- since I'm not yet ready to commit to a $150 medical text

on endocrinology the web will have to do.

Here are some interesting facts about estrogens:

" over 30 different forms of estrogen have been described; the most

common forms tested are estrone [E1], estradiol [estradiol-17 beta,

E2], and estriol [E3] "

http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/estrogen/glance.h

tml

" The majority (over 90 percent) of the estrogen present in a pre-

menopausal woman's body is made in the ovaries. A smaller additional

quantity of estrogen is produced by the adrenal glands and peripheral

tissues such as fat, liver, and kidneys by converting androgens to

estrogens. Estrogen hormones are also formed in the placenta during

pregnancy. "

http://www.dhyansanjivani.org/Estrogen.asp

" fibroids have higher estrogen concentrations, bind more estrogen,

have more estrogen receptors, and convert estradiol (a more active

form of estrogen) to estrone (a less active form of estrogen) more

slowly than normal myometrium. "

http://www.fibroids.net/html/theories.htm

" Overall, estrogen, progesterone, and growth factors likely promote

tumor growth, but only after the initiation of tumor formation. This

initiating event remains unknown, although recent evidence suggests

there is a strong inherited component to fibroid development. "

http://www.obgyn.net/ah/ah.asp?page=/ah/articles/theories_of_fibroid

" Increasing FSH levels during the late luteal phase leads to an

increase in the number of FSH receptors and ultimately to an increase

in estradiol secretion by granulosa cells. "

http://www.endotext.org/female/female3/female3.htm

" Estradiol-17b (E2), a steroid hormone, is the most active estrogen

in the body. In circulation, E2 is primarily bound to sex hormone-

binding globulin (SHBG). "

http://www.dpcweb.com/medical/reproductive_endocrinology/estradiol.htm

l

" Estriol is produced predominantly in the liver as a metabolite of

estrone and estradiol. "

http://www.yourmenopausetype.com/menopausequestionsandanswers/04232000

..html

" For the first 4-6 weeks of pregnancy, estrone originates primarily

from maternal sources such as the ovaries, adrenals, or peripheral

conversion (57). Later, the placenta secretes increasing quantities

of estrone from the conversion of circulating maternal and fetal

DHEAS. The placenta continues to be the major source of circulating

estrone for the remainder of the pregnancy (53). Estrone

concentrations are less than 0.1 ng/mL during the follicular phase

and may reach a maximum of 0.3 ng/mL during the luteal phase of a

normal menstrual cycle. Following conception, estrone concentrations

remain within the luteal phase range through weeks 6-10 of gestation

(54). Subsequently there is a gradual increase to a wide range of 2-

30 ng/ml at term (53,54,57) (Figures 6 and 8). "

http://www.endotext.org/female/female13/female13.htm

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