Where does estrogen come from after menopause?

Menopause means the end of menstruation. Hot flashes and sweating are the main symptoms of perimenopausal women. They often have bursts of fever and sudden sweating all over the body. It may be related to the sudden acceleration of blood. The arrival of hot flashes means a decline in ovarian function, and the secretion levels of various hormones will decrease after menopause. So where does estrogen come from after menopause?

1. The ovaries of postmenopausal women basically stop secreting estrogen and progesterone. The blood estradiol concentration drops from 50-300 pg/ml (180-1300 pmol/L) to below 20 pg/ml (25-80 pmol/L). Is there any other source of estrogen?

2. Studies have shown that the main source of estrogen in women at this time is converted from androgens secreted by the adrenal glands. The conversion occurs in adipose tissue, liver, kidneys, etc. The main estrogen is estrone. The conversion rate in postmenopausal women is twice as fast as that in women of childbearing age, and the estrone concentration in the blood is 90 to 150 picomoles/liter (pmol/L). Obese women convert faster than thin women, and their estrogen levels are relatively higher, but still significantly lower than those of women of childbearing age (100-400pmol/L).

3. More and more women in my country, especially urban white-collar women, are experiencing latent menopausal symptoms, and the age of these women is getting younger and younger. Latent menopause occurs before the normal physiological menopause. Women at this stage often show various symptoms, such as wrinkled skin, sagging breasts, vaginal dryness, weight gain, and bad temper. These phenomena will cause them psychological anxiety, loss of expectations for work, and indifference to family life; some will experience facial flushing, followed by sweating all over the body; some will feel panic, chest tightness, and rapid heartbeat, and suspect that they have heart disease; some will suffer from diarrhea or constipation symptoms due to digestive tract dysfunction, all of which will aggravate tension.

The above introduces some issues regarding the source of estrogen after menopause. Because estrogen secretion will decrease after menopause, osteoporosis will easily occur at this time. Therefore, you should pay more attention to your diet in daily life, supplement some estrogen, and also relax yourself.