New Article in Scientific American - Is Estrogen Deficiency a Thing?

Is Estrogen Deficiency a Thing?

If yes, it is rare.

Estrogen deficiency is primarily a marketing slogan.

The Centre for Menstrual Cycle and Ovulation Research (CeMCOR, www.cemcor.ubc.ca ) today published in Scientific American https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/is-estrogen-deficiency-really-a-thing/.

This piece questions the current focus on estrogen deficiency.

Estrogen deficiency appears to be very common in adolescents, premenopausal, perimenopausal and menopausal women. Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is described that way because of far apart periods despite its higher estrogen and lower progesterone levels.

This new paper asserts the physiological reality that disturbances of ovulation and lower progesterone levels are the earliest menstrual cycle adaptation. Ovulatory disturbances occur about a third of the time in a single random cycle in a population-based study in Norway (PLOS ONE 2015).

Adaptive changes in ovulatory disturbances commonly occur to social, psychological, nutritional and combined stressors, and rarely lengthen or take away periods and therefore lower estrogen levels.

More information is available at www.cemcor.ubc.ca or by asking a question here: https://www.cemcor.ca/contact