Estrogen is a vital female sex hormone, which the body uses for ovulation and to regulate the reproductive system. The most common reason women have low estrogen levels is because they're going through menopause. If you're a woman and have low estrogen levels, you may experience a wide range of signs and symptoms. Your symptoms may be mild or severe, depending on how low your estrogen levels have become.
Irregular Menstruation
When your estrogen levels decrease, your ovulation can decrease as well, or become erratic. This will affect your menstrual cycles, causing your periods to become heavier or lighter, longer or shorter, or stop altogether, the Mayo Clinic notes. You could also skip menstrual cycles, the University of Michigan Health System (UMHS) adds.
Bone Loss
Another common sign of low estrogen levels is bone loss, or decreases in bone density. Decreasing estrogen levels can cause you to lose bone mass more quickly, increasing your chances of developing osteoporosis, explains the Mayo Clinic. You may experience bone loss during menopause, potentially causing osteoporosis afterward, UMHS adds.
Hot Flashes
If you have low estrogen levels, you'll likely experience hot flashes. Hot flashes are sudden, intense episodes of feelings of extreme body heat and sweating, sometimes accompanied by flushing, heart palpitations, and anxiety or panic, UMHS explains. When estrogen levels are diminishing during menopause, approximately 65% to 75% of women have hot flashes of varying intensity levels and frequency, the Mayo Clinic notes. Low estrogen can also cause bouts of sudden, profuse sweating at night, commonly called "night sweats." Additionally, you may have heart palpitations, making your feel as if your heart is beating too rapidly or erratically.
Insomnia
Low estrogen levels can often cause sleep disturbances like insomnia, UMHS reports. The hormonal changes in your body can disrupt your normal sleep cycle, and you may also experience headaches, and problems with mental clarity, due to low estrogen levels.
Mood Swings and Depression
Mood disturbances and depression are common complaints of menopausal women, and other women experiencing low estrogen levels. The sleep disturbances and other low-estrogen symptoms are more likely to cause emotional problems, rather than the low estrogen levels themselves, the Mayo Clinic points out. Still, women with low estrogen often feel depressed, anxious, and irritable, notes UMHS.
Decreased Fertility
Because decreased estrogen levels cause you to ovulate less frequently or erratically, you'll likely experience diminished fertility and difficulty becoming pregnant, the Mayo Clinic advises. If you're going through menopause, your decrease in fertility is normal and natural.
Vaginal Dryness and Sexual Dysfunction
Reduced estrogen levels in your body can cause certain vaginal and sexual changes. Typically, you may experience vaginal dryness, UMHS reports. You could also experience a loss of elasticity in your vaginal tissues, causing pain during sexual intercourse, the Mayo Clinic adds. Low estrogen levels can also decrease your sexual desire and arousal.
Elevated Cholesterol Levels
As your estrogen levels become low, your cholesterol levels may rise. Low estrogen can cause your LDL, or "bad cholesterol," levels to increase and HDL, or "good cholesterol," levels to decrease, which puts you at higher risk for developing heart disease, the Mayo Clinic says.
