Estrogen Replacement Therapy (ERT) Drugs, Side Effects …

Examples

Oral (pills or tablets)

Enjuvia contains plant-based, rather than animal-based, estrogen. Risks and benefits are thought to be the same for both types of estrogen.

Transdermal (patch placed on the skin that releases estrogen continuously)

Vaginal ring (inserted high into the vagina; releases estrogen continuously for 3 months)

Skin cream (applied daily to the legs, thighs, or calves)

Skin gel (applied daily to an arm from wrist to shoulder)

Estrogen therapy (ET) increases the estrogen level in your body. Estrogen impacts multiple systems of the body.

When given through an estrogen patch, vaginal ring, or skin cream or gel (transdermal estrogen), estrogen enters the bloodstream directly, without passing through the liver. The estrogen in pills must be processed by the liver before entering the bloodstream, which puts stress on an impaired liver.

Low-dose vaginal estrogen affects only the urinary and genital area. For more information, see Low-Dose Vaginal Estrogen for Dryness and Atrophy.

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Estrogen Replacement Therapy (ERT) Drugs, Side Effects ...