Level of Estrogen in Females—The Different Impacts at Different Life Stages

Abstract

Historically, a high level of estrogen in women is regarded as the signature for a longer lifespan than men. Estrogen is known to be responsible for the development and regulation of the female reproductive system and secondary sex characteristics. Ovariectomy brings on numerous complications such as early menopause, heart disease, and osteoporosis. Thus, ovariectomy impacts the long-term health and lifespan of women. However, the level of estrogen at different life stages should be managed differently. Life quality can be measured in many ways, but mainly it relates to how an individual is doing in terms of being healthy, comfortable, and able to participate in or enjoy life experiences. First of all, ovariectomy not only reduces the level of estrogen but also destroys the reproductive metabolism and potentially other metabolism functions; it may also reduce the lifespan because of the overall impact, not necessary due to the low level of estrogen. Secondly, according to the principal law of the lifespan (PLOSP), the impacts of ovariectomy at different life stages will be different. The objective of this article is to provide readers with a new view of the research on estrogen. Based on the PLOSP, we recapture the estrogen levels at different life stages and explore potential alternative approaches to the manipulation of the levels of estrogen based on the biological features of the difference life stages. Thus, a low level of estrogen in the early life stage may make a woman live longer than a woman with a normal level of estrogen. However, a low estrogen level does not equal ovariectomy. Here, we explain the different impacts of the estrogen levels during different life stages; the effects on the lifespan of the manipulation of estrogen levels at different life stages; and the differences among the estrogen levels, ovariectomy effects, life stages, and lifespan. The personalized manipulation of estrogen levels and relevant growth factors according to the characterization of the life stages may be able to extend the heathy lifespan of women.