Ethinyl Estradiol and cardiovascular problems
Ethinyl Estradiol and cardiovascular problems
Ethinyl Estradiol is an effective birth control hormone that is most commonly used in combination with other female hormones to make a great pill, patch, or vaginal ring that can effectively prevent pregnancy. There are some side effects associated with Ethinyl Estradiol but it is said that it may even decrease the risk of cardiovascular problems.
Coronary heart disease
Coronary heart disease is the failure of coronary circulation to supply the right circulation to the cardiac muscles and the surrounding tissues.
Half of deaths related to coronary heart disease are in women, and claim the lives of over 250,000 women per year in the United States. Coronary heart disease kills more women that cancer and other causes combined. Most of these deaths occur in women over the age of 75, 95% of coronary heart disease related deaths occur in post menopausal women.
Recent studies have shown that decreased levels of estrogen are associated with enhanced arterial vasoconstriction and that estrogen therapy can reverse this. Hormone therapy has been used for years on women that have reached menopause naturally or surgically to relieve menopausal symptoms.
Hormone therapy with Ethinyl Estradiol
Hormone therapy with Ethinyl Estradiol can reduce cardiac death and myocardial infarction. There have been only a small amount of studies conducted to show if this is true. One test was done on a group of women over a 10 year period of time and showed that they couldn’t reduce the mortality rate but less cardiac deaths and cancers occurred and a lower occurrence of myocardial infarction.
A test was even done on men with established coronary heart disease by giving them a high dose of hormones, this increased their problems but doctors attribute this to increased thrombosis which was attributed to the high levels of estrogen.
Another study done showed that only about 30-50% of the observed people saw a reduction in coronary artery disease associated with hormone therapy in post menopausal women and showed that there were improvements in blood pressure, low density lipoprotein, high density lipoprotein cholesterol, and blood sugar.
Ethinyl Estradiol has not been prescribed to patients with coronary heart disease to treat it; instead it is only prescribed for patients wanting to prevent pregnancy. There are some side effects associated with Ethinyl Estradiol and it is important to discuss them with your doctor before you start taking the hormone. It is also important to tell your doctor about all of the medications you are taking including over the counter medications, vitamins, and herbal supplements.
Risks of hormone therapy with Ethinyl Estradiol
The studies done on hormone therapy with Ethinyl Estradiol showed that there were increases in triglyceride levels in the women it was performed on.
Ethinyl Estradiol is only being prescribed for women wanting to prevent pregnancy and for those needing to regulate their periods, not for coronary heart problems. Currently there are many studies being conducted to see the effects on coronary heart problems by using Ethinyl Estradiol and other female hormones.