Is it possible to be given too much oestrogen?

Is it possible to be given too much oestrogen?

This cannot occur if tablets, gels or patches are used according to the recommended doses. Occasionally, there can be problems with implants. Implants may continue to release oestradiol for eighteen months or more. There is a wide variation in serum (blood) oestradiol levels following an implant. In one study, the range was between 114 and 853 pmol/l one year after a 100mg oestradiol implant.

Some patients seem to require implants relatively frequently to control their menopausal symptoms and this could result in blood levels above those experienced naturally during years when the ovaries are functioning. If it is suspected that your blood oestradiol level could be running high although you feel that you need another implant a blood sample can be analysed. At one time, if the blood oestradiol level proved to be high, the term tachyphylaxis was used although tachyphylaxis strictly means that symptoms seem inappropriate for normal blood levels. We now assume that the symptoms must be related to the rate of fall of oestradiol levels rather than oestrogen deficiency. In these circumstances, a 25 mg oestradiol implant can be introduced or a low dose oral preparation or transdermal patch used to relieve symptoms whilst the original implants gradually lose their activity.

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