Did you know there’s another estrogen?
Let’s meet E4.
Estetrol (E4) is a natural estrogen discovered in 1965. It is known as E4 because it has four OH groups. Estetrol is produced exclusively by the fetal liver and is found in detectable levels only during pregnancy, with relatively high levels in the fetus and lower levels in the mom.
E4 can be synthesized from a plant source and used for contraception and hormone replacement therapy. E4 is much more potent yet safer than synthetic estrogen for your body and for the environment. Synthetic estrogen accumulates in the environment and disrupts the endocrine system to cause harmful epigenetic effects.
E4 is already approved for contraceptive use and is expected to be approved for use in menopause in about 2026.
Estetrol (E4) is quickly absorbed after oral administration, but it doesn’t bind to the plasma proteins like other estrogens, and it has a 24-hour half-life so you can take it only once a day.
E4 is transformed into pretty inactive chemicals by the liver and excreted in the urine. There are no carcinogenic metabolites and it does not significantly affect liver enzymes, lipid levels, or clotting factors even when taken orally.
E4 has a very limited effect on normal and malignant breast tissue. It does bind to the estrogen receptor, but it has low potency for malignancy.
Clinical trials show that E4 is very promising for the treatment of menopausal symptoms as well as breast and prostate cancer.
If you want to learn more about all your hormones, please join us in our Hormone Reboot Training.
Resources:
https://escholarship.org/content/qt77p995ms/qt77p995ms_noSplash_0401e2c814b7bdfd0c9fd5c7ed4fee4a.pdf
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1743609522014163
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