Estrogen Therapy (ET)

Side effects that can occur with all forms of estrogen but are more common with oral estrogen (and less common with a patch, cream, gel, or vaginal ring) include:

• Headaches.
• Nausea.
• Vaginal discharge.
• Fluid retention.
• Weight gain.
• Breast tenderness.
• Spotting or darkening of the skin, particularly on the face.
• In rare cases, an increased growth of preexisting Reference uterine fibroids Opens New Window or a worsening of Reference endometriosis Opens New Window.

Some of these side effects, such as headaches, nausea, fluid retention, weight gain, and breast tenderness, may go away after a few weeks of use.

The estrogen patch (transdermal estrogen) may cause skin irritation.

An estrogen ring must be replaced every 3 months. If the ring falls out at any time during the 3-month treatment period, you may rinse it with lukewarm water and reinsert it.

See Drug Reference for a full list of side effects. (Drug Reference is not available in all systems.)

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