Did your grandma ever nestle you in her lap and lovingly tickle your belly because you enjoyed teasing her white mustache and peach fuzz goatee with a plastic comb?

Well, if she did, your grandma wasn't an anomaly that belonged in a circus with fire breathers and acrobatic jugglers, rather, she is quite ordinary, since women transitioning through menopause are prone to increased hair growth due to hormonal shifts caused by a lower production of estrogen.

Estrogen is primarily produced by the ovaries and its levels are regulated by interactions between the brain and the ovaries. Once estrogen swims through the bloodstream and is transported into the nucleus of a cell, the estrogen works by binding to certain genes on the DNA and changing its expression, which ultimately changes the behavior of the cell.

After puberty, estrogen aids in the growth and development of the female reproductive tract and plays a role in female fat deposition pattern, which helps increase fat deposition in hips and breasts.

Women, you may be wondering, since estrogen contingently makes us more irritable during certain times of the month and increases our fat deposition relative to men, what good is estrogen?

Well, estrogen plays essential multifaceted roles in reducing low density lipoprotein "bad cholesterol" associated with heart attacks and stroke while increasing high density lipoprotein "good cholesterol" correlated with reduced blood vessel problems. Also, estrogen helps preserve the strength of bones by slowing down the cells that breakdown cells during bone renovation, maintaining bone density.

Unfortunately, once a female's estrogen production significantly slows down in her 50s, her levels of "good cholesterol" can actually go down and, as she continues to grow older and her estrogen levels continue to drop, she's more at risk to develop a condition called osteoporosis, which causes her bones to become brittle and weak.

Why don't women just receive estrogen replacement therapy?

Well, some woman do, but there isn't conclusive evidence that taking estrogen will combat the negative effects of aging and lower estrogen levels, rather, it may exacerbate other problems like cancer and heart disease. In 2002 the Women's Health Institute (WHI) actually stopped a clinical study on estrogen replacement in women because the participants were collectively getting cancer, heart disease, stroke and dementia in much higher rates than expected.

Until the results of estrogen replacement therapy prove to be beneficial and the side effects thoroughly assessed, I advise women not to begin a estrogen replacement "therapy" regimen.

“Life is like a mustache. It can be wonderful or terrible. But it always tickles.” -Nora Roberts