Urinary incontinence may also become a problem. Some women's bodies may produce the tiny amount needed through the adrenal glands. Many women, however, lose all testosterone, and with it their sex drive. Since women today live an average of 35 years longer than they did 150 years ago, scientists have only recently come to understand the long-term outcomes of living without the protective effects of estrogen. Ongoing studies have confirmed these effects, and women should be aware of them in order to avoid serious health risks.
Cardiovascular disease is the leading killer of American women.
After menopause, a woman's risk for heart disease is about the same as a man's. Estrogen also protects a woman against osteoporosis, the bone disease that affects 50 percent of American women over 60. In osteoporosis, bones become brittle and are easily fractured. It is the cause of the distinctive hump noticed in some elderly women and of dangerous hip fractures-the twelfth leading cause of death in the United States. A 1996 study, reported in the medical journal The Lancet suggests estrogen protects against Alzheimer's disease, as well.