Dr. Steven R. Goldstein MD HRT Specialist – What are SERMs?
Dr. Steven R. Goldstein MD is the President of the International Menopause Society, a Certified Menopause Practitioner, and HRT Specialist in NYC. He has authored books on hormone replacement therapy for women and has used hormone therapy to successfully treat symptoms of menopause and perimenopause in women. A category of drugs known as SERMs (Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators) can be used to help women cope with the many symptoms of menopause. What are SERM’s?
SERMs are first of all Selective, meaning they only act on certain areas or body parts. For instance, some of the SERMs will bind to the estrogen receptors in the bone and lipids, activating them. Another SERM will bind to, but not activate estrogen receptors in the breast and uterus. Essentially you get an estrogen effect where you need it, and block out such an effect where you don’t want it. The E stands for Estrogen, meaning they are the naturally occurring female hormone that is produced by the follicles that develop in a woman’s ovaries. Estrogen does many healthful things for a woman’s body that have nothing to do with reproduction. The level of estrogen in the body plummets after menopause. The R stands for Receptor meaning a specific site in the cells of the body that can be turned on or off by a drug or natural substance be it a SERM or Estrogen. It is estimated
that there are three hundred estrogen receptors in the female body. When receptors are turned on, particular actions or effects occur. The M stands for Modulator, something that acts to regulate and/or activate. SERMs solve the estrogen dilemma by acting like estrogen where you need it (in bone, lipid and probably heart) but by acting like an antiestrogen where you don’t want it (the breast and the uterus). Dr Steven R. Goldstein MD is a top New York City Gynecologist who has helped thousands of women successfully navigate the menopause stage of life, finding relief from symptoms like night sweats, mood swings, hot flashes to the silent symptoms like bone loss and osteoporosis. If you are a woman going through the menopause and seek to learn more about it and get relief from the symptoms of menopause, then call Dr Goldstein’s office at 212717-5554 or visit his website.