Having youthful skin is one way of looking good, and it does help raise self-confidence. For many, however, that alone isn’t enough—there’s still a need for a fuller, firmer bust.

Breast dissatisfaction is more common than you think. In fact, in one survey that involved more than 26,000 respondents, it was found that 70 percent of women didn’t like their breasts’ size or shape.

Those on the younger end were mostly concerned about size, while the older ones in the group were more worried about shape (or to be more specific, droopiness).

As you probably know, going under the knife is one way of solving such problems although there are risks involved. Aside from the possibility of unsightly scarring, there’s a chance that it won’t look good at all.

Add to that the fact that implants only last for about a decade or two before needing to be replaced, and you’ll begin to understand why breast augmentation isn’t for everyone.

But, is it really necessary to go under the knife? Depending on your goals and expectations, estrogen might be enough—it is, after all, among the few hormones that facilitate breast development and maturation.

By stimulating the release of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), estrogen makes it possible for breast tissue to grow further. This process is actually what occurs during puberty and pregnancy.

Is estrogen only about improving your appearance? Not at all, especially since it has a beneficial effect on bone health—or to be more specific, it keeps your osteoblasts alive and working optimally.

Osteoblasts are basically cells that work together to produce hydroxyapatite, which is then layered in an organized yet densely packed manner. Those layers, collectively, form the bones.

The link between estrogen and osteoblasts can be better understood by looking into one particular problem that comes with menopause: osteoporosis.

When the body’s estrogen levels drop and synthesis eventually stops (which is what happens during menopause), bone density takes a hit and continues to undergo degradation. This bone loss is the very definition of osteoporosis.

With enough estrogen to keep the osteoblasts active, that decline shouldn’t occur—or at least shouldn’t be as bad. The outlook becomes even more encouraging once you consider the hormone’s effect on bone resorption.

Bone resorption is a process where bone is broken down, serving as a way to provide additional minerals into the bloodstream. But, as you can imagine, that isn’t necessarily a good thing.

In the presence of the female sex hormone, bone resorption doesn’t occur as freely. To put it simply, estrogen prevents bone mass from reacting to the hormones that trigger the unwanted process.

Aside from keeping bones strong, estrogen supports cardiovascular health. In fact, not only does it increase high-density lipoproteins (HDL), but it also reduces low-density lipoproteins (LDL).

But, why do these things matter? It’s mainly about how they interact with cholesterol, a fat-like compound that serves important physiological functions but could cause harm if it accumulates in the wrong places.

HDL is the body’s way of gathering “misplaced” cholesterol and bringing them back to the liver, where they will finally be eliminated. As for LDL, arteries get clogged with cholesterol whenever they’re in abundance.

Improving the HDL-LDL balance isn’t the only perk offered estrogen to the cardiovascular system. It also enhances blood flow by helping blood vessels dilate (or in other words, keeping them open and relaxed).

That’s quite a perk since it lessens the effort needed by your heart to maintain proper circulation, lowering your blood pressure in the process. Note that when overworked, your heart and your vessels all get damaged.

Stroke, heart attack, and even kidney failure become more likely with increased blood pressure. And as you may have heard, these diseases claim millions of lives each year.

In 2016, for example, stroke alone killed almost six million people worldwide; deaths from coronary artery disease, on the other hand, exceeded nine million.

Staying heart healthy is key to having a fulfilling life. But, as you grow older (especially as you enter your 40s or 50s), your appetite will become much harder to control.

Is it because you’re needing more and more nutrients to keep up with aging? Surprisingly enough, it isn’t—what it is, is an effect of declining estrogen levels.

It’s been discovered that the female sex hormone regulates how energy is utilized and stored, working in a way similar to leptin (aka the fullness hormone).

So, with that in mind, it can be said that one way of beating cravings is through the help of estrogen. And of course, not eating when there’s no actual need to, is a good way of avoiding unnecessary weight gain.

What makes the hormone more valuable in keeping a pleasant figure, is its capacity to steer fat accumulation away from the midsection. In short, fat deposits will be sent to where they’ll be more appreciated.

Yes, it’s estrogen that drives fat deposition towards the breasts and buttocks to prepare for the female body for pregnancy and breastfeeding. But, being “well-rounded” in those parts also adds a lot to attractiveness.

Having excess fat in the gut area isn’t just a problem of looks though, as it increases your risk of developing metabolic syndrome—a group of conditions that in turn raises your chances of getting heart disease and diabetes.

What’s just as important as achieving and maintaining a healthy weight? Having complete sexual wellbeing, of course—meaning you aren’t merely able to function sexually, but you’re also confident about showing intimacy.

Feeling positively about your body affects how well you do in bed, and in a way influences your likelihood of achieving satisfaction. Unfortunately, bodily issues could make you gradually lose your sexual self-esteem.

Vaginal atrophy, in particular, is the thinning of vaginal walls accompanied by symptoms like dryness and swelling. Surely, you can imagine how that health dilemma can potentially ruin a woman’s sex life.

As intimate moments become episodes of pain and discomfort, sex becomes something feared or even avoided. Relationship problems may then emerge, particularly among couples who fail to fully discuss the issue at hand.

How does estrogen work against this kind of problem? Atrophy occurs when there isn’t enough oxygen and nutrients within the vaginal tissue, leading to a gradual deterioration of the female sexual organ’s inner parts.

In the presence of estrogen, the vaginal tissue gets the nourishment it needs, mainly through the hormone’s action of improving circulation down to the smallest vessels.

In fact, estrogen has been observed to restore these vessels back into their healthy, non-altered form, potentially reversing the effects of vaginal atrophy at the deepest level.

Yes, the female hormone has mental health benefits as well, proving further its importance to quality of life and overall wellbeing. With estrogen, mood remains positive and mental clarity stays at its peak.

The mechanism through which it affects mood is simple: it keeps monoamine oxidase (MAO) levels within the minimum range. MAO is the very enzyme that attacks dopamine and serotonin.

Dopamine is the so-called happiness hormone. It’s what gets activated whenever you see someone you love, or when you suddenly feel physical attraction.

Serotonin, on the other hand, has control over things like concentration and thought. It’s also directly linked to your mood and emotions, which explains why not having enough of it often leads to anxiety and depression.

Brain fog and memory lapses are likewise among the detrimental effects of not having the right serotonin levels, making estrogen even more valuable to the mind.

But, there’s another way through which the hormone helps improve mental sharpness. It stimulates the formation of brain synapses—literally increasing the number of connections among brain cells.

The perks don’t stop there, as estrogen influences brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BNDF) development as well. BNDF supports neuron survival—a valuable benefit since mature neurons don’t divide or multiply.

There’s no denying that the female sex hormone does wonders to the body, externally and internally. However, does this mean you should just get more of it into your system?

Unfortunately, it isn’t that simple. Synthetic estrogen, despite their similarity to their endogenous counterparts (those produced by your own body), still have differences in chemical structure.

That in turn leads to differences in absorption, processing, and excretion. Also, depending on the synthetic being used, the mode of action may not be exactly the same as that of endogenous estrogen.

These dissimilarities ultimately translate to gaps in levels between the hormones produced by the body and those taken in from external sources. And that mismatch is where side effects are believed to take root.

Problems like bloating and acne are rather minor, but there’s a bigger (though rarer) issue that could develop. Cancer has been linked to the use of synthetic estrogens for birth control or for managing menopausal symptoms.

To add to that, there’s belief that exposure to synthetic estrogen during pregnancy could result to increased cancer risk among daughters, hinting upon the possibility of a side effect affecting multiple generations.