Are Estrogens Used to Treat Osteoporosis?

QUESTION: I know there is a lot of disagreement about this question because
two doctors have given me different answers, but I would like to read your
opinion. Do you use estrogens to treat osteoporosis?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ANSWER: In a word, "yes," as do many other, but not all, physicians.
Although there is still much we don't know about osteoporosis, two important
facts have come to light in recent years: a lack of estrogen in women results
in bone loss, and adding estrogen improves the situation. Since the ovaries
are the prime source of estrogen, it's believed ovarian failure (menopause)
should always warrant treatment.
Support for these conclusions is based on a variety of research and
statistical information. One of the most important studies was conducted in
the late 1960's among women whose ovaries (for various reasons) had been
surgically removed. Through specialized x-rays, researchers were able to
prove that those women given replacement estrogen shortly after surgery
retained bone mass, those not treated with estrogen lost skeletal density.
Added to this are statistics which rate menopausal women 12 times more likely
to have a vertebrae collapse and 2 times more likely to suffer a broken hip
than their male counterparts. If estrogen therapy is begun early and
continued for at least five years, say the experts, these kinds of fractures
can be significantly reduced.