By Nancy A. Melville, HealthSCOUT Reporter

SATURDAY, Sept. 16 (HealthSCOUT) -- Estrogen is taken for granted until women reach menopause, when levels of the hormone begin to wane.

But thousands of younger women who have their ovaries removed experience what experts call an "estrogen crash," which can bring on early and sudden menopause.

The symptoms match those of normal menopause but can be quite intense, since estrogen levels usually drop slowly over a period of two to 10 years, doctors say.

"Because of a change in blood supply that is controlled by estrogen, it's not unusual for women to have not just hot flashes, but they can also have chest pressure, shortness of breath and feel depressed, so you can see why it could indeed be called a crash," says Dr. Philip M. Sarrel, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Yale University School of Medicine.

Age can play a big role in the severity of symptoms, but not always, says Dr. Elizabeth Stier, an assistant attending physician at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City.

"Different people can experience the withdrawal in different ways. Someone who's 48 may experience a different withdrawal than someone who is 35, but you can have two 48-year-olds who have different reactions," she says.

"The most prominent symptoms are the hot flashes. Not everyone gets them, but the patients who do can be very miserable. They can also experience bad sleep disturbances," says Stier.

While estrogen replacement therapy is a logical solution, sometimes the reason a patient is having her ovaries removed is to reduce estrogen levels.

"Whether or not a patient is offered estrogen after having her ovaries removed depends on what she is getting treated for," says Stier. For instance, a breast cancer patient who has her ovaries removed because she has tested positive for one of the genes known to indicate a high risk for breast or ovarian cancer, probably wouldn't be offered estrogen.

Other treatments traditionally offered for menopause include anti-depressants, Vitamin E and even blood pressure medications.

In cases where estrogen isn't a problem, Sarrel says the best bet is an estrogen skin patch before removing the ovaries.

"We've for many years strongly advocated that when a women is going to the operating room, an estrogen patch is put on before the surgery so that she doesn't even have to experience this 'crash.'"

The National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention says more than 20 percent of the 1.7 million women who had both ovaries removed as part of a hysterectomy between 1988 and 1993 were under 40.

Also, the center reports about one in 100 American women will have ovarian failure before 40.

What To Do: Visit the National Women's Health Information Center for information on how hormone replacement therapy affects the development of heart disease. And go here for alternative treatments for menopause.

(From Yahoo!)