Estradiol serves a number of important purposes. For women who have gone through menopause, it can lower the risk of osteoporosis and other symptoms of menopause. It can also add estrogen to women whose ovaries have been taken out or don’t function properly.

Make sure to follow all directions that your doctor and the prescription label provide.

For the best results possible, do not place an estradiol patch on your mouth, nose, or eyes. Those areas may burn when they come into contact with the medication. Instead, before using the patch at all, wash your hands. Then, place the patch on clean, dry, healthy, hair-free skin that’s away from your face, breast, or vagina. Once done, fold the sticky sides of the old patch to each other and wash your hands again afterward.

With each new patch, place it on a different area of your skin. 

If you believe you’ve missed a dose of estradiol, you needn’t worry too much. Just take a dose as soon as you’ve realized that you’ve forgotten. 

Other forms that estradiol might take include transdermal jelly and spray. Follow your doctor and prescription label’s directions for any form of estradiol.

Estrogen medications like Estradiol raise the risk that you might get uterine cancer. So if you notice that you have vaginal bleeding while on estradiol, let your doctor know right away.

Your doctor may prescribe you with progestin to lower your chances of getting uterine cancer.

If you want to take estradiol to prevent heart disease or dementia, discuss your interests with your doctor. Using estradiol for this purpose is typically not advised as it can actually raise your chances of having a heart attack, stroke, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, a blood clot, or dementia.

Some people who take estradiol experience side effects. These can include headaches, hair loss, upset stomach, vomiting, cramps, bloating, enlarged breasts, breast pain, vaginal bleeding or spotting, painful menstruations, and irritation on the skin where the estradiol patch was used.