What is the difference between estradiol and estrogen?

Estrogen is the general name for a group of hormones. Estradiol is one specific type of estrogen, and it’s the body’s primary, most potent estrogen during the reproductive years. The body also makes other estrogens, including estriol and estrone.

So the simplest way to think about it is this: estrogen is the category, estradiol is one member of that category.

Here at Alloy, estradiol is the form we use in several menopause treatments because it can help replace the estrogen that drops in perimenopause and menopause. For whole-body symptoms, there’s the Estradiol Pill. For local vaginal and urinary symptoms, there’s Estradiol Vaginal Cream.

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If you want a deeper plain-English breakdown of the different estrogen types, this article is helpful: Everything You Need to Know About Estriol Cream.

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