by Debra Richardson
Menopause & Estrogen Dominance
Dr John Lee, author of "What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Menopause", "What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Pre-Menopause", and the latest book " What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Breast Cancer" has educated women for a number of years on the subject of Hormone Balance and its relationship to many of the problems that women suffer. He has consistently warned of the dangers of Synthetic Hormone Replacement Therapy, and has made women aware of natural remedies that can alleviate or do away with these problems completely.
Dr. Lee has opened the way for a different and wonderful experience which he has been able to demonstrate through the use of natural progesterone cream to balance the hormones and put an end to women's suffering.
Do menopausal women produce estrogen and progesterone? In Western industrialized countries, estrogen production decreases by about 40% after menopause whereas progesterone decreases to about 1/120 of baseline levels. These results have been reported by Dr. Jerilynn Prior, researcher and professor of endocrinology at the University of Columbia in Vancouver, B.C., Canada.
When will menopause be over? The transition through menopause may last anywhere from six months to ten years and is different for each individual, although the average length of time is two years. Anything a woman can do to optimize her health through this transition period can only be beneficial. Women who use natural hormones and have a healthy lifestyle supplemented with a combination of herbs and nutrients will normally manage the symptoms of menopause very effectively. Some women may find they need some medical intervention to achieve the desired result.
What does progesterone have to do with menopause? Due to ovulatary cycles, progesterone levels typically decline before menopause starts and this is followed by a decline in estrogen. Progesterone production tends to fall to almost zero while estrogen declines to about 40% to 50%. This situation leads to an imbalance between estrogen and progesterone causing an increase in estrogen activity which is now described as estrogen dominance.
Many women find that by supplementing their hormone production with natural progesterone they will reduce many, if not all, of their menopausal symptoms. The presence of progesterone in the body sensitizes estrogen receptors sites thus enabling estrogen to work more efficiently. Progesterone is a precursor to other hormones in the body including estrogen, testosterone, and especially the corticosteriods. Supplemental progesterone in the form of Natural Radiance Progesterone Creme is our answer!
It is clear that estrogen when unopposed or unbalanced by progesterone is not something to be desired. Stated differently, many of estrogen's undesirable side effects are effectively prevented by progesterone. Dr. Lee has named this syndrome estrogen dominance. This syndrome occurs mostly in industrialized countries and commonly occurs in the following situations.
1. When women are on estrogen replacement therapy.2. Premenopause when early follicle depletion results in the lack of ovulation and thus a lack of progesterone well before the onset of menopause.3. Exposure to xenoestrogens which is the cause of early follicle depletion. Xenoestrogens are foreign substances found outside the body in the air and food that have an estrogen effect on the body.4. When women take birth control pills with an excessive estrogen component.5. Women who have had a hysterectomy leading to dysfunction of the ovaries.6. Post menopause, especially in overweight women.
The following is a list of symptoms that can be caused or made worse by estrogen dominance.
Acceleration of the aging process
Allergies
Breast tenderness
Decreased sex drive
Depression
Fatigue
Fibrocystic breasts
Foggy thinking
Headaches
Hypoglycemia
Increased blood clotting (increasing risk of strokes)
Infertility
Irritability
Memory loss
Miscarriage
Osteoporosis
Premenopausal bone loss
PMS
Thyroid dysfunction mimicking hypothyroidism
Uterine cancer
Uterine fibroids
Water retention, bloating
Fat gain, especially around the abdomen, hips and thighs
Gallbladder disease
Autoimmune disorders--such as lupus erythematosus, thyroiditis, and possibly Sjogren's disease
One of the most significant findings of Dr. Lee's research demonstrated that natural progesterone prevents osteoporosis, but more importantly will reverse osteoporosis so that bones regain their normal bone mineral density . Dr. Lee and other researchers demonstrated that 20 mg. of progesterone a day typically leads to a 15% increase of bone mineral density in the first year and a 30% increase over 3 years. If the objective of taking progesterone is to reverse osteoporosis, Dr. Lee recommends an overall regime that includes Vitamin C, Vitamin D, magnesium and calcium. For these additional supplements to be effective, the body's hormones must be balanced by applying a good progesterone cream.
