Benefits of natural progesterone

Dr. John Lee's (http://www.johnleemd.net/articles/faq_01.html) best selling book lists the following benefits of natural progesterone:

• Restores sex drive;
• Protects against fibrocystic breasts;
• Natural antidepressant;
• Facilitates thyroid hormone action;
• Normalises blood sugar levels;
• Normalises zinc and copper levels;
• Helps prevent breast cancer;
• Helps use fat for energy;
• Improved sleep patterns;
• Normalises blood clotting;
• Restores proper oxygen cell levels;
• Natural diuretic;
• Elimination of depression after child birth.

Menopause is normally defined as the end of menstrual cycles. The unpleasant symptoms of menopause that some women suffer such as hot flashes, vaginal dryness, and mood swings are peculiar to western industrialised societies. Menopause is often associated with the end of a woman’s sexuality and the beginning of old age, and arthritis.

Q&A

What does progesterone have to do with menopause?

Due to ovulary cycles, progesterone levels typically decline before menopause starts and this is followed by a decline in oestrogen. Progesterone production tends to fall to almost zero while oestrogen declines to about 40% to 50%. This situation leads to an imbalance between oestrogen and progesterone causing an increase in oestrogen activity, which is now described as oestrogen dominance.

What is oestrogen dominance?

It is clear that oestrogen when unopposed or unbalanced by progesterone is not something to be desired. Stated differently, many of oestrogen’s undesirable side effects are effectively prevented by progesterone. Dr. Lee has named this syndrome oestrogen dominance. This syndrome occurs mostly in industrialised countries and commonly occurs in the following situations:

• When women are on oestrogen replacement therapy;
• Premenopause when early follicle depletion results in the lack of ovulation and thus a lack of progesterone well before the onset of menopause;
• 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 oestrogen effect on the body;
• Birth control pills with an excessive oestrogen component;
• Women who have had a hysterectomy leading to dysfunction of the ovaries;
• Post menopause, especially in overweight women.

Symptoms

The following is a list of symptoms that can be caused or made worse by oestrogen dominance:

Allergies, Fatigue, Fat gain, Memory loss, Uterine cancer, Hypoglycemia, Uterine fibroids, Breast tenderness, Decreased sex drive, PMS, Gallbladder disease, Miscarriage, Acceleration of ageing, Depression, Fibrocystic breasts, Headaches, Irritability, Infertility, Foggy thinking, Increasing risk of strokes.

"In most cases the symptoms are eliminated. I have not encountered any substance which is more effective than progesterone in relieving PMS."
- Dr. Louis Marx, Psychiatrist (From Dr John Lee's Medical Letter)

Many women find that by supplementing their hormone production with natural progesterone they will reduce many or most of their menopausal symptoms. The presence of progesterone in the body sensitises oestrogen receptor sites thus enabling oestrogen to work more efficiently. Progesterone is a precursor to other hormones in the body including oestrogen, testosterone, and especially the corticosteriods.

A woman’s ovaries make two hormones, oestrogen and progesterone. When these hormones are out of balance, hormone related illnesses can emerge.

Progesterone is one of two main hormones, the other being oestrogen, made by the ovaries of menstruating women. Progesterone is also made in smaller amounts by the adrenal glands in both sexes and by the testes in males. When a woman’s monthly cycle is functioning correctly, oestrogen is the dominant hormone during the first two weeks of the menstrual cycle. In response to ovulation, progesterone assumes dominance for the final two weeks of the month. When the pituitary gland in the brain sends a message to the ovaries to stop production of progesterone, the menstrual cycle begins within 48 hours of this message.

Visit John Lee, M.D. where he answers your questions on natural progesterone and its many benefits. We highly recommend Dr. Lee's informative newsletter.

Another excellent resource is the website of the National Progesterone Advisory Service in Australia. Please return here to purchase you natural progesterone creams.

Progesterone is essential for survival and its deficiency can cause a wide range of problems. Natural Progesterone cream applied topically is stored in the fatty tissues ready for use as needed by the body to reverse the toxic effects of oestrogen dominance.In a 2003 Time magazine article, on women and heart disease, “The No. 1 Killer of Women”, Gorman reveals that before menopause, female hormones protect against heart disease. Hormones tend to improve the ratio of good cholesterol (HDL) and bad cholesterol (LDL) in the blood. LDL cholesterol can adhere to arteries, increasing the risk of clots that cause heart attacks. Higher HDL blood levels forces LDL to the liver where it is excreted. The hormones also thin the blood, so further reducing the risk of blood clots forming.