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Progesterone, estrogen, and testosterone are three hormones whose names are known by most adults.
But what are they? What do they do? What can they do for me?
Submitted by Dr Max Sawaf,
American Boards of Anti-Aging medicine,
Director of the CosmeSurge Vitality and aesthetic Centers.
In 2002 the findings of the Women’s Health Initiative were made public. A study conducted on 60.000 American nurses taking a popular hormone replacement pill revealed
that they had an increase in breast and uterine cancer and stroke. The findings scared off so many women they stopped taking their Hormone Replacement Therapy or HRT
and opted to tolerate the hot flashes and night sweats.
The problem is that without estrogen, women experience a significant increase in memory problems, Alzheimer Disease, osteoporosis and heart attacks.
Classic menopausal symptoms, e.g., hot flashes, increased vaginal dryness; urinary incontinence and bladder infections, and reduced libido appear to name but a few.
Without the needed Progesterone, too many women suffer from anxiety, insomnia, depression and weight gain. They are quickly handed antidepressants when in fact they
need natural bio-identical hormone progesterone replacement.
Read on to find out how supplementing with these amazing hormones can positively affect your life. There is a huge difference between a hormone derived from the urine
of a pregnant horse and that which is identical to the one your ovaries used to make.
The HRT in the above mentioned study was called Prempro. It is short for a combination of drugs (Premarin and Provera). Premarin represents 17 different conjugated
estrogens that are derived as I said from the urine of a pregnant horse. It has very little resemblance and no receptors to the natural or bio-identical hormone that
the body needs also called bio-identical estrogen. While it is effective in controlling hot flashes it actually increase breast and uterine cancer and does
elevate cholesterol and platelet stickiness thereby increasing strokes and heart attacks.
Progesterone, a naturally-occurring hormone in both men and women, participates in practically every physiological process in the human body. Its tremendous increase
during pregnancy acts to stabilize both mother and child. At levels reached just before delivery, progesterone produces anesthesia and contributes to tissue elasticity.
Progesterone's stabilizing influence is evident in muscle tissue, such as the uterus, blood vessel walls, the heart, intestines, and bladder.
Progesterone can positively impact susceptibility to many conditions including herpes infections, dizziness, varicose veins, mastitis, fibroma and endometriosis.
Progesterone also helps control the entire range of PMS (Pre-Menstrual Syndrome) symptoms including migraine, acne, hot flashes, edema,
and lethargy. Links between progesterone insufficiency
and certain cancers have also been made. For instance, prolonged progesterone deficiency causes subtle changes in a normal uterus so that endometrial hyperplasia
(an abnormal thickening of the uterine lining) may develop. This, in turn, may eventually lead to uterine cancer if left untreated.
Finally, many studies have concluded that progesterone has a positive impact on osteoporosis in postmenopausal women.
Numerous studies have shown that women taking estrogen are 4 to 13 times more likely to develop uterine cancer than those not taking this hormone.
It should be noted that the vast majority of women studied were either using estrogen without balancing it with progesterone, or they were using the wrong kind of estrogen.
It's important to note that some forms of estrogen are much safer than others.
Testosterone is believed by most to be a "male hormone" that changes a boy into a man. While this is true, it's important to understand that women need testosterone also
for bone health and contributes to energy levels, an overall sense of well-being, and libido.
Natural vs. Synthetic Hormones: There Is A Difference!
Synthetic forms of progesterone and estrogen were developed because "natural" forms cannot be patented. So what's the difference? A look at progesterone and its
synthetic analogs - called progestins - should illuminate the answer.
Progestins - such as Provera and the progesterone found in most birth control pills- are chemically similar to progesterone, but different enough to have some
dramatic side effects. Just look in a copy of the Physician's Desk Reference (the PDR) and seek out medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA). The long list of possible
adverse reactions is staggering.
Natural, micronized progesterone has fewer adverse reactions than MPA. The only major problem attributed to the natural form - anesthesia or sedation- is dose related
(e.g., when a certain level is reached - usually a high dose - anesthesia begins). This is easily corrected by adjusting the dose downward until anesthesia ceases and
positive results remain.
Estrogen is not much better. In the U.S.A., conjugated estrogen is the most commonly used oral estrogen. It's obtained from the urine of pregnant mares and undergoes
a conversion in the intestinal tract to estrone (the type of estrogen most implicated with increased risk for breast cancer in studies.)
The synthetic analogs of conjugated estrogen are also converted to estrone.
But what about estriol, which is not converted into estrone and is produced in very large quantities during pregnancy?
Estriol has been shown to actually inhibit breast cancer in mice! It has all the benefits of the stronger estrogens, but with fewer risks. It's only negative is that
it's much weaker than other estrogens, hence more is needed to achieve the same results.
For example, if you take a dosage of 0.6 to 1.25mg of conjugated estrogen, you would need 2 to 5mg of estriol for the same effect. But remember, with the increased
amount of estriol you use, the less likely you are to get breast cancer (which is exactly the opposite of the dose relationships for synthetic and conjugated estrogens.)
Many physicians use an estrogen combination called "Tri-Est" which combines the advantages of estriol with the potency of estrone and estradiol in a ratio of 80%-10%-10%.
How Is "Natural" Progesterone, Estrogen, and Testosterone Available?
Progesterone Deficiencies Are Easily Treatable
A progesterone deficiency may manifest itself in younger women as "problem periods." During these times, women may have trouble conceiving or have excessive
menstruations. Performing repeated surgeries (Dilitation and Curetage or D &C') will only stop the bleeding temporarily, whereas progesterone therapy can have
long-lasting results. In some cases, after a few months of treatment, the body will bring its own progesterone production into the proper balance."
Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) and menopause are classic examples of conditions treatable with progesterone. Usually, when a woman reaches her 40's, progesterone levels
drop below normal. Also, quite commonly, there's a low progesterone/estrogen ratio.
Both conditions have symptoms including anxiety, cramps, irritability, depression, headache, dizziness, and bloating.
Progesterone relieves these symptoms, enhances energy and sexual libido, and heightens feelings of well being.
Osteoporosis is a problem associated with menopause. Simply defined, osteoporosis is a loss of bone mass. In the U.S.A. alone it is the most common metabolic bone
disorder, being responsible for more than 1.3 million fractures per year.
In treating osteoporosis, it's important to note that estrogen supplements delay bone mass loss, but do not reverse it.
Progesterone, on the other hand, effectively treats this loss of bone mass. This is because it actually enhances bone strength due to its anabolic nature and causes
bone calcification.
Hence, a reversal in diminished bone density is possible in many cases.
Estrogen Deficiencies Are Also Easily Treatable
One complication of a woman's diminished estrogen levels is the increased risk of decreased HDL (the "good" cholesterol) and heart disease. The frequency of heart disease
in women, which is low before age 50, rises dramatically after menopause and approaches that of men.
The greatest increase in HDL cholesterol was found in women taking estrogen alone which equals a 25% reduction in the risk of heart disease. Estrogen combined
with progesterone reduces heart disease risk also, but not as dramatically as estrogen alone. The study revealed a third of the women taking only estrogen
developed endometrial changes (which is a precursor to uterine cancer).
As an easy-to-apply Transdermal Cream, this combination is used daily to reduce the risk of heart disease without increasing the risk of breast cancer.
Testosterone Deficiencies in Men and Women
There is a male menopause - sometimes called Andropause - that's similar to the female menopause.
Andropause is more subtle than menopause because it happens more gradually and without the symptoms expected from menopause (hot flashes, night sweats, etc.) But the
end result is about the same: loss of muscle mass, lack of energy, and decreased libido to name but a few symptoms. Depression is also a common result of lower
Testosterone. Depressed men do not go to a shrink crying over his shoulder. They just get upset grumpy and are constantly upset.
Andropause, however, responds very well to testosterone supplementation. But did you know that testosterone is a "love hormone" for women, too? It's true!
To treat Andropause and/or to increase libido (male or female), many physicians are now using testosterone-based Transdermal Creams. These may be prepared in any strength
your doctor prescribes and are generally used from once-weekly to once-daily. We can also use a convenient intramuscular shot given every 2-3 weeks.
What about Testosterone and the risk of prostate cancer?
It was always “felt or assumed” by urologists that Testosterone therapy may increase the risks of prostate cancer. Dr Morganteler published several studies in 2006
proving that Testosterone therapy does not increase prostate cancer. Just make sure that your doctor is keeping up with the latest research. The body of medical
knowledge in the fascinating field of anti-aging medicine is doubling every three and a half years. It is a challenge to stay up to date fro a busy physician.
To Summarize . . .
Natural Hormone Replacement Therapies offer a method of correction that allows women of child-bearing age normal menstrual periods and increased opportunities
for conception.
In premenopausal woman, the scourge of PMS can be reduced, if not outright eliminated. And for postmenopausal women and andropausal men, the probabilities do exist
for decreased risk of heart disease, certain cancers, and osteoporosis in conjunction with increased energy and libido.
In short, Natural Hormone Replacement Therapy can - and does - improve quality of life in millions of men and women worldwide.
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