 Women's
Health - Healthy Uterus, Ovaries & Progesterone
By Janet Rowe of Health & Natural Lifestyles
In my practice, I have seen many women with menstrual, vaginal, uterine and
ovarian problems. Many are on pharmaceutical HRT or birth control pills, or
have had a partial or full hysterectomy, without any hormone replacement
afterwards. And why? Was it for controlling the irregularity of their
menstrual cycle, PMS, painful periods or heavy flow? Or maybe endometriosis,
acne, depression or mood swings? Quite often women take these prescriptions
without asking about side effects or knowing where their hormone levels are.
Or whether there are other causes for their problems, or healthier
alternative treatments. Consequently, we have a mass of women on the wrong
hormones, baron, suffering other symptoms, suffering ovarian/ uterine/breast
cancers, and down right confused as to what is happening! All of which are
just tired of dealing with their symptoms, and eager to get on with life.
Who can blame them...“Just put me out of my misery!”
I had problems with a progesterone deficiency years ago leading to a
miscarriage, weight gain and lack of sexual desire due to dryness and pain.
I went on Chinese herbs for three months and was able to carry a full-term
baby, but with a caesarean birth. Shortly thereafter, I was progesterone
deficient again and the symptoms returned. Thankfully, I attended a workshop
with Dr. Sherrill Stillman, who prescribed a natural progesterone cream
derived from Wild Yam with USP for purity and concentration. Upon taking, I
experienced emotional highs and lows for the first three weeks. Then things
settled down and I felt great. My periods became regular instead of
“whenever”. I had no PMS and no more clotting. I did further research to see
if I needed to stay on this forever and discovered that I could increase the
health of my uterus and ovaries and actually get them producing their own
balanced estrogens, progesterone and testosterone requirements. I started
taking homeopathics to clean any cysts, fibroids and endometrium, followed
by Dioscorea wild yam pills internally as a precursor of producing my own
progesterone along with essential fats. We all need the EFA’s and must take
them daily anyway. After all the hype about Chinese and Japanese women not
getting cancer because of soy consumption, the latest results show it wasn’t
the soy which can cause estrogen production, but the fish oils they consumed
that kept their uterus, ovaries and breasts healthy. To maintain balance, I
take Evening Primrose Oil or Borage oil, which are conducive to progesterone
and offset my abundant estrogen production. I follow a lunar chart to make
it the most effective.
Lots of women are progesterone deficient, whether still menstruating or not.
Some think they are menopausal but are not. Some have been told their
fibrocystic breasts are normal, or periods every 21 days or 40 days are
normal for their body. Furthermore, some have been put on estrogen or
estradial where they already have an estrogen dominant body which can cause
cancer. Others take estrogen to control acne or to let them have their
period once every 3 to 6 months (which is dangerously unhealthy). Many of
these women are just deficient in nutrients, such as EFA’s, minerals, iron,
B12, Folic Acid, etc.
Symptoms of progesterone deficiency can be associated with PMS, menopause -
including edema - irritability, weight gain, fibroids, breast tenderness,
hot flashes, anxiety, vaginal dryness and depression. Benefits of
progesterone include improved sex drive, dissolving fibrocystic lumps in the
breasts and elsewhere, prevent or reverse osteoporosis, and can even affect
painful or swollen joints for those who suffer from Rheumatoid arthritis. It
also benefits the brain and helps maintain body balance, which is important
to good health for women young and old.
Progesterone is involved in the female menstrual cycle, pregnancy (supports
gestation) and embryogenesis, and is synthesized from pregnenolone, a
derivative of cholesterol. Progesterone is produced in the adrenals
(specifically after ovulation in the corpus luteum), the brain, and during
pregnancy, in the placenta. Whether a decrease in progesterone levels is
critical for the initiation of labour has been argued. Progesterone’s
reproductive function serves to convert the endometrium to its secretory
stage to prepare the uterus for implantation. If pregnancy does not occur,
progesterone levels will decrease leading to menstruation. During
implantation and gestation, progesterone appears to decrease the maternal
immune response to allow for the acceptance of the pregnancy. Progesterone
decreases contractility of the uterus muscle. The fetus metabolizes
placental progesterone in the production of adrenal minerals and
glucosteroids. A drop in progesterone levels is possibly one step that
facilitates the onset of labour. In addition progesterone inhibits lactation
during pregnancy. The fall in progesterone levels following delivery is one
of the triggers for milk production. Progesterone has an effect upon vaginal
epithelium and cervical mucus. After delivery of the placenta and during
lactation, progesterone levels are very low.
Progesterone levels can effect the myelin sheath as in MS and other
neurological diseases. It also effects skin, stem cells, gallbladder,
bronchi, inflammatory response, muscle spasms, blood clotting and vascular
tone, zinc and copper levels, cell oxygen levels and use of fat stores for
energy. Progesterone also assists in thyroid function and bone building by
osteoblasts. As an estrogen antagonist, progesterone appears to prevent
endometrial cancer (involving the uterine lining) and breast cancer.
Estrogen is required to induce a progesterone receptor. Progesterone is very
necessary for all women.
The bottom line is we need all the parts that we came with, and there are
many ways to help ourselves maintain our hormones. Ask questions, do
research, don’t just jump into something you may regret later. Get the
facts. Create and maintain naturally.
Janet Rowe, owner of Health & Natural Lifestyles Inc., offers Live &
Dried Blood Analysis & a variety of therapies & therapeutic supplements.
Call 403.212.6077 or visit
www.healthy-option.com |
