Tag Archives: lining of the uterus

The Effects of Balancing Estrogen and Progesterone

  By | February 6, 2011 - 1:53 am | Articles
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In a woman’s body, the hormones estrogen and progesterone work together in what could be called a sort of “ying” and “yang” relationship. There is a delicate balance that exists between these two in the body of a healthy woman.

In the months making up a woman’s reproductive years, estrogen is produced in higher levels during the first 14 days of her 28-day menstrual cycle (Note: Not every woman’s cycle is exactly 28 days). Its job is to cause the thickening of the lining of the uterus and a change in the cervical mucus in preparation for a pregnancy.

In the second 14 days of the menstrual cycle, progesterone is secreted from within the womb itself, causing the endometrium (surface of the lining of the uterus) to be thick with mucous. If pregnancy does not occur, progesterone further causes the unfertilized egg and thickened lining to be sloughed off in the menstrual period.

If either estrogen or progesterone becomes imbalanced within their relationship to one another, the timing of the entire menstrual cycle can be thrown off or completely disrupted. In addition to that, a number of other problems or symptoms occur including weight gain, water retention, anxiety and depression, mood swings, unclear thinking, low blood sugar levels, fatigue, sleeplessness, night sweats, headaches and more.

The amount of estrogen and progesterone produced in the body fluctuates from month to month and is affected by various factors including overall health, differing stress levels, environmental factors which can cause “estrogen dominance”, diet and physical activity. The goal for enjoying optimum health is to maintain the bodies hormonal balance through attention to diet and exercise, diminishing sources of stress and anxiety, and protection from harmful environmental circumstance so that the body’s systems, including the production of hormones estrogen and progesterone operate harmoniously.


Other sites that may interest you

Premature ovarian failure - Wikipedia the free encyclopedia
Menopause
Menopause: MedlinePlus


Concerned About Your Irregular Periods During Menopause? This Should Put Your Mind at Ease

  By | February 5, 2011 - 10:31 pm | Articles
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Irregular menstruation-periods that are shorter or longer, lighter or heavier, with more or less time in between them-is usually the first sign our bodies give us that menopause is near. While it’s considered a symptom of menopause, irregular periods are actually a perimanopause symptom that occurs during the years leading up to full menopause. In any case, since irregular periods can go on for six years or more, it helps to know what to expect and how you can manage your cycle

How menopause affects the menstrual cycle

As you’d expect, the crazy periods that come along with menopause are caused by lower levels of the female hormones estrogen and progesterone. As levels of these hormones decline, your pituitary gland sends out more of the hormone that stimulates the follicles. While your body is busy try to get levels of these hormones to balance out, your menstrual cycle is caught in the crossfire.

Heavy periods during menopause

Estrogen and progesterone regulate the thickening of the lining of the uterus that’s shed each month during menstruation. When levels of these hormones get out of whack, the lining can become thicker than usual. That, of course, results in heavier bleeding when the lining is shed.

You could experience excess menstruation this symptom for six years or more before your periods stop.

Missing periods and more frequent periods

Skipping periods during menopause is also fairly common. Many women skip periods for several months in a row, while others have one only every other month. Menopause being the individual experience that it is, other women experience the exact opposite: more frequent periods. Women with this symptom have a regular cycle, but the cycle is shorter than the usual 28 days.

Longer or shorter periods

Longer periods happen to a fair amount of women, too. Some women entering menopause find their periods going of for up to three weeks, although flow is usually minimal. On the other hand, you could get off easy and end up having periods that last just a day or two.

Watery periods

This symptom of menopause can be rather disturbing because while most of us have heard about the heavy periods and irregular cycles, having watery periods doesn’t get mentioned much. It does happen fairly frequently, though, usually to women who experience heavy periods. While watery periods are usually nothing to worry about, if there’s a chance you could be pregnant, make sure you don’t have an ectopic pregnancy. If you experience abdominal pain, see a doctor.

Treatments for irregular periods

One of the simplest ways to normalize your menstruation is to make sure you’re getting enough B complex vitamins, magnesium, and omega-3 fatty acids in your diet. All these nutrients have been shown to help normalize the menstrual cycle. If you’d like to try herbs, black cohosh and chasteberry tree are good choices. You may also want to consider adding natural sources of estrogen in the form of estrogenic foods such as soy, cherries, and yams.

Irregular periods, especially heavy periods and longer periods are part an parcel of menopause for most women. As annoying as it is, you can rest assured that it will pass, although it may take a few years. In the meantime, you may to try a natural treatment for irregular periods such as herbs or natural progesterone.


Other sites that may interest you

Menopause and menopause treatments fact sheet | womenshealth ...
Menopause and Depression - U-M Depression Center
Menopause: MedlinePlus


What Exactly Are Hot Flashes?

  By | January 16, 2008 - 2:21 pm | Uncategorized
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You may have heard a woman complain about having “hot flashes” and had visions of her head suddenly going up in flames or perhaps you thought she was having brilliant flashes of inspiration for that next greatest product. Hot flashes are actually a symptom some women experience as they go through menopause. Not all women experience them, but enough do that it is a very commonly heard phrase for women in their fifties to hear and to utter – “I am having hot flashes!”. Women going through the life change referred to as “menopause” will experience different symptoms that may be linked to the declining hormone levels in their bodies. Some women experience insomnia, others will swear they have more joint pain then they previously experienced. Many will experience the phenomena known as “hot flashes” which makes them feel flushed, they perspire and feel very warm all in a span of about 30 seconds to several minutes and then it is gone, until the next time it occurs.

The cause of hot flashes has not yet been determined so it is not entirely understood yet what is happening to these women, but the fact that hot flashes makes them feel uncomfortable is understood. Scientist believe that hot flashes may be the result of hormonal and biochemical fluctuations within the woman’s body that is brought on by the decline in her estrogen levels.

The symptom, hot flashes can actually begin for some women (40% of menstruating women) as early as their forties; approximately 10 years before menopause. Most women (80%) who experience hot flashes will see them end within five years. Unfortunately there are the unlucky 10% who will continue to experience the uncomfortable feeling of hot flashes for 10 years.

As if hot flashes were not enough some women who experience them also experience night sweats. Night sweats are when they wake up during the night drenched in wet, uncomfortable sweat! This of course will seriously disturb her sleep and lead to daytime tiredness.

Doctors have traditionally treated the women who experience hot flashes with oral or transdermal (patch) forms of estrogen to replace the declining levels. This is called hormone therapy (HT) or hormone replacement therapy (HRT) or simply postmenopausal hormone therapy (PHT). What ever you chose to call it the oral and patch form are available by prescription only so it is necessary to make a doctor’s appointment in order to receive this type of treatment. Women have reported receiving some relieve using these treatments at least in that the frequency of hot flashes were reduced. Studies showed that the frequency could be reduced as much as 80 to 90% so this kind of therapy can bring relief.

The downside to hormone therapy is that women being treated with both estrogen and progesterone therapy experienced an increase in the risk for heart attack, stroke and breast cancer as compared to women who did not undergo hormone therapy. Women receiving only estrogen therapy were only at a higher risk for endometrial cancer (lining of the uterus) in those women who had not had their uterus surgically removed.

Given the risks of hormone therapy each woman who experiences hot flashes and is uncomfortable enough to seek medical help must carefully weigh the benefits of the therapy against the risks. Her decision should be guided by the medical advice of her doctor who can share the latest studies and statistics with her. Her medical history will be a deciding factor as it may influence her particular risk factor.

Women who do decide to use hormone therapy to combat hot flashes should be started out at the lowest possible dosage that will be effective for her to help minimize the risk.

There are alternative medications to hormone therapy they include:

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) – low does of this class of drug has been shown to decrease the occurrence of hot flashes. Some of the drugs tested to show relief are: Effexor, Paxil, Paxil CR and Prozac.

Clonidine, which decreases blood pressure, also has been shown to relieve hot flashes in some women and not in others.

Megestrol acetate is a type of progesterone female hormone that has been shown to be effective in reducing hot flashes, but can only be used short-term. This drug has resulted in weight gain in women who have tried this therapy.

Gabapentin is moderately effective in treating hot flashes but may cause drowsiness in some women.

Women who suffer the symptom of hot flashes should seek medical advice and consider carefully the risk of certain treatments before they start them. As bad as hot flashes are to endure, having to be told they have breast cancer or are suffering from a cardiac condition would be worse as these things may cause permanent health issues where hot flashes will eventually go away.


Other sites that may interest you

Menopause Introduction: MedlinePlus Interactive Health Tutorial ...
Menopause - University of Maryland Medical Center
Menopause - Wikipedia the free encyclopedia


Balancing Estrogen And Progesterone

  By | January 16, 2008 - 2:05 pm | Uncategorized
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In a woman’s body, the hormones estrogen and progesterone work together in what could be called a sort of “ying” and “yang” relationship. There is a delicate balance that exists between these two in the body of a healthy woman.

In the months making up a woman’s reproductive years, estrogen is produced in higher levels during the first 14 days of her 28-day menstrual cycle (Note: Not every woman’s cycle is exactly 28 days). Its job is to cause the thickening of the lining of the uterus and a change in the cervical mucus in preparation for a pregnancy.

In the second 14 days of the menstrual cycle, progesterone is secreted from within the womb itself, causing the endometrium (surface of the lining of the uterus) to be thick with mucous. If pregnancy does not occur, progesterone further causes the unfertilized egg and thickened lining to be sloughed off in the menstrual period.

If either estrogen or progesterone becomes imbalanced within their relationship to one another, the timing of the entire menstrual cycle can be thrown off or completely disrupted. In addition to that, a number of other problems or symptoms occur including weight gain, water retention, anxiety and depression, mood swings, unclear thinking, low blood sugar levels, fatigue, sleeplessness, night sweats, headaches and more.

The amount of estrogen and progesterone produced in the body fluctuates from month to month and is affected by various factors including overall health, differing stress levels, environmental factors which can cause “estrogen dominance”, diet and physical activity. The goal for enjoying optimum health is to maintain the bodies hormonal balance through attention to diet and exercise, diminishing sources of stress and anxiety, and protection from harmful environmental circumstance so that the body’s systems, including the production of hormones estrogen and progesterone operate harmoniously.


Other sites that may interest you

Menopause - Cedars-Sinai
Menopause: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia
North American Menopause Society - Wikipedia the free encyclopedia


What Is Progesterone And Why Does Your Body Need It

  By | January 16, 2008 - 2:03 pm | Uncategorized
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Progesterone is a hormone produced in the ovaries of women. It is also produced by men, but in small amounts.

Progesterone is a fundamental hormone and is the forerunner for the production of additional, important hormones including estrogen and cortisone. Progesterone, in conjunction with estrogen, works to regulate a woman’s reproductive cycle.

Progesterone is considered critically important to a woman’s health. It is produced prior to ovulation to prepare a woman’s uterus for accepting a fertilized egg. Each month, during a woman’s childbearing years, progesterone is secreted from within the ovaries signaling the body to thicken the lining of the uterus, so that a fertilized egg may attach and begin to develop.

If a woman becomes pregnant, progesterone is then produced by the placenta to maintain pregnancy and prevent rejection (spontaneous abortion) of the embryo. When pregnancy does not occur, the levels of progesterone decrease, and the thickened uterine lining along with the unfertilized egg is shed in the menstrual period.

Progesterone’s most important role relative to a woman’s general health, is to keep the level of estrogen in a woman’s body in a balanced state. Unchecked estrogen can lead to very serious medical issues including increased risk for breast cancer or cancer of the reproductive organs.

In addition to the reproductive system, progesterone also stimulates thyroid activity, reduces inflammation, helps with immunity, blood-clotting abilities and other functions of the body. It is also used in synthetic (man-made) form to help with treatment of menstrual problems, prevent miscarriages and for birth control.

The body requires progesterone during all of the different phases of a woman’s life. It is therefore important that a woman’s body continues to generate progesterone even in the post-menopausal years, especially to prevent conditions such as osteoporosis.


Other sites that may interest you

Menopause - University of Maryland Medical Center
Definition of menopause - NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms - National ...
menopause.html