Tag Archives: long periods of time

Can Natural Progesterone Replace HRT?

  By | February 5, 2011 - 4:09 pm | Articles
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HRT or Hormone Replacement Therapy is a somewhat controversial treatment option for menopausal women. Many experts believe that HRT is actually unsafe. It is a synthetic treatment, in other words it is not natural. Whilst some women see positive effects to HRT treatment, others find the long term risks or side effects are not worth it and these women often seek a natural treatment such as natural progesterone.

When HRT is used for long periods of time, as it often is, it is thought to be unsafe to the body. HRT usually involves taking a combined hormonal supplement of both estrogen and progestin. The reason that some experts fear that HRT is unsafe is due to two studies by the Women’s Health Initiative which showed that women who took hormone therapy consisting of estrogen and progestin were at a greater risk of stroke and breast cancer as well as other diseases.

Researchers and doctors were so concerned about the consequences of studying women taking the estrogen-progestin combination that they actually cut short a trial because they found that too many women were suffering health consequences of the treatment.

Besides cancer, some of the other serious effects which synthetic HRT can lead to an increased change of getting include:

Blood sugar disturbances which can lead to diabetes

Blood clots

Gall bladder disease

Liver disease

Heart attacks

High blood pressure and hardening of the arteries

Stroke and thrombosis

On the other hand, natural progesterone does not come with the risks of the scientific form of Hormone Replacement Therapy.

Trials in 1995 showed that natural progesterone is more effective then synthetic progestin when it comes to hearth health. It was also demonstrated that natural progesterone protects against uterine cancer just as well as synthetic progestin does. Unfortunately the drug manufacturers fail to see or acknowledge the benefits of natural progesterone, therefore many women are lead into taking HRT with little regard or knowledge of the consequences.

A study at the College of Nursing and Health Sciences at The University of Texas it was shown that the studied women who were using progesterone cream everyday found relief in their symptoms of menopause. They also did not have the side effects which are so commonly associated with progestins.

Natural progesterone cream can replace HRT when estrogen dominance is a problem. It is a good idea to use natural progesterone cream like NatPro for up to 7 months and if symptoms such as flushes and vaginal irritation persist then an estriol treatment can be used as well. If you do not still have ovaries then your body can still make estrogen from your body fat which means that you may be able to stop your estrogen replacement therapy after around six months.

Natural progesterone is certainly a viable replacement for Hormone Replacement Therapy in some circumstances. You are highly advised to see your doctor before committing to any sort of hormonal treatment as the case will differ for each woman. If you do decide to undertake natural progesterone supplementation as a HRT treatment then do consider NatPro which is an extremely high quality, all natural progesterone cream.


Other sites that may interest you

Menopause: What is Menopause? Menopause Symptoms ...
European Menopause and Andropause Society - Wikipedia the free ...
Menopause - Cedars-Sinai


Getting Relief From PMS Though Progesterone Therapy Part 1

  By | February 5, 2011 - 4:07 pm | Articles
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No woman wants to suffer every month when she gets Pre-Menstrual Syndrome (PMS). There are various physical symptoms that come with PMS including bloating, acne, fatigue, headaches and breast tenderness. The emotional symptoms of PMS are even worse and they might include sadness, depression, anger, irritability, becoming overly sensitive to little things and of course, irritability. Over the years, progesterone cream has been the treatment of choice for the majority of women. One product that has been receiving huge acclaim is Natpro Natural Progesterone.

Different women experience different types of specific symptoms, so finding relief for PMS can often be very difficult to achieve for most women due to the different intensities and severities of each case of PMS. Effective treatment will usually entail a combination of the following: exercise, healthy nutritional intake, emotional guidance and specific changes to one’s lifestyle.

Keeping a PMS diary will help you establish which treatment works best for you. In your diary you should keep tabs on specific symptoms you experience each month and note all the activities you do to successfully relieve them. A PMS diary will help you determine with specific treatment works to treat a specific symptom. Before we take a further look at Natpro’s natural progesterone cream for effective PMS relief, let’s look at some other commonly used options.

Commonly used traditional options include:

-Exercise

-Quitting smoking(social and frequent)

-Reducing or quitting alcoholic intake

-Eliminating salt from one’s diet prior to menstrual time

-Take supplements daily. These might include vitamins B6,vitamin E, magnesium and calcium

-Reduction of sugar intake. Especially refined sugar.

Medications are also often prescribed to help lessen the effects of PMS. Such medications might include:

Antidepressants- This treatment option can help with relief from sadness and mood disturbances. The antidepressant serves as a means to balance hormonal changes within the body that might affect mood negatively. Antidepressants work by increasing “feel-good” brain chemicals, such as serotonin. The brain chemical levels are often affected negatively by the rapidly changing ovarian hormonal levels during PMS.

Ovarian suppressors- Medications such as Danazol (Danocrine) are used in suppressing ovarian hormone production. However, they cannot be used for a long time as the side effects can be pretty severe when used for a prolonged period of time. Another choice of effective treatment include gonadotropin-releasing hormones. This class of drugs can often bring relief to many women suffering from PMS. Unfortunately, this type of treatment cannot be given for long periods of time due to the severity of side effects when taken for a longer period. They can, in fact, have an adverse effect on bone density and can also increase the risk for bone thinning. These types of hormones may be prescribed in combination with other hormone supplements for even greater PMS relief.


Other sites that may interest you

Perimenopause: Rocky road to menopause - Harvard Health ...
BBC - Health: Menopause
Climacteric (human) - Wikipedia the free encyclopedia


Natural Progesterone and Mood Swings

  By | January 26, 2008 - 12:00 pm | Uncategorized
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Mood swings are normal…everybody has them. But largely because women are perceived as “emotional” beings, their changes in mood can seem amplified to others, whether or not it’s a justified assessment.

Mood swings can be triggered and affected by a number of factors, including those that are mental and emotional, environmental, or physical in origin. Simple things like failing to get enough sleep, going for long periods of time without eating, or being overwhelmed and overworked can affect a woman’s mood. Similarly, equally simple things such as being able to enjoy an extended period of relaxation, or successful completion of an especially difficult task can also have a particular affect on a woman’s mood. But mood swings can also be symptoms of much more serious issues.

After successful studies and the publication of subsequent findings in the 1970′s with regard to premenstrual syndrome and the relationship between hormones and mood, it is now accepted that hormonal changes can and do affect the moods of women, and have the capacity to make women more susceptible to mood swings in general. Some look to the numbers of women being treated for mood disorders including depression and anxiety as evidential proof.

Therefore, maintaining optimum levels and balance between hormones including serotonin, epinephrine and dopamine together with correction of nutrient deficiencies (such as vitamins B12, B6 or folic acid) can be beneficial in regulating mood swings and controlling instances of depression or anxiety. Both serotonin and dopamine are neurotransmitters and act as “messengers” within the nervous system, having the ability to enhance mood. Serotonin tends to have an overall calming effect.
Progesterone has a direct relationship in the body’s process of these “mood altering” hormones.

The use of natural progesterone can help to affect hormone levels, bringing them back to a balanced state, and thus alleviating physical triggers for mood swings. This can provide immense relief for women suffering from mood swings or bouts of anxiety or depression which are related to their hormonal balance.


Other sites that may interest you

Menopause: MedlinePlus
North American Menopause Society - Wikipedia the free encyclopedia
Menopause


Finding Relief For PMS

  By | January 16, 2008 - 2:17 pm | Uncategorized
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A woman suffers greatly every month when she has Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS). The physical symptoms of PMS are: acne, bloating, breast tenderness and fatigue. The emotional symptoms of PMS are: anger alternating with sadness, crying, depression, irritability, mood swings and being overly sensitive. There is no cookie-cutter treatment for PMS. Just like different women experience different symptoms and different intensities of these symptoms, finding relief for PMS can be very different. Treatment is usually a combination of exercise, emotional support, nutritional guidelines and lifestyle changes.

It is important for women diagnosed with PMS to keep a PMS diary of symptoms they experience each month and the activities they do to help relieve them. It is just as important to document the results of the treatment as it is to document the PMS symptoms.

Treatments that women may be asked to try by the medical personnel treating them may include:

* Quitting smoking

* Quitting or reducing intake of alcohol

* Exercise

* Avoiding salt intake prior to the menstrual time

* Reduce caffeine intake

* Reduce the intake of sugar especially refined sugar.

* Take supplements that include vitamins B6, E, calcium and magnesium.

A doctor may also prescribe medications to help bring relief to a woman suffering from PMS. These medications may include:

Analgesics (pain relievers) – to bring relief from headaches, menstrual cramps, and also pelvic discomfort. Analgesics prescribed may be nonsteroidal antiinflammatory medications (NSAIDs such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), naproxen (Aleve, Anaprox) or mefenamic acid (Ponstel).

Antidepressants – for mood disturbances including periods of extreme saddness. Because antidepressants work on increasing brain chemicals (opioids, serotonin) levels that can be affected by the shift in ovarian hormonal levels. Antidepressants that may be prescribed are fluoxetine (Prozac) and paroxetine (Paxil).

Oral contraceptive pills (OCPs) may be prescribed to even out the ovarian hormones as especially the newer birth control pills have shown to improve hormonal fluctuations.

Ovarian suppressors – these medications such as danazol (Danocrine) are used to suppress ovarian hormone production. They cannot be used for long periods of time though due to side effects. A group of drugs called gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) have been used to bring relief to some women with PMS. These also cannot be given long-term because they can have an adverse effect on bone density and also an increased risk for bone thinning (osteoporosis). The GnRH drugs may be prescribed along with other hormone supplements.

Since treatment is symptomatic, the woman being treated for PMS is instrumental in designing the treatment plan.

Exercise has been found to reduce stress and also to reduce anger and depression. Exercise may also have a positive effect on hormones

There have been some studies that show that drinking tea and increasing dietary carbohydrates during the weeks before the menstrual period can reduce PMS symptoms. Carbohydrates are known to increase the level of neurotransmitter serotonin. Nutritionists recommend using vitamin B6, reducing alcohol, caffeine, refined sugar, salt, dairy products and also the amount of animal fats consumed in the weeks prior to menstrual flow.

It has been shown that reducing the amount of stress can have a beneficial result on the symptoms of PMS.

Natural progesterone is also a reliable treatment for PMS because it has been shown to get rid of the estrogen dominance that may be the cause of PMS. Natural progesterone comes in either vaginal or rectal form. Natural progesterone cream is not messy or drippy and the body can absorb it within minutes of application. Natural progesterone can relive PMS symptoms such as: bloating, cramping, depression, fatigue, headaches, irritability, and also weight gain.

A woman suffering from PMS has many treatment alternatives and many combinations to explore so that she can find the right one for her PMS symptom relief.


Other sites that may interest you

Menopause - PubMed Health
The Menopausal Patient And Hormone Replacement Therapy
Menopause - University of Maryland Medical Center