By Dr. Kathleen DeOreo Naturopathic Doctor
When I think of hormones, I think of our body’s balancers, particularly when it comes to estrogen.
Progesterone is a hormone made by the ovaries only if there was ovulation and in smaller amounts by the adrenal glands. It is the precursor, or substance from which most of the other steroid hormones are derived, including cortisol, androstenedione, the estrogens and testosterone. Progesterone has a remarkable responsibility of important jobs from normalizing blood sugar levels and facilitating thyroid hormone action to regulating menstrual cycles and maintaining a healthy pregnancy. The survival of the embryo in the womb absolutely depends on this vital hormone. Progesterone also has natural calming and diuretic properties and it enhances the positive effects of estrogen while preventing the problems associated with estrogen dominance. Excessive estrogen can get to unsafe tissue levels that can lead to a strong risk for breast cancer and reproductive cancers. While estrogen levels drop only 40-60% at menopause, which is just enough to balance or oppose estrogen’s effect in the body, progesterone levels may drop to near zero in some women, resulting in estrogen dominance and the array of symptoms that go with it. Supplementation of bio-identical progesterone can naturally enhance overall hormone balance, especially during peri-menopause and menopause. Many doctors who treat their patients with the BHRT (Bio-Identical hormone replacement therapy) approach prescribe Bio-Identical Natural Progesterone which is derived from the Mexican Wild Yam or from soy beans. It is the same exact progesterone that both men and women’s bodies produce. It is a standard. In fact, it is called USP (United States Pharmacopoeia). Please do not confuse this to the synthetic chemical drug company hormones. That hormone only partially looks like your natural hormone. That is why by law it may not be called progesterone, but only progestin or progestigen. Progesterone, your own hormone is the safest and should be used when there is a need and when it is possible.
Stay tuned for:
Men Have Hormones Too.. And Sometimes, Not Enough of Them
1 comments:
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Alena
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