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The period in which a woman's hormones begin to
shift is called "peri-menopause".
This can happen anywhere from the mid 30's to the late 40's. (It seems
to be happening at a much earlier age in our current generation)
During this period, the ability of the follicles to mature an egg and
release it becomes more erratic, often 10 years before the actual cessation
of menstrual periods.
Also during this
period, the woman’s Hormones and brain signals to the ovaries are fluctuating.
Menstrual cycles in which a woman does not ovulate are called anovulataory.
If you are not ovulating, your ovaries are not producing any progesterone.
You may notice symptoms such as:
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Weight gain
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Water retention
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Mood swings
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Chronic fatigue
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Depression
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Heavy periods or very light periods or irregular periods
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Insomnia
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Thinning hair
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Anxiety attacks
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Acne
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Dry skin
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Headaches
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Inability to handle stress
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Low metabolism
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Craving for caffeine, sweets and carbohydrates
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Sluggishness in the morning
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The beginning of hot flashes or night sweats
Why am I not
ovulating?
Currently anovulatory cycles are very common in women even as
young as their 20’s this is a new concept as the usual age for this
to occur is in the 40’s. It is believed that the high levels of
xenohormones in the environment are interfering with the brains
ability to send out hormone-stimulating substances that cause the
manufacture of hormones. The ovaries may be losing their ability to
respond. The hypothalmus gland in the brain may be influenced by the
xenohormones not to send out the signal for the ovary to ovulate.
During peri-menopause, menstrual cycles can continue, even
though you are not making progesterone, so most women are not aware
that lack of progesterone is causing symptoms. With anovulatory
cycles, estrogen production may become erratic and you may
experience periods of high estrogen alternating with periods of low
estrogen. This is why your periods may become erratic with some much
heavier than others.
When the estrogen is high, women may notice incidences of
breast tenderness, mood swings, insomnia, bloating and weight gain.
These are all symptoms related to estrogen dominance, a phrase
coined by John R. Lee, M.D., an expert in the field of natural
progesterone. The body is not making progesterone during anovulatory
cycles, therefore, estrogen is the dominant hormone. Estrogen levels
may be within a “normal” range on a blood test, but progesterone
levels are too low and symptoms arise.
On the other hand, if your doctor takes a blood test on a day
where estrogen has fluctuated to the low side, he or she may give
the patient a prescription for estrogen. This often makes things
worse.
Most medical doctors are focused on estrogen at this phase of
a woman’s life, and do not check progesterone levels.
When a peri-menopausal woman presents at her doctor’s office
with the symptoms listed above, she is very likely to leave with a
prescription for synthetic hormones, either estrogen or birth
control pills.
This can lead to a state of unbalance, specifically estrogen
dominance which has been found to be linked to breast and uterine
cancer.
What is happening to my hormones?
During the peri-menopause phase, your body begins to
“down-regulate” your hormone systems.
Estrogen levels begin to fall and progesterone levels begin
to fall. However, due to the outside influence of xenoestrogens, the
balance is upset and symptoms of estrogen dominance can appear and
usually do.
The earlier you begin to act to balance out the symptoms of
peri-menopause, the easier it will be for you to stay in hormonal
balance as you go into menopause.
One of the patterns that has emerged is that the more
unbalanced a woman is in the 5 or 10 years before menopause, the
worse her symptoms of menopause seem to be.
Progesterone: The
Balancing Hormone
Progesterone has an opposing, or balancing effect on
estrogen. Estrogen and progesterone each sensitize receptor sites
for each other. Thus, the presence of estrogen makes body receptor
sites more sensitive to progesterone and vice versa. According to
Dr. John R. Lee, the addition of natural progesterone often
eliminates the unwelcome symptoms and restores a woman to hormonal
balance.
How to use Progesterone Crème during Peri-Menopause
According to instructions of John R. Lee, M.D.
Use from day 12 thru day 26 of the menstrual cycle (count the
first day of bleeding as day 1).
If your period starts before the last day, stop using the
crème and begin counting again to day 12.
It can be normal during peri-menopause to have cycles that
are shorter or longer than usual.
If this is the case try to figure out the day when you expect
your period. Count backward 14 days and start the crème. This will
keep the use of the progesterone more in tune with your own
particular cycle.
If your period does not come within a week after you stop
taking the progesterone, consider the last day you took the
progesterone as day 1 of a new cycle. Then begin on day 12 again.
If your periods stop for a total of 3 months in a row, begin
to use the crème for 25 days of each month.
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