Are You Perimenopausal (Approaching Menopause) Or Menopausal?
 Women are most vulnerable to degenerative disease during this stage of their lives because with declining estrogen levels they have an increased risk of heart disease reduced calcium absorption and increased bone loss.
 Bone loss can lead to osteoporosis (calcium depleted bones with bone fractures).
 Before menopause significant hormonal changes can occur increasing mood swings, stress, irritability, depression and insomnia.
 Supplementing a healthy diet with neutraceuticals (natural food and herbal products) can balance your hormones, enhance your nutrition and help to maintain strong bones.

If you are Menopausal you may wish to consider Hormone Replacement.
Women have a difficult time deciding whether or not to start hormone replacement therapy (HRT) around the time of menopause. The most common reason for recommending estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) is for relief of hot flashes, vaginal dryness and other discomforts associated with diminishing estrogen production.

Estrogens are part of the family of compounds called steroids that are synthesized from the cholesterol molecule. The predominant sex hormone in human females, estrogens exist in several forms: estrone (E1), a weak estrogen; estradiol (E2), the strongest form of natural estrogen; and estriol (E3), a weak estrogen that is made during pregnancy only. Estrogens are synthesized primarily in the ovary beginning around the time of puberty; and their production follows a pattern corresponding to the phase of the menstrual cycle, gradually falling off around the time of the menopause. Estrogens are responsible for the physical characteristics associated with being a female such as breast development and the female figure. Among women who start ERT around menopause, about 80% discontinue the medication after one year due to side effects or concern about possible negative effects of therapy. Prescribed estrogens may be derived from either natural or synthetic sources. Natural hormones are bio-identical in both structure and function to the hormones that they are intended to replace. Synthetic hormones are not found in humans and are not identical to the forms that they are replacing. If a woman possesses her uterus, her physician will likely recommend that she also take progesterone along with estrogen. The combination of the two steroids (hormones) will protect the uterus from chronic estrogen stimulation and thereby decrease her risk of developing uterine cancer.

Progesterone, which is also derived from cholesterol, may be obtained from synthetic or natural sources. In the human female, the ovary synthesizes progesterone during the second half of each menstrual cycle throughout a woman’s reproductive years. Current available medical data suggests that women experience a slightly increased risk of breast cancer taking estrogen even if they take progesterone concomitantly. Unfortunately the published data are from studies that have used synthetic progesterone combined with estrogen. Studies that evaluate the risk of developing breast cancer while on ERT while using natural progesterone have not been published. Although definitive studies are yet to be published the trend of the data suggests that estrogens provide a protective effect against heart disease. It is unfortunate that the mass media has given an inordinate amount of press to the more negative reports associated with HRT in the medical literature. There are philosophical, emotional, and medical reasons why someone may choose to take a natural form of estrogen or progesterone over the synthetic varieties. The overwhelming majority of estrogen prescribed to women in North America is derived from the urine of pregnant mares. This product is called Premarin – you can see the derivation of the name! It is a mixture of perfectly natural hormones for mares, and it contains a whole family of estrogens. Some of them can be recognized and utilized by humans and some cannot. Many natural estrogens, which are prone to deterioration as a result of the digestive process, are taken as in the pill forms as micronized particles, which resist digestive acids. Synthetic estrogens resist degradation. Their structure is similar enough to their natural equivalents to allow them to bind to estrogen receptors in the body and cause an estrogen-type effect. They may have a stronger or weaker effect than natural hormones and they may exert a prolonged effect on the body due to slower metabolic deactivation. In any case, all estrogens are compared to Premarin, which has remained the gold standard because so many articles have been published about it. Progesterone may be prescribed in a natural, micronized form or it may have a synthetic residue attached to the progesterone molecule. Both forms are protected from degradation during digestion. In the synthetic form the synthetic residue is removed from the active molecule after digestion. Provera is an example of the synthetic form of progesterone. To make matters even more confusing progesterone compounds are sometimes called progestins or gestogens.

An often overlooked form of estrogen, estriol (E3), may even be more beneficial than the other forms of estrogen commonly recommended. Published data of urinary estriol levels from women from a population with a lower incidence of breast cancer indicate that higher levels of estriol are protective against breast cancer. Laboratory studies confirm that rats given carcinogens to induce breast cancer show a reduced risk of cancer if they are concomitantly given estriol. Although clinical trials of estriol have not been undertaken in this country, there is evidence to suggest that women take this particular estrogen as part of ERT. Clearly, this would be ideal because it would both reduce the complaints of menopause and hopefully lower the risk of developing breast cancer while on ERT.  For a discussion of naturapathic products in perimenopause please see additional informaiton on the my holistic site click here.: menop.html