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NATURAL PROGESTERONE
A New Approach to Balancing Hormone Levels & Relieving Symptoms of PMS and Menopause

From puberty through menopause, women experience a delicate dance of hormones that is a daily reminder of how closely their endocrine system is tied to the mind, body and spirit. The word hormone comes from a Greek word meaning "I excite", giving insight into hormones that are literally chemical messengers that activate and direct the entire system, including organ functions, urges and feelings.

Each hormone has a unique shape and is designed to be recognized by receptor sites in cells where the hormone molecule fits perfectly, just the way a key fits in its lock. So powerful are a hormone's actions that your body only needs to make minute quantities of each as they are required. For instance, at any moment there may be as little as one molecule of a particular hormone to every fifty thousand million other molecules in your bloodstream.

The health of a woman's reproductive organs depends greatly on two major steroid hormones, estrogen and progesterone, working in close communication with the body's chief control centers, the pituitary and hypothalamus.

These two key reproductive hormones released during a menstrual cycle are secreted at dramatically different rates during different parts of the 28-day period.

Day 8 to 11
Ovaries generate estrogen which prepares the follicle for maturation and release of the eggs into the fallopian tubes.

Day 13 to 14
Marks the middle of the menstrual cycle when ovulation takes place.

As the production of estrogen wanes, small amounts of progesterone are secreted, resulting in very rapid growth of the follicle. It is this introduction of progesterone that also signals ovulation. As rapid physical and chemical changes in the egg take place, (a process known as the luteal stage of a woman's cycle), the cells around the follicle begin to secrete larger quantities of progesterone and the level of estrogen decreases.

As the job of estrogen is completed, increasing progesterone holds on to the secretory endometrium and renders it capable of nurturing a fertilized egg. In addition to maintaining the endometrium and shifting down activity in the ovaries, progesterone protects a woman from the many negative effects of estrogen dominance by balancing the estrogen in her body.

Day 21 to 23
If the egg remains unfertilized, progesterone levels fall to their lowest level and the cycle begins again.

Day 28
Menstruation begins

When this rhythmic cycling of estrogen and progesterone during each month gets out of sync, there are many effects, from infertility to PMS, depression, bloating, endometriosis and fibroids.

The Personality of Hormones
Apart from their biochemical actions, hormones have distinct personalities which most women have come to know well. When progesterone is surging through the body, a woman can feel high. Senses are keen when progesterone is running. Smells are sweeter - or more horrible. Touching, sensing, tasting,
hearing are all richer experiences than usual. In the presence of progesterone, women have a desire to do something, to create something, to work in the garden, to dance or sing or make love. This can happen during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle after ovulation when the follicle turns into the corpus luteum, but it becomes far more intense during pregnancy. It is this high level of progesterone that makes a woman feel on top of the world during the last months of pregnancy. At this time, the placenta is producing an amazing 300 to 400 milligrams per day of the steroid. During the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle it will normally produce only 20 milligrams or so a day.

Estrogens have quite a different character. When they peak in the menstrual cycle just before ovulation, a woman feels less independent, less energetic.

Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS)
It is estimated that at least 50% of the adult female population has symptoms commonly referred to as PMS.

Often exacerbated by Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) and poor diet, estrogen dominance results in a long list of maladies commonly referred to as PMS.

Thousands of petrochemicals that flood our environment and our food industry imitate the chemical structure of estrogen (Phenolated A-Ring). These chemicals, called xenoestrogens, along with synthetic estrogen in birth control and HRT, literally flood receptor sites, sometimes stimulating the receptor site, and interfere with metabolic processes since, unlike natural hormones and their precursors, they cannot be easily eliminated or changed into other useful compounds by the body's enzymes.

Xenoestrogens and synthetic estrogens result in what scientists call estrogen dominance, which is strongly linked, not only with disorders commonly referred to as PMS, but with significantly increasing the risk of the most prevalent cancers found in women, including breast cancer, ovarian cancer and uterine cancer.

Estrogen dominance is also highly suspected as the cause of the decreasing fertility rate throughout the world. When excessive quantities of estrogen, regardless of the source, are present in a young woman's body, they will burn out her ovaries and undermine fertility. It is this phenomenon which many ecoscientitsts believe to be largely responsible for the rapidly decreasing fertility in western women.

Normally the body can dilute and eliminate many of these toxic estrogen-like compounds, but our western diet, typically low in fiber and fresh vegetables, does not provide the building blocks to dispose of these estrogen impersonators.

Perimenopause
When ovulation - or the release of a mature follicle - no longer takes place, a woman's cycle may become irregular, sometimes causing heavier bleeding. This cycle is referred to as anovulatory menstruation. Canadian researcher Jerilynn Prior, chief endocrinologist at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, has found that a substantial proportion of menstruating women, long before menopause, are no longer ovulating.

Because of Dr. Prior's work and corresponding research by Dr. John Lee, many of the symptoms experienced by women labeled PMS, particularly in premenopausal women, are tied to anovulatory menstruation. When ovulation does not take place, progesterone levels take a nose dive since no corpus luteum has been formed to produce the hormone.

Menopause
For centuries, Menopause has been viewed as the natural passage of a woman from child bearing years. The physiological cause of the cessation of "menses" is the depletion of the finite number of eggs stored in the ovaries. This naturally occurs in women between the ages of 40 and 50. Both estrogen and progesterone production decline. However, fat cells, adrenal glands and ovaries continue to secrete and store estrogen throughout a woman's life. Even after menopause, a woman typically produces 40% - 60% of the amount of estrogen produced in childbearing years.

In contrast, a woman's supply of progesterone is not nearly so plentiful. Because of inconsistent ovulation, progesterone levels can drop below those of a man. Moreover, after menopause, a woman's only source of progesterone is the adrenal glands, which unfortunately also must deal with the effects of menopause, daily stress and environmental factors.

In many cases, a woman's high-stress life-style, carried on for years, overburdens these glands. When this happens, they cannot contribute the amount of progesterone required.

Summarizing the effects:

Progesterone Enhances libido Protects against cancer of the womb Protects against fibrocystic breast disease Helps protect against breast cancer Maintains the lining of the uterus Stimulates the building of new bone Strengthens skin Is a natural diuretic Antidepressant Encourages fat burning and the use of stored energy Normalizes blood clotting Precursor to important stress hormones, including DHEA

Excess Estrogen • Diminishes libido • Increases risk of womb cancer • Fibrous, cystic or dense breasts • Increases risk of breast cancer • Proliferates the lining of the uterus • Slows down the resorption of old bone • Thins skin • Salt and water retention • Headaches and depression • Stubborn body fat • Increases blood clotting • End-molecule steroid

Protecting Bones with Natural Progesterone
Pioneering Doctors such as Jerilynn Prior and Dr. John Lee published findings as early as 1976 that began to reveal the effects of unopposed estrogen and shed light on the positive effects of restoring hormonal balance with the use of natural progesterone.

Natural progesterone, made from plant sterols, has historically been produced from diosgenin found in Wild Yam (Dioscorea) roots. Dr. Lee, in particular, began testing the effects of transdermal progesterone creme containing dosgenin, together with a program of dietary changes, vitamin and mineral supplements and modest exercise. He monitored his results in his practice for more than 10 years and his research is nothing short of revolutionary.

Dr. Lee's patients showed an improvement of approximately 15 percent in bone mineral density over a three-year period. This had never been done! Even more surprising, the women with the worst bones improved the fastest. Some of them showed much greater than average improvement - a 30 to 40 percent increase in bone over the three-year period was not uncommon. Those women whose bone density was fairly good when the experiment began improved more slowly, until each woman (no matter what condition her bones had been in at the start of the study) had reached her optimum bone density and maintained it!

Some patients were 45 years old, others were 75 years old when they started treatment. Age did not matter. Their bones were hungry for progesterone.

Life style can also influence the formation and breakdown of bone:

The benefits his patients reported from progesterone and life-style change did not end with osteoporosis prevention and the reversal of bone loss.

Women also reported a decrease in fibroids where they had been present, an increase in energy, a decline in aches and pains, and the disappearance of many other negative symptoms associated with PMS or menopause.

Supporting ingredients enhance effects of Wild Yam.

Dong Quai
The most prized of all Oriental plant treatments for women's hormonal problems, this root quickly clears the kind of hot flushes which are the result of too little or the wrong kinds of estrogen in the body, calms menopausal anxiety and improves sleep. Dong Quai is known as a fast working remedy (usually in a week or two). It is also known for renewing the skin!

Alfalfa
Rich in organic vitamins, trace minerals, natural estrogens and boron, alfalfa provides the body with a source of phytoestrogens, weak estrogens that bind with estrogen receptor sites and protect them from circulating estrogens in the body and from xenoestrogens in the environment.

Chamomile
For thousands of years used as a woman's herb to help painful menstruation, to calm anxiety and aid sleep. Chamomile is also known to help build strong bones, since it contains a form of readily absorbed calcium. Calcium is also good for the skin!

Borage Oil (GLA)
Has a positive effect on the production of steroid hormones, including progesteron and the stress hormones estrogen and testosterone. Essential for prostaglandin synthesis, GLA has also been identified as important in helping prevent PMS and improves the skin.

Water Cress
Helps relieve fluid retention & stimulates the rate of metabolism.

Vitamin E
Oxygenates tissue and protects unsaturated fatty acids, sex hormones and other fat-soluble vitamins from oxidation. As a supplement, women given vitamin E experience significant improvement in other PMS symptoms, including headaches, tiredness, depression, insomnia and nervous tension.

Black Cohosh
The dried rhizome and roots of this adaptogenic herb promote estrogenic properties. Alcohol extracts have proved effective in suppressing hot flashes by reducing the effect of luteinizing hormone.

Red Clover
Said to contain four principal isoflavones: formononetin, diadzein, genisteine and biochanin.

Suggested uses for Menopause
After Menopause, natural progesterone is recommended 21 days a month, leaving 7 days at the beginning or end of the month when the cream is not used. For immediate relief of symptoms, including hot flashes or night sweats, use on the palm of hands. Because estrogen and progesterone have so many mutually antagonistic effects, how much estrogen there is in a woman's body will to some extent determine the quantity of progesterone needed to balance it. After menopause, when estrogen levels are low and a woman is using progesterone for protection against osteoporosis, less natural progesterone is needed.

Because natural progesterone has virtually no side effects other than altering the menstrual cycle, you can experiment with the amount needed to alleviate your symptoms.

Suggested uses for PMS
Natural progesterone cream applied topically can help symptoms which occur with menstruation (dysmenorrhea) such as cramping, diarrhoea, constipation and heavy bleeding.

Every woman's requirements for natural progesterone is unique. In menstruating women, natural progesterone is usually used for 14 days a month starting when ovulation occurs on about day 12 - 14 of her menstrual cycle (count the first day of your period as day one). Stop using the creme on day 27 or 28. Increasing amounts can be used in the last week before a period begins to alleviate chronic symptoms of PMS. Normally you do not need natural progesterone creme while menstruating. However, if you experience cramps or other symptoms, it may be used until the symptoms dissipate.

It is best to begin using natural progesterone at the time of ovulation. If you have symptoms prior to ovulation (common in anovulatory menstruation), you may begin using natural progesterone earlier and use until menstruation begins.

As symptoms diminish, you may reduce the amount of topical creme you use each month. Should symptoms reoccur, use as needed.

The Choice is Yours

Progesticatm™
Natural Progesterone
A pharmaceutical compound synthesized from wild Mexican yams, but chemically and biologically identical to the progesterone produced by a woman's ovaries.

The advantages of transdermal progesterone:

Contains supportive extracts such as aloe vera, chamomile, comfrey, black cohosh, red clover and wild yam extracts, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E and evening primrose and borage oil.

Specially designed pump delivers approximately 780 mg of creme, which contains 20 mg of natural progesterone. Note: each women's needs are unique. Two or three pumps can be used with each application. Some experimentation will be needed to achieve the best result.
Item #314

Natural Balance
Wild Yam Creme
Naturally and gently addresses the symptoms of PMS with a luxurious creme that contains a 16% standardized extract of diogenin and diocene, nutrient precursors found in Wild Yam (Discorea Mexicana).

Additional ingredients known for their phytoestrogenic properties include dong quai, alfalfa, chamomile, borageoil (GLA), water cress and vitamin E.

While every woman's requirements is unique, approximately 1/2 to 1 teaspoon per day is recommended, following the timetable for natural progesterone.

Some women notice results from using Natural Balance™ immediately. For others, results

References
Kenton, Leslie, Passage to Power, Natural Menopause Revolution, Random House, London, 1995
Hufnagel, Vicki, M.D., No More Hysterectomies , Penguin Books, U.S.A., 1989.

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