Prostate Health And Progesterone

Most people think of progesterone as a “female hormone.” Yet men normally produce progesterone as well, in both their adrenal and testicular tissue.8 Unfortunately, male progesterone levels drop with aging, just as do male testosterone levels.4 Severe, prolonged stress also depletes progesterone, since the “state-of-siege” stress hormone cortisol is made from progesterone, as are testosterone, estrogen, aldosterone and other steroid hormones.8

And as researcher Ray Peat emphasizes, one of the most important roles for progesterone is to oppose the many toxic effects of excess estrogen.9 Progesterone expert Dr. John Lee noted multiple roles for progesterone in antagonizing estrogen and promoting prostate health.

Progesterone inhibits the conversion of testosterone to DHT.4 DHT is a weaker androgen than testosterone, and thus lowers the androgen/estrogen ratio in favor of estrogen. In addition, DHT is a far more potent stimulant of prostate cell growth than testosterone.4 Both testosterone and progesterone stimulate the activity of a protective gene called “p53.”4 The products of this gene activation are anti-cancer, and promote healthy apoptosis.10 Apoptosis is a “programmed cell suicide” that plays a key role in preventing cellular overgrowth (e.g., BPH) and cancer.10 Estrogen, on the other hand, activates a gene called “bcl2.”4 Bcl2 products inhibit healthy apoptosis.10

Progesterone may even help with prostate cancer. V. Petrow et al reported results of their study with rats and prostate cancer in 1984. “Growth of the Dunning R 3327-H prostatic adenocarcinoma, implanted in the rat, is inhibited by 6-methylene progesterone. This compound is a potent inhibitor of rat prostatic 5-alpha-reductase [as is progesterone; 5-alpha-reductase is the enzyme that converts testosterone to DHT] and in-vivo produced marked involution [shrinkage] of the prostate. Thus, this tumor requires dihydrotestosterone and not testosterone for growth.”11 Andrews and colleagues also note: “Another steroid hormone that interacts with the androgen receptor in LNCaP [prostate cancer] cells (progesterone) also promotes apoptosis of these cells.”12

Progesterone for Men
Dr. John Lee has recommended a dose of approximately 4 to 6 mg once or twice daily for men in their late forties or older.4,13 Approximately 6 mg can be achieved with one-eighth level teaspoon of a cream containing 900 to 1,000 mg progesterone per 2 ounces. The cream should be rubbed onto thin skin areas such as inner forearm, chest,
neck or scrotum morning and/or evening. Do not exceed the recommended dose.

Progesterone therapy is especially relevant for obese men; those with a family history of prostate cancer; those with proven low androgen/low progesterone/high estrogen levels. Progesterone may reduce fertility in men,14 and it is to be avoided by men with non-alcoholic liver cirrhosis.15

Menopause And Progesterone

Dr. Lee began telling his menopausal patients to try using natural progesterone cream and to his amazement they were delighted with the results. They reported relief from menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats and insomnia, and they also reported relief from a wide array of other symptoms as diverse as dry eyes, bloating, irritability, gall bladder problems, osteoporosis pain, hair loss, and lumpy or sore breasts, for example. As a result of this unanimously positive feedback, Dr. Lee began to collect detailed data on these patients, and also began to research progesterone more in-depth, gathering studies from his local medical library, and communicating with scientists around the world to discuss their work. He realized that progesterone probably had a positive effect on bone health and began to get bone density tests for his patients on progesterone. Within a few years he realized that these women were gaining significant bone density - particularly those with the worst bone density to begin with

Treats Uterine Fibroid Tumors ( Myomas ) Successfully WITHOUT SURGERY

Dr. Lee Treats Uterine Fibroid Tumors ( Myomas ) Successfully WITHOUT SURGERY

Dr. Lee further writes in his book "What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Menopause" :

"Otherwise known as myoma of the uterus, uterine fibroid tumors ( myomas ) are the most common growth of the female genital tract. They are round, firm, benign (i.e. noncancerous) lumps of the muscular wall of the uterus, composed of smooth muscle and connective tissue, and are rarely solitary. Usually as small as a hen's egg, they commonly grow gradually to the size of an orange or grapefruit. The largest uterine fibroid tumor ( myoma ) on record weighed over 100 pounds. They often cause or are coincidental with heavier periods, irregular bleeding, and/or painful periods.

Uterine fibroid tumors ( myomas ) are also one of the most common reasons that women in their thirties and forties have a hysterectomy. Some particularly skillful surgeons are capable of removing only the uterine fibroid tumor ( myoma ), leaving the uterus intact, but they are the exception.

Uterine fibroid tumors ( myomas ), like breast fibrocysts, are a product of estrogen dominance (too much estrogen). Estrogen stimulates their growth, and lack of estrogen causes them to atrophy. Estrogen dominance is a much greater problem than recognized by contemporary medicine. Many women in their mid thirties begin to have anovulatory (nonovulating) cycles. As they approach the decade before menopause, they are producing much less progesterone than expected, but still producing normal (or more) estrogen. They retain water and salt, their breast swell and become fibrocystic, they gain weight (especially around the hips and torso), they become depressed and lose sex drive, their bone suffer mineral loss, and they develop fibroids. All are signs of estrogen dominance.

When sufficient Natural Progesterone is replaced, uterine fibroid tumors ( myomas ) no longer grow in size (they generally decrease in size) and can be kept from growing until menopause, after which they will atrophy. This is the effect of reversing estrogen dominance."

Miscarriage & Progesterone

Dr. Katharina Dalton is one of the many scientists and doctors who have discovered that progesterone in the natural form protects the fetus from miscarriage.

If a woman has had four or five miscarriages in the first six or eight weeks of a pregnancy, this is always due to luteal phase failure, says Dr. John Lee. Progesterone is needed to facilitate implantation and to prevent rejection of the developing embryo, but the follicle may not respond to the ovum with enough. Dr. Lee's recommendation: "Wait till you ovulate, and then four to six days after possible conception do a blood test ( for HCG) to see if you're pregnant. If you are, start the progesterone; that way you will increase you chance of having a healthy baby." Blood tests for pregnancy tend to be positive within seventy-two hours of conception, whereas he says urine pregnancy tests are not usually positive until two weeks after conception.

One of Dr. Lee's notable findings is that there is an immune-suppressing effect in the uterus from higher doses of progesterone. This is important, because when conception takes place, half of the baby's chromosomes are from the male and half of them from the female. That makes the baby's tissue DNA different from the mother's because of the contribution of the father. If there's not a good tissue match, the difference will create tissue rejection. If you try to do a skin graft or a kidney or heart transplant and the tissue isn't the same, the body will reject it. But this doesn’t happen with pregnancy. Why? Because of the progesterone response in the uterus. It's a site-selective action that doesn’t occur anywhere else in the body; therefore, the baby is not rejected. By giving more progesterone after conception, you thus increase the likelihood that the baby will survive.

Looking at the problem from another perspective, Dr. Lita Lee informs us that "after conception progesterone prevents miscarriages resulting from excess estrogen." It is interesting to note the consistency of the research, as in Dr. Peat's study, indication that "pregnancy toxemia and tendency to miscarry or deliver prematurely are often corrected by progesterone." Dr. Peat goes on to say, "My dissertation research, which established that an estrogen excess kills the embryo by suffocation, and that progesterone protects the embryo by promoting the delivery of both oxygen and glucose, didn't strike a responsive chord in the journals which are heavily influenced by funds from the drug industry."

It is a fact that if a pregnant woman produces too much estrogen, her embryo can be suffocated (hypoxia). Dr. Lita Lee cautions that during the ninth week of pregnancy, a woman can lose her baby if she is a "high estrogen producer and/or [is] consuming commercial meat, poultry and dairy products containing synthetic estrogen (DES)." However, she goes on to say that natural progesterone "has been known to protect against the toxic effects of excess estrogen, including abortion." Make certain, if hormones are prescribed during pregnancy, that they are not the synthetic progestins or estrogens but the natural micronized products. We now know that artificial hormones can be dangerous to the fetus during pregnancy.

Dr. John Lee stresses that synthetic compounds cannot be efficiently "excreted by one’s usual enzymatic mechanisms. Despite their advertisements, synthetic hormones are not equivalent to natural hormones." Side effect can include fatigue, elevation of cholesterol, heart palpitations, headaches, depression, emotional disorders, weight gain, bloating, and more.

From all the data it seems clear that natural progesterone therapy offers no risks to the patient and will be likely to benefit those wishing to conceive. Additional reports indicate that without progesterone treatment, women with luteal phase defect are at very high risk for spontaneous abortion. Progesterone has been found to be important in maintaining a pregnancy during the early months.

Morning Sickness And Progesterone

Morning Sickness
Dr. Dalton calls morning sickness "a sign that the ovarian progesterone is insufficient and the placenta is not yet secreting enough progesterone." She says that giving the woman extra progesterone will ease the symptoms. Says Dr. Ray Peat, "Since natural progesterone has been found to reduce the incidence of birth defects, it would seem reasonable to be sure that your own progesterone has returned to normal before getting pregnant."

Pregnancy and Progesterone

Dr. Katharina Dalton, who conducted these studies, first discovered the amazing benefits of progesterone through personal experience when she found that her own menstrual migraines disappeared during the last six months of pregnancy. She concluded that the high levels of progesterone during pregnancy might have made the difference. She then tested the use of progesterone on other women and found the same rapid relief of both headache and other symptoms. Noting that if symptoms normally associated with PMS should return at any stage of pregnancy, a resumption of progesterone treatment would be indicated, she advises: "You could be wise to arrange prophylactic progesterone during pregnancy."

Dr. Dalton is one of the many scientists and doctors who have discovered that progesterone in the natural form:

protects the fetus from miscarriage
increases the feeling of well-being of the mother
increases the potential IQ of the child
produces calmer, less colicky babies
To protect the fetus the body secretes ten to fifteen times more progesterone during pregnancy than at other times. Dr. Lee tells us that the placenta becomes the major source of progesterone, producing 300 to 400 mgs. per day during the third trimester. What a great protection we have during pregnancy with this incredible hormone! And with no known dangerous side effects.

Breastfeeding And Progesterone

More progesterone children were breast-fed at six months, more were standing and walking at one year, and at the age of 9-10 years the progesterone children received significantly better gradings than controls in academic subjects, verbal reasoning, English, arithmetic, [and] craftwork, but showed only average gradings in physical education.

Toxemia And Progesterone

A study reported in the British Journal of Psychiatry observed that administering progesterone from the middle trimester of pregnancy for relief of the symptoms of toxemia had some unexpected benefits: "A significant improvement in educational performance was demonstrated among children [whose mothers] received progesterone before the sixteenth week" following conception; and after giving birth their mothers seemed to have greater success at breastfeeding. Clinical observations involving ninety children whose mothers received progesterone were summarized thus:

Infertility And Progesterone

Increasingly in the area of fertility therapy, medical doctors are concentrating on prescribing more natural substances for women. It would be wise to try to locate one in your area who will work with you and understand your needs when it comes to natural hormone replacement therapy. A case in point: natural progesterone for conception. Although under ideal conditions it sometimes works as a contraceptive, progesterone is also, conversely, used in some fertility clinics.

Jerome Check, M.D., an infertility specialist and professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Thomas Jefferson University and Hahnemann University, says that "too often physicians will treat the infertility problem with strong medication or even surgery without checking progesterone levels first...But for many women, progesterone therapy has been very effective in helping them to become pregnant and to carry the child to term. Only after this treatment in tried should more drastic procedures be considered."

An adequate amount of progesterone is crucial to a woman who is trying to become pregnant. It actually prepares the uterine wall for implantation of the fertilized egg. Without sufficient progesterone, the egg will be expelled. Progesterone treatment can also be used to induce fertility when there appears to be ovulatory dysfunction. A study was performed involving fifty women who had lived with infertility for a minimum of one-and-a-half years. Seventy percent of the women conceived within six months while exclusively using progesterone therapy, reports Dr. Check. The Efficacy of Progesterone in Achieving Successful Pregnancy describes this group:

Five patients had a history of previous spontaneous abortions; all others had primary infertility. The range of ages was 18 to 39, with an average of 31. Their average period of infertility was 2.8 years in the 35 patients who conceived, and 2.7 years for the entire group.

黃體酮 Progesterone

黃體酮 Progesterone

黃體酮是女性荷爾蒙的一種，來自於卵巢。榮新診所副院長丁綺文表示，每個月卵巢有一個卵子成熟，排卵之後就形成黃體，它所分泌的荷爾蒙就叫黃體酮。

黃體酮有何功用主要是維持子宮內膜生長、有安胎的作用，還能減少經痛。除了女性器官以外，黃體酮還對許多器官有影響，是天然的抗憂鬱劑，能助眠、紓壓、平衡情緒。同時能夠排水分、降血壓、減少臃腫。此外，還能保護骨質；保護子宮內膜，預防子宫癌, ，能幫助生骨細胞製造新骨質而真正防止骨質疏鬆，幫助脂肪燃燒，是天然利尿劑，促進甲狀腺功能，幫助血液凝固正常化，恢復性欲，維護血糖正常，恢復體內鋅和銅元素正常濃度，恢復細胞內氧氣濃度，幫助防止乳腺癌，增加生骨細胞製造骨質，幫助胚胎生存，是皮質酮等荷爾蒙的前身预防皮肤老化或干燥，抵消游离子的损害，令肌肤细胞重生。

Dr. JohnLee.M.D.大力提倡使用天然黃體酮外用體霜來校正黃體酮不足。他也建議這類有流產傾向的婦女在懷孕後，每天使用30-40毫克黃體酮體霜塗抹，一個月後用到60-80毫克，一直到懷孕滿三個月以後，胎盤組織健全取代生產黃體酮，才開始少用或停用。Dr. Catherine Dalton指出妇女怀孕期间，如果适量补充黄体酮，不仅可以保胎，而且能促进胎儿发育，使孩子更聪明。

黃體酮在男性身上也有作用，特別是前列腺腫大或有癌變傾向者(PSA前列腺指標抗原值升高)，當他們使用天然黃體酮體霜後，指標下降，腫大減小，不再惡化的例子很多。也有醫學研究者認為﹕男人年齡增長，黃體酮分泌也相對減少，睾酮也減少，相對地抑制造成前列腺增生的雌二醇(Estradiol)功能也減弱，而導致腺體增生和癌變。所以Dr.JohnLee認為，所有因性荷爾蒙不平衡導致的癌症，如卵巢癌、乳癌、前列腺癌等，大部份是由雌激素過多導致的。

目前在美國，外用天然黃體酮體霜在婦女界也開始逐漸普遍，許多婦女不願自己成為人工合成類荷爾蒙副作用的犧牲品，開始尋求使用天然荷爾蒙替代療法。

黃體酮內服只有10%效率，而皮膚外用吸收率達90%

使用方法:
取1/4或1/2茶匙天然黄体酮霜，每天两次涂抹于手腕，面部，脖子，腹部和胸部。未绝经女性经期前14天使用，于经期第一天停止，照此反复。 绝经期或已绝经女性，使用21天，停止7天，照此反复。个人可按具体情况决定用量。

Ref: Dr. John Lee. M.D - What your Doctor May Not Tell You About Menopause (Premenopause)

http://www.progcream.blogspot.com/

Is it Possible to Treat acne by Progesterone?

Will progesterone alone help you cure acne? A question that is posed by many dermatologists, cosmetologists and acne prone patients, is still to meet its answer. One need not get unduly confused, as to why progesterone does not help acne, given its wonderful variety of applications.

Here are some facts about progesterone:

Naturally occurring progesterone is a cholesterol derivative. It has all its active ingredients, exactly of the same molecular pattern as that of the body's own progesterone. Progesterone is known for its wide range of applications such as prevention of womb cancer, protection against breast diseases and other debilitating diseases. It also hydrates and oxygenates skin cells (oxygenation is not oxidation where skin cells begin to age), to keep them more active and healthy. It is also a precursor to stress and sex hormones, a catalyst for timely and accurate levels of sex hormones.

Recent research has given proof that this hormone has that capacity to cure PMS or pre menstrual syndrome, that bothers so many women and girls. Acne is also strangely associated with the onset of menstrual periods. Progesterone in cream form, when applied on skin, is proven to reduce acne. It increases revitalization, gives a better skin feeling and balanced emotions. Apart from natural progesterone which is an herbal extract, the market is flooded with synthetic progesterone too (progestin). Progesterone is available in a number of forms. If you encounter an adverse effect, you just have to change the form, dosage and length of treatment.

However, there are some conflicting reports, which suggest that, an increase in the level of this hormone may cause acne flare-ups, especially during pre menstrual periods. Evidence also suggests us that, using this hormone to cure acne, are not a proper method.

With these two facts contradicting one another, it is very difficult to say that progesterone alone will help acne. Medical science has almost completely overlooked the positive aspects of progesterone and we are still waiting for conclusive answers. Finally, progesterone is not known to have shown any side effect of any kind. It holds a lot of promise to the acne patients.

Natural Progesterone Cream For Youthful Skin

"After using progesterone creams…….fluid retention had disappeared; skin was less dry and wrinkled and was now moisturized and more youthful looking.”

Progesterone for anti-aging skin care? Yes!

Many women are not aware of benefits of progesterone for menopause, but not many know that it's also great for younger looking skin. In fact, this cream has been used for over 35 years as an anti-aging skin moisturizer – all without any side effects.

Women who used natural progesterone found that their skin got softer, more elastic and had less lines and wrinkles over time. Some women saw good results applying it around the eyes and neck. However..........

it was later discovered that just applying the cream anywhere on the body increased progesterone levels which helped to improve the condition of the skin all over – not just where the cream is applied.

Why? because progesterone helps to increase skin hydration from within. Some women have also noticed a reduction of brown spots on the arms and hands.

Get Help Ordering Natural Progesterone Cream

Do feel free to email progcream@gmail.com for more information on ordering Natural Progesterone Cream.

Suggested Use:

Massage 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of cream twice daily into smooth skin areas, such as wrists, face, throat, abdomen or chest.

A few tips about using Progesterone Cream
Apply the cream after a warm shower or bath, not before it. When it is used on the face, let it soak in completely before applying makeup, and do not apply Natural Progesterone Cream on top of makeup.

•Guidelines for Premenopausal Women. If you have an average 26- to 30-day menstrual cycle, you can begin your first month of cream use between day 10 to 12 of your menstrual cycle, counting the first day of your period as day 1. Continue until a day or two before your expected period, which for most women is between 26 and 30 days. If your period starts before your chosen last day, stop using the cream and begin counting again to day 10, 11, or 12. The closer you can get to using the cream when you ovulate or just after, the more in tune with your own cycle you will be. It may take two or three cycles to find the synchrony your body desires.

•Guidelines for Menopausal Women. The majority of menopausal women can simply use 1/8 teaspoon to 1/4 teaspoon of Natural Progesterone Cream for 24 to 26 days in a row of the calendar month. Many women find it easiest to start using the cream on the first day of the month and stop from day 24 to 26 until the next month. Other women prefer to take their hormone break for the first five to six days of the calendar month and then use the cream until the end of the month

My Fibroid and Pregnancy

Went for Pap Smear test bout a year ago. Not that i was having any problem or pain, it just something telling me to do the supposedly annual check. (as this is only the second time after 12 yrs! oops... yeah, 12 yrs!) Gynae diagnosed me with having a large fibroid of 7cm at the uterus. It was a shock to me and I was totally lost for words. I don't know what sort of questions I should ask him. I only asked him "What should i do?", "do i need to remove it?". He adviced me to go home and discuss with husband as he said since it's a large fibroid, i may have my entire uterus removed if excessive bleeding occur during operation.

After discussion with husband, he was more worried bout my health than worrying about not having any offspring, he adviced me to have the fibroid removed. Me being a stubborn person and terriffying bout going under an operation and obviously my decision will be NO. As i thought, i've been having it for years and it is not giving me the slightest problem so far. So i've decided to just leave it and try chinese medication instead.

A month after that, sister told me that one of her colleaque had her 13cm size of fibroid removed 3 months back and had just found another new fibroid of 6cm and was very very mad about it and she told my sis she' s not going under another op again this time and she's on Progesterone cream after reading "What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Premenopause" by Dr. John Lee.

So that's how i started this cream in Sept 09. As this cream is not available in Malaysia, i have to rely on friends who always travel to US to have it courier to me. Miraculously, after using the cream for over a month, tadaa.... I got pregnant! No one believe it including myself who's been married for 14years! I use this cream with no intention to get pregnant or whatsoever, the whole intention was to control the growth of my fibroid and hopefully reducing the size of it.

In a way, i've been encouraging female relatives and friends around me with the use of this miracle cream.

There are some great informations on Progesterone cream i gathered online. Have a good read!

What Is Progesterone?

Natural progesterone is made by the ovaries prior to menopause and by the adrenal glands and fat cells after menopause and is the precursor for natural estrogen. It is the single most important hormone in the female body. When the female body fails to produce enough progesterone between ovulation and menstruation and during menopause, natural transdermal progesterone cream can address the underlying cause of most symptoms.
Because the female body uses natural progesterone to make natural estrogen, a properly formulated natural progesterone cream is the natural safe choice for menstruating women and for post-menopausal women seeking to establish the correct balance of their two primary female hormones. This balance of Natural Progesterone and Natural Estrogens will protect them from the effects of the condition known as "Estrogen Dominance".Estrogens are predominately female hormones, and in adults, they are important for maintaining the health of the reproductive tissues, breasts, skin and brain. Excessive estrogens can cause fluid retention, weight gain, migraines and over stimulation of the breasts, ovaries and uterus, leading to cancer, endometriosis, polycystic ovaries, uterine fibroid tumors. Insufficient estrogen levels or fluctuations of estrogen can lead to hot flushes, vaginal dryness, rapid skin aging, urinary problems, excessive bone loss and possible acceleration of dementia. An excess of estrogen, relative to testosterone, is thought to play a role in the development of prostate problems in men. Most scientists now agree that by-products of estrogen metabolism are the cause of breast cancer, ovarian cancer and prostate cancer. Progesterone is a hormonal balancer, particularly of estrogens. It enhances the beneficial effect of estrogens while preventing the problems associated with estrogen excess, which includes Polycystic Ovaries. Natural Progesterone also helps regulate apoptosis. Progesterone also helps create a balance of all other steroids. It also has intrinsic calming and diuretic properties. Progesterone is the "Pro-Gestational" hormone and is the single most important hormone for conception and full-term pregnancy. Its important in men for the maintenance of prostate health is only now being appreciated.

Estrogen Dominance
Natural progesterone balances the side effects of otherwise unopposed estrogen. Under influences of an ovulatory cycles, menopause, stress and dietary antagonists, progesterone production ceases or is suppressed and the effects of Estrogen Dominance, can be observed. Many women experience otherwise unexplained weight gain from the lack of progesterone that is required for proper thyroid function.

Symptoms of Estrogen Dominance includes:
 Increased Body Fat
 Interference with Thyroid Hormone Activity (hypo-thyroid)
 Depression & Headaches
 Salt and Water Retention
 Blood Sugar Irregularities (Food Cravings)
 Reduced Oxygen in All Cells
 Decreased Libido (Sex Drive)
 Loss of Zinc and Retention of Copper
 Excessive Blood Clotting
 Increased Risk of Breast Cancer
 Reduced Vascular Tone
 Increased Risk of Endometrial Cancer
 Endometriosis
 Uterine Cramping
 Infertility
 Increased Risk of Uterine Cancer

Traditional treatments have included tranquilizers, diuretics, dietary changes, thyroid supplements, herbs, vitamins, exercise, acupuncture and psychiatric counseling. While these may provide some easing of symptoms, the underlying causes remain.

The resultant Benefits of natural progesterone include

 Helps Use Fat for Energy
 Facilitates Thyroid Hormone Action
 Natural Anti-depressant
 Natural Diuretic
 Normalizes Blood Sugar Levels
 Restores Proper Cell Oxygen Levels
 Restores Libido
 Normalizes Menstrual Cycles
 Normalizes Zinc & Copper Levels
 Normalizes Blood Clotting
 Protects Against Breast Fibrocysts
 Helps Protect Epithelial cells against Breast Cancer
 Helps Prevent Endometrial Cancer
 Helps prevent Ovarian Cysts and Ovarian Cancer
 Precursor for Cortisone Production (Arthritis)
 Stimulates Osteoblast Cells (Osteoporosis Reversal)
Libido

The Female Body manufactures many types of Estrogen but only one Progesterone and Natural
Progesterone is the Source of Libido or Sex Drive in Women.

Osteoporosis is a disorder in which progressive bone mass loss and demineralization increase ones risk of fracture. This condition permits us to observe how prescription progestins and estrogens compare to Natural Progesterone. The standard medical protocol for osteoporosis is to use estrogen, (commonly synthesized from pregnant mare’s urine), in spite of the fact that the most authoritative medical textbooks do not support it. The following article illustrates: "Estrogens decrease bone resorption" but "associated with the decrease in bone resorption is a decrease in bone formation. Therefore, estrogens should not be expected to increase bone mass."** - Scientific American's Updated Medicine Text, 1991.
Bone tissue should be broken down and rebuilt continuously, just like all of the cells in our body. This
process takes place when Osteoclasts help to dissolve old bone tissue, while osteoblasts stimulate new bone growth. Because estrogen has a rate limiting effect on Osteoclasts, Estrogen Dominance delays the breakdown of bone tissue but does not support bone building (osteoblast function).
Natural progesterone, on the other hand, stimulates osteoblast production which results in new bone tissue growth. Consequently, estrogens only slow down bone loss, not promote the formation of new bone tissue.

Osteoporosis Research
The efficacy of natural progesterone is verified by a three year study of 63 post-menopausal women
with osteoporosis.**

Women using transdermal progesterone cream experienced an average 7-8% bone mass density
increase the first year, 4-5% the second year and 3-4% the third year!
Untreated women in this age category typically lose 0.7% to 2.0% bone mineral density per year!
These results have not been found with any other form of hormone replacement therapy,
prescription medication or dietary supplement!

Conclusion
Maintaining proper levels of natural progesterone, giving due attention to dietary choices, dietary calcium, managing stress and regular exercise are all vital components of strong, healthy bones.
Ovarian Cancer
Typically, lower fertilization rates are found in women who have polycystic ovaries rather than those with tubal disease or endometriosis. Increased levels of estrogen stimulate increased levels of testosterone and androgen (increased body hair). Increased androgen (hyper-androgenism) has been shown to be critical in the pathogenesis or development of polycystic ovaries and ovarian cancer.
Mechanisms by which androgens induce cyst formation, however, have not yet been elucidated. It has been hypothesized that ovarian androgen excess produces larger follicles and increased apoptosis, resulting in cyst formation and follicular atresia (death and regression of an ovarian follicle). Hyper-androgenism, therefore, produces larger follicles and increased apoptosis. Apoptosis is the process by which a cell runs its life course and actively "commits suicide".
It is now well recognized that apoptosis is essential in many aspects of normal development and is required for maintaining tissue homeostasis. Failure to properly regulate apoptosis can have catastrophic consequences. Cancer and many diseases (AIDS, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, heart attack, stroke, etc.) are thought to arise from deregulation of apoptosis.
So, whether a woman conceives through traditional "natural pregnancy" or IVF Fertility Treatment, it is critically important that she maintain optimal levels of progesterone throughout pregnancy. A drop in progesterone levels or a blockade of progesterone receptors during the first 11 or 12 weeks of pregnancy will often result in loss of the embryo.

Dr. Catherine Dalton has suggested that pregnant women use a properly formulated natural progesterone cream until the start of the third tri-mester when the placenta takes over progesterone production. She further states that women who maintain high progesterone levels during pregnancy produce healthier and more intelligent children.

All of the research we have reviewed and the many years of clinical experience of Dr. John Lee (California, USA) conclude that natural progesterone is safe and free of side effects (when administered topically) and addresses the underlying causes of many hormone related health problemsthat plague women, including infertility, polycystic Ovaries and ovarian cancer.

Hot Flashes
At approximately age 45 to 50 estrogen levels begin to fall. When they fall below the levels necessary to signal the uterine lining to thicken and gather blood, the menstrual flow becomes less and/or irregular, eventually stopping altogether. Take a closer look at Hot Flashes, one of the primary symptoms associated with menopause in industrialized countries. Although there is no empirical proof of the cause for hot flashes the following explanation may have merit.
An area in the brain's hypothalamus (the GnRH center) monitors estrogen and progesterone levels. When levels of these hormones decline, this triggers the GnRH which, in turn, stimulates the pituitary to make the hormones, follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH), which in turn result in the ovarian production of estrogen and progesterone. The rise in these hormones inhibits further production of GnRH.

At menopause, estrogen levels fall and progesterone levels are usually already low. The ovaries, therefore, no longer respond to the FSH and LH prompt. In addition to hot flashes, the heightened activity of the hypothalamus can cause mood swings, fatigue, feelings of being cold, and inappropriate responses to other stressors. Many women will have symptoms of hypothyroidism despite normal thyroid hormone levels.

Summary
 The GnRH center effectively signals to increase estrogen and progesterone levels.
 Elevated estrogen and progesterone inhibit GnRH release.
 After menopause the ovaries no longer make estrogen and progesterone.
 Lack of estrogen and progesterone response results in increased activity of the GnRH center.
 Heightened GnRH activity activates the vasomotor center, causing hot flashes and perspiration.