Jean Morgan asked:


Achieving balance between estrogen and progesterone helps to restore the body’s natural hormonal state and lessen the occurrence of severe PMS symptoms.

Premenstrual syndrome or PMS is the onset of various symptoms both physical and emotional that occur in an estimated 75 - 90% of women of child-bearing age, between 2 and 14 days prior to the onset of the menstrual period. The symptoms related to PMS are numerous (over 100), and occur most often in women from their late 20’s into their 40’s. Some of these include abdominal cramps, water retention, weight gain, moodiness, fatigue, lower back pain, breast tenderness, headache, irritability, depression, and food cravings.

A definitive cause of PMS is not known. For a number of years, PMS was considered a psychological condition, a view which completely ignored the hormonal, nutritional and biochemical characteristics related to the syndrome. Today it is widely thought that PMS is the result of women’s sensitivity to hormonal shifts during the course of the reproductive cycle.

About 10% of women who experience PMS have severe symptoms causing a disruption in their lifestyle. While stress can aggravate or amplify the symptoms of PMS, it is not a direct cause of the condition. PMS symptoms usually diminish or disappear altogether once the menstrual period (bleeding) starts.

PMS is usually diagnosed based on the collection of symptoms a woman may experience. Relief can be found through a number of remedies including taking magnesium or calcium supplements, regular exercise, and avoiding stress. Medical treatment is available for relief from severe symptoms.

The symptoms of PMS are related to the normal levels of estrogen in the presence of low progesterone, or elevated estrogen and the condition of estrogen dominance. In this condition, PMS symptoms are evident and can be amplified. When balance exists between estrogen and progesterone, the symptoms of PMS are lessened, giving a woman suffering those symptoms much desired relief.



Raul

Olinda Rola asked:


Are there signs and symptoms of menopause? Absolutely! It is a logical question to ask with millions of women experiencing one or more of the signs and symptoms of menopause at this very moment! The so-called ‘change’ will happen, but experiencing many of the symptoms of menopause as early as ages 30’s or 40’s is not normal.

Some of the signs listed below are subtle and may appear to have little relationship to being menopause symptoms. Here is a list of common signs and symptoms of menopause:

1 - Allergy symptoms

2 - Chronic fatigue and morning sluggishness

3 - Craving sweets, caffeine and carbohydrates with unstable blood sugar levels

4 - Depression, anxiety and mood swings

5 - Endometriosis

6 - Facial hair growth

7 - Hair loss, thinning hair

8 - Low metabolism

9 - Symptoms of low thyroid with normal T3 and T4 levels

10 - Urinary tract and yeast infections

11 - Uterine fibroids

12 - Water retention, unexplained weight gain especially in hips, waist and stomach

Menopause is not a disease, rather, menopause is a normal natural process for a woman whereby there will be a slowing and eventually a shutdown of the reproductive system. However, the problem is that many of the signs and symptoms of menopause indicate hormonal imbalance exists and there can have been damage to the body from eating poorly, stress and obesity. With the average age of menopause being about 51 in the USA, many women in the USA and industrialized countries experience one or more of these signs and symptoms of menopause many years earlier.

In the normal menstrual cycle, estrogen is the main hormone produced for the first 10-12 days following the previous menstrual flow. If ovulation occurs, the female body then produces progesterone which continues for the next 12 days or so. If there is no pregnancy, progesterone and estrogen levels both drop at around day 28 and menstruation begins. However, if there is no ovulation, progesterone will not be produced that month. This event is called an annovulatory cycle and is a typical occurrence today for women in their 30’s and 40’s. The result is that the woman then has an excess of estrogen and a deficiency of the vital hormone progesterone.

Many women in their 30’s and 40’s are actually having fewer ovulations, creating hormone imbalance and the signs and symptoms of menopause. And when ovulation ceases at menopause, progesterone levels fall to nearly zero. At the same time, estrogen is still being produced at perhaps 50% of the premenopause levels, again leading to hormone imbalance and the resulting signs and symptoms of menopause. If the woman has had a hysterectomy, surgical menopause means the woman no longer ovulates and produces progesterone.

Besides the signs and symptoms of menopause caused by missed ovulations or hysterectomy, excess estrogen is obtained every day from other sources. Examples are birth control pills, household chemicals and pesticides, foods that have been sprayed and construction materials.

How can a woman tell if the signs and symptoms of menopause are hormone imbalance related? One way is to take an online test for hormone health and related symptoms. The health test is used daily in a leading women’s health clinic, it takes just a few minutes online and it’s free.

Learn as much as you can about natural progesterone and estrogen supplementation and physician-recommended natural treatments for dealing with hormone imbalance and the symptoms of menopause.

Copyright 2006 InfoSearch Publishing



Martin

deanna4273 asked:


Hi all, I’m not presently trying to get pregnant, but I did have my hormone levels tested a few weeks ago.

My progesterone is low (about 3) and my testosterone is high at 94 (it’s actually normal, with anything over 100 being high)

My doctor prescribed Prometrium to raise my progesterone levels. But what I’m am worried about is the long term issues.

I would like to have more children and I’m wondering if my progesterone levels could be a sign of infertility, or if my levels being low could affect my chances of getting pregnant within the next few years.

I am 34 years old and dating a wonderful man who wants to have children some day. I would hate to move on further with the relationship and then not be able to have the children that he so desperately wants.

I’m so worried about it, since I care about him very much and I want to be with him, yet if I can’t have kids anymore (I have an 8 year old now) I would never want to take that away from him.

Help me!

Pauline

Low Jeremy asked:


Reproduction is one of the more important mechanisms, that we humans are equipped of. In the absence of this, some of us may consider the valuable loss of life. This is probably why once a couple does not conceive within a 1-year period of unprotected sexual intercourse, they become anxious that they may be subject to infertility.

In fact, the symptom of not conceiving in 1 year alone is one good basis for diagnosing infertility. There is not much that the medical community hasn’t unraveled yet when it comes to infertility. This article will focus on the causes of infertility for both men and women.

Causes of Female Infertility

Endometriosis- this is a condition characterized by the growth of the endometrial tissue outside the uterus. This tissue is the substance women discharge during menstruation.

Ovulation problem- a condition that arises from abnormality in the release of hormones that drive the release of mature eggs from the ovaries.

Poor egg quality- the weakness or damage in the egg cells usually characterizes poor egg quality. Age is primarily the root cause since as women mature, their eggs mature with them. This condition eventually leads to menopause.

Polycystic ovary syndrome- formation of small cysts in the ovaries may be the result of irregular ovulation or hormonal imbalances.

Female tube blockages- once the passage of the eggs towards the uterus or the sperm towards the ovaries is blocked, conception would be impossible since the meeting of the two cells won’t facilitate. Causes of this condition may be pelvic inflammatory disease and several forms of sexually transmitted disease.

Causes of Male Infertility

Male tube blockages- this may occur either at the epididymis or the vas deferens, both of which are sperm passages. However, varicoceles located at the testicles account for the leading cause of this condition.

Sperm problems- this could be anything from the absence of sperm cells to low sperm count along with poor sperm quality and sperm deformation.

Sperm allergy- this may the product of the immune system’s reaction towards any phenomenon that attracts brain signals sending the reaction of the system. Men usually experience this after having vasectomy.

Combination of Female and Male Factors- This occurs when both couples present conditions that may be identified as causes of infertility.

Unexplained Infertility- This probably is the catch-all of causes when physicians don’t find any results after conducting intensive study of the case.

Signs To Watch Out For:

The most definite and obvious sign of infertility is the weakness of a person or a couple to conceive a child within a period of a year of unprotected sexual intercourse.

Though that may be quite simple, the struggles that this sign entails create dramatic changes in a couple’s life. In most cases, people have no knowledge that they are actually patients of infertility. The main reason- the lack of immediate symptoms.

Infertility by nature is a condition that does not deal with the physical-external make-up of the person affected by it. There are no external measures and symptoms that we may conduct and observe when examining if a person is infertile. In fact, before any diagnosis is made pertaining to infertility one has to undergo a series of extensive examinations, physical tests and other techniques which themselves are very taxing.

In case that the couple was able to conceive yet have undergone multiple miscarriages, they probably may fall under the category of infertility. However, it would still be safe if they consult a physician first for further analysis of their case.

If you are experiencing the absence of menstrual bleeding yet the results of pregnancy test tells you that you are not pregnant, then you might be a patient of infertility. If this condition prevails for some months it is likely that something in your reproductive system is impaired.

Once you experience pain somewhere in your pelvic area, it would be best that you disclose this with a physician. Abnormal pain may be caused by conditions like endometriosis and internal infections.

Watch out for basal temperatures. These are good indications that your system may be having some troubles. Abnormal rise or fall of basal body temperature is linked with hormonal imbalances that concern mostly the hormones needed for ovulation.

Say if your basal body temperature is low while undergoing the first part of your cycle that may indicate too high estrogen release in your body. Meanwhile, high basal body temperature at this stage could possibly indicate low progesterone.

Anovulation may be indicated through the absence of upward shifting of the basal body temperature. On the other end of the scale, male infertility seems to posses no clear signs except the obvious- erectile dysfunction.

This condition is characterized by the inability to create erection, which may be contributed largely by the abnormalities in the blood vessels, specifically those found in the penis. Diseases and conditions like stroke, abuse of alcohol, and major problems in the circulatory system may also cause Erectile Dysfunction.



Elmer

Steph M asked:


Hiya, can you tell me a website that would give me with the answer? Or could you tell me what you know about christians view on infertility treatments? Thank you.x

Shannon

B-Boy Zakk Wylde asked:


Which of the following treatments for infertility involves the injection of sperm into the womb?

A. Gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT)
B. Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI)
C. In-vitro fertilization (IVF)
D. Endometriosis
E. Intra-uterine insemination (IUI)

Lonnie

classychic86 asked:


I have been trying to conceive for 3 mos. with no luck any info will help any special tricks i.e. vitamins, meds, positions, diet?

Louis

Darrell Miller asked:


Dioscorea villosa, commonly known as wild yam, is a tuberous vine native to North America and parts of Central America. It was used by the Mayan and Aztec civilizations for pain relief and birth control and has also been given the names colic root and rheumatism root, demonstrating this early use of the plant. However, whether it is nature’s progesterone or not is another question that requires close analysis.

These Central American civilizations, of course, did not understand the reason why they were effective. Some of the symptoms treated can be caused by the menopause, and the wild yam is believed to contain natural forms of progesterone that can alleviate some of the adverse effects of the menopause on the body. Like most plants, they also likely act as anti-inflammatories, so relieving the pain of rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory conditions.

Like any natural remedy, wild yam had its adherents and its detractors, though in recent years the plant has been used as the raw material for the production of cortisone and a form of progesterone: or at least so it is claimed, so let’s have a closer look at these claims and determine whether or not wild yam is indeed nature’s progesterone.

The human body uses organic compounds called hormones to regulate many of the chemical activities of the body. The hormones catalyze the chemical reactions and changes needed for the proper functioning of our bodies. Hormones are produced in small chemical factories dotted throughout our body called glands. Each gland is devoted to producing a specific hormone, or a range of them, and each hormone is designed for a specific purpose.

Each has an associated hormone ‘receptor’ at their targeted destination that fits the hormone like a jigsaw piece. When it turns up, the hormone attaches to the receptor and the reaction proceeds. That might be the initiation of energy production in cells, the activation of certain genes or even the stimulation of hair growth by the follicles or of the libido and the natural desire to procreate.

Hormones are manufactured from only three constituents: proteins, amino acids and cholesterol, and the steroidal sex hormones are created from cholesterol. Therefore, don’t reduce your cholesterol level too much!

Prior to puberty, all of the sex hormones are manufactured by the adrenal glands, and after puberty by the ovaries in women and the testes in men. Progesterone is produced initially, and is then used as the building block for all the other sex hormones (hence the prefix ‘pro’). In women these are the estrogens and in males the androgens. Progesterone is made from the start of the menstrual cycle, and after day 12 they have reached a high enough level to halt ovulation. Progesterone levels continue to rise for about 8 days, and then if fertilization has not occurred, the progesterone levels trigger menstruation, and the lining of the womb is detached and expelled.

During certain phases of the menstrual cycle, the levels of the hormones estrogen and progesterone drop off, although the exact reason for the many and varied symptoms of pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS) are still unknown to a large extend. There appear to be several contributing factors, though estrogen and progesterone certainly appear to be two of the major ones. We shall concentrate here on the progesterone factor because that is what wild yam is claimed to address.

Although the main function of progesterone is to generate estrogen and testosterone, to restore the libido after menstruation, and maintain the integrity of the lining of the uterus and aid in gestation, it has many other purposes such as in thermogenesis (burning of body fats), protection against osteoporosis and is also believed to have a natural anti-depressant action. These are all supported by the symptoms that appear when the body is low in progesterone levels: depression, sudden increase in body fat, mood swings, loss of sex drive and a susceptibility to weak bones if the deficiency is long-term.

In other words, women that usually suffer from PMS, also generally suffer low progesterone levels. It is believed in some quarters that a progesterone deficiency causes an excess of estrogen that leads to these symptoms in addition to heart disease. No one really knows for sure, but a deficiency of progesterone seems to be the determining factor.

Women with menstrual problems continue to be issued with prescribed synthetic progesterone even though they do not have the same effect as natural progesterone. They can also lead to some unpleasant side effects such as fluid retention, strokes, jaundice, blood clots and depression: some of the symptoms it is intended to alleviate. Some take borage or evening primrose oil for the GLA that helps some of the effects, but this is taken to counter the over-production of the hormone prolactin in some women prior to menstruation, not a deficiency of progesterone.

Wild yam does not cause these symptoms, and is claimed by many to be very effective in alleviating the symptoms of PMS. The problem with the artificial forms of progesterone is that the liver’s job is to destroy foreign hormones, and send them to the digestive tract for expulsion. Natural hormones are not affected in this way, even if they come from a non-human source.

The chemical diosgenin in wild yam is very similar in structure to progesterone, and is believed to be the active principle. It is claimed that it can be used to produce not only progesterone but also other related hormones. However, some medical authorities and practitioners dispute this claim, and there is still a question as to how wild yam works. Because it does work, many people swear by it and claim that they could not live without it.

This is especially true of those that suffer from the more severe effects of PMS, and since wild yam does not work for everybody, it could be connected with the severity of the condition and the symptoms. Whichever is true, there appears to be little doubt in the eyes of those that use it as a cream that wild yam is indeed nature’s progesterone.



Claude

MIKE SELVON asked:


When people are looking to start a family, they normally don’t think about the possibility of infertility issues. There are several different infertility treatment approaches that can help couples who are not able to conceive.

The harsh fact is that approximately 20% of couples have trouble becoming pregnant after trying for one year and for many of those couples, an obvious cause of infertility cannot be found. There are three basic groups into which fertility treatments can be grouped: fertility medications, surgical treatments and assisted conception.

Medications have long been used as a form for infertility treatment. Medications for infertility are mainly used to help with the ovulation process. This is the process in which the ovaries produce and release an egg. Many women have trouble ovulating on a regular cycle, or even at all.

The body’s natural ovulation process is controlled by hormones that are called gonadotrophins. One type of treatment for infertility actually involves injecting medications containing gonadotrophins into the body.

They are usually used after clomifene, another medication, has failed. Clomifene is taken in tablet form and is used to make the pituitary gland produce more gonadotrophin hormones than normal. There are also medications that are used to stimulate the pituitary gland which contain gonadotrophin-releasing hormones.

Other types of infertility treatment require surgical procedures. While surgical procedures do not cure every infertility issue, they can help in several situations. Women who have had their tubes tied in the past as a means of contraception can have them reversed, in order to become pregnant.

In some cases, the fallopian tubes may be blocked or scarred. This can happen because of infections, a prior disease and many other factors.

It is sometimes possible to remove the blockage or repair the scaring, which will hopefully allow the patient to conceive. There are also different surgical procedures that can help male infertility.

The third group of treatments falls under the assisted conception category. This category contains several different techniques including intrauterine insemination, intracytoplasmic sperm injection and in vitro fertilization.

When looking into infertility treatment options, physicians will consider several factors. The age of the patient and any other health issues that they might have will play into whether or not certain procedures can be administered.

The good news is that for most infertility issues there is hope; medicine and infertility procedures have come a long way in the last few years. If an individual is having trouble getting pregnant, then the first step should be to consult a physician and voice their concerns, since there may be an easy solution to the problem.



Louis

Grim Jack asked:


There are hundreds of thousands if not over a million of these just sitting in -80 freezers and in liquid nitrogen vats all over the US.

Jacob