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Beyond “Estrogen Deficiency”—news from Women’s Health Initiative

The USA’s National Institutes of Health just announced that the Estrogen arm of the Women’s Health Initiative was stopped early (1). Estrogen treatment in women who had undergone hysterectomy was associated with neither benefit nor harm for heart disease and caused a 40% increase in stroke (1). No one can ever again say that estrogen…
Perimenopause is a time of “Endogenous Ovarian Hyperstimulation”

“Perimenopausal endogenous ovarian hyper-stimulation” is the exact opposite of “The Myth of the Shriveling Ovary”: High estrogen levels during perimenopause, coupled with characteristically intermittent ovulation, can explain much of the misery of perimenopause. My hypothesis is based on the assumption that inhibin production decreases while there are still viable follicles (capable of producing both estrogen…
The Death of Hormone Replacement Therapy — Why and how to use Ovarian Hormone Therapy

A response to the cancelled Women’s Health Initiative study and call for a healthier look at menopause Dr. Jerilynn C. Prior, Scientific Director of the Centre for Menstrual Cycle and Ovulation Research, has never advocated the use of hormones as an ongoing “replacement” for menopause. She does not feel that menopause is a medical condition…
Manipulating Menstruation with Hormonal Contraception — what does the Science say?

The flood of recent articles and magazine reports and even books (1) about so-called “menstrual suppression” describe taking the Pill continuously or for longer than 21 days with seven days off. The advertising suggests that this is giving women a “choice” to do away with menstrual flow or menstrual problems. The Federal Drug Agency in…
Young Women and Osteoporosis — Good news about treatment and prevention

Osteoporosis and broken bones are an old woman’s disease-right? No, that is not right! Young women do get osteoporosis-although rarely. The sooner we understand that young women can and do fracture bones and develop osteoporosis the better. Also, the sooner we accept that the bone we build in our childhood and teen years provides a…
Ovulatory Disturbances: They Do Matter

For the woman who isn’t trying to get pregnant, does it matter if an ovulatory pattern is normal? Recent studies indicate that it does. One study showed that women with only one nonovulatory cycle a year lost an average of 4% of their spinal bone. Strong evidence suggests that lack of cyclic normal progesterone is…
Progesterone Therapy for Menopause

“Bio-identical” is the trendy term for therapies we’ve used for a long time. Bio-identical therapies include Prometrium ® , Estrace ® , Estradot ® , Androgel ® , Climara ® and Estragel ® to list a few examples. It simply means hormonal therapies that are identical to ones that the human body makes. The purpose…
The ABCs of Osteoporosis Treatment

There are many practical ways you and your health care provider can treat osteoporosis (weak bones). Prevention is about more than drugs! Your life and health matter. Below are ways you can prevent fragility fractures, broken bones occurring with a fall from standing or lesser amount of force. “A” Is For “Active” Bones are strengthened…
Preventive Powers of Ovulation and Progesterone

This series of articles, originally published in the CeMCOR newsletter, illustrate the importance of ovulation throughout women’s reproductive life. Scientific evidence shows that ovulation (and therefore an approporiate progesterone level) is necessary for the optimum development and functioning of several physiological systems in women’s bodies. The articles explain what ovulation is and address some of…
WHI, Five Years Later–WHY no Change

It has been five years since the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) Estrogen plus Progestin (E plus P) trial was prematurely stopped because it caused harm (1). Until the Estrogen in women with hysterectomy arm (E only) of the WHI was also halted prematurely in 2004 (2), progestin was blamed for the lack of heart disease…