Confused!

by Elizabeth
(New Zealand)

I am 49 and have not menstruated for 12 months so I presume that I am menopausal! After completing your questionnaire regarding the need for progesterone, my total was 46! However, my confusion is whether to supplement with bioidentical estrogen as well as progesterone?

On reading your information, I see that you do not recommend this but other sources suggest that this is necessary (New Zealand Institute of Menopause; Texas Women's Health Institute).

In addition, the New Zealand Institute also recommend sublingual lozenges over bioidentical progesterone creams. This would cost me about NZ$115 per month for a period of approximately 1-3 years. They do not feel it is necessary to supplement once menopause is over.

Thus, you can see there are some issues I'm grappling with - can you help? Many thanks.

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Confused!

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Jan 28, 2010

Confused!
by: Wray

Hi Elizabeth. There are many doctors and institutions that recommend additional oestrogen, but I've only found this exacerbates the situation. There are countless women I've helped who've been on both, who when stopping the oestrogen, have felt far better! I don't believe we need more. We get far too much already from the environment, please see this excellent web site.

There are over 90 oestrogen mimics, in our food, air, water and the skin 'care' we use. Oestrogen and only oestrogen can stimulate cells to grow and multiply, including our fat cells. Many women have weight problems once they hit peri-menopause and menopause. I also don't agree about using sublingual lozenges or drops. Only about 50% is absorbed, the rest is swallowed, only to be mostly destroyed by the gut and liver. Please see this paper.
And this one.

I have just answered a query from a woman who now has endometrial cancer, she was on bio-identical estriol and oral progesterone for 13 years. I don't think it's worth the risk. Besides progesterone is very beneficial as we age, please see here.
And here.
And here.
And again here.

I'm puzzled by the comment that they don't feel it's necessary to supplement once menopause is over. This will only occur once we die! Peri-menopause can last 5-10 years prior to menopause, which is normally regarded as having occurred once a year of no periods has passed, as in your case.
Do hope this helps clarify the situation. Take care, Wray

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Jan 28, 2010
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Submitted by: Wray

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Hi Elizabeth. There are many doctors and institutions that recommend additional oestrogen, but I've only found this exacerbates the situation. There are countless women I've helped who've been on both, who when stopping the oestrogen, have felt far better! I don't believe we need more. We get far too much already from the environment, <a href="http://www.ourstolenfuture.org/Basics/chemlist.htm" target="_blank">please see this excellent web site.</a> There are over 90 oestrogen mimics, in our food, air, water and the skin 'care' we use. Oestrogen and only oestrogen can stimulate cells to grow and multiply, including our fat cells. Many women have weight problems once they hit peri-menopause and menopause. I also don't agree about using sublingual lozenges or drops. Only about 50% is absorbed, the rest is swallowed, only to be mostly destroyed by the gut and liver. <a href="http://humupd.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/6/2/139" target="_blank">Please see this paper.</a> <a href="http://www.future-drugs.com/doi/abs/10.1586/17474108.1.2.173?cookieSet=1&journalCode=eog " target="_blank">And this one.</a> I have just answered a query from a woman who now has endometrial cancer, she was on bio-identical estriol and oral progesterone for 13 years. I don't think it's worth the risk. Besides progesterone is very beneficial as we age, <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17659348" target="_blank">please see here.</a> <a href="http://www.springerlink.com/content/t140524nj5v58350/" target="_blank">And here.</a> <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?itool=abstractplus&db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=abstractplus&list_uids=16120154" target="_blank">And here.</a> <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6WG5-4CBD3JV-7&_user=5417390&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=5417390&md5=1636cd0135b9277fb5d76798a1a7e74d" target="_blank">And again here.</a> I'm puzzled by the comment that they don't feel it's necessary to supplement once menopause is over. This will only occur once we die! Peri-menopause can last 5-10 years prior to menopause, which is normally regarded as having occurred once a year of no periods has passed, as in your case. Do hope this helps clarify the situation. Take care, Wray

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