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Swollen lower legs

by Jen
(United Kingdom)

My 67 year old mother suffers from severe swelling of her lower legs. She has undergone a huge range of tests but two years on and the doctors have not come up with anything.

As far as she is aware her hormone levels have never been checked. I currently use progesterone cream and I would like to ask her to try this too, after reading someone else's story on your web page, but she suffers from asthma and an underactive thyroid, which she already receives medication for. Would you recommend that she gives this a go? Or should she ask her doctor to test her hormone levels?

Comments for Swollen lower legs

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Jan 13, 2011
 Swollen lower legsSwollen lower legs
by: Wray

Hi Jen Your mother could have her hormones checked, undoubtedly they will come back saying they are normal for her age. These are the ranges of progesterone for postmenopausal women <1 ng/l or <3.18 nmol/L. And these for oestradiol 0 - 30 pg/ml or 0 - 110.13 pmol/L. The predominant oestrogen in menopause is oestrone, but this is never checked for, levels are 30 pg/ml or 111 pmol/L. I've found the ratio of progesterone to oestrogen (oestradiol) should be 600:1 and over. A naturopath in the UK runs regular tests for us, and it's from these we're deduced that this ratio and above is needed to feel well. I can't say if the progesterone will help her legs, as that's often a lymph problem or heart disease, and yet you say the doctors have checked everything. Did they check vitamin D? This is very short in the UK, as insufficient sun shines for most of the year to make enough. Please ask her to have a test, for more info see the Vitamin D council website. An underactive thyroid and asthma too, is often caused by a lack of vitamin D. A vitamin D deficiency allows parathyroid hormone to increase, this slows the thyroid, see here and here. Progesterone is also affective for asthma, see here and here. And a low level of progesterone is found in thyroid autoimmune diseases, see here. Which is not to say they are not low in a slow thyroid, although I don't have any papers on this. As your mother is in Menopause, please ask her to read this page we have. I recommend 100-200mg/ay progesterone, dependant on symptoms. As you already use it, you'll be familiar with it's ups and downs and so can advise her. But please ask her to read our on Oestrogen Dominance before she uses it. Take care Wray

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