Dietary Recomendations for Estrogen Progesterone Balance

Dietary Recomendations for Estrogen Progesterone Balance

Estrogen/Progesterone Balance

If estrogen and progesterone levels are not balanced, it will be difficult to conceive. If estrogen levels are not elevated in the first part of cycle, ovulation will not occur. If progesterone levels are not elevated in the second part of the cycles, a viable endometrium will not form. Too much estrogen (which could manifest as particularly heavy menstrual flow) can sometimes be regulated by a vigorous program of exercise. Obesity can also cause elevated estrogen levels, so try to make sure that your weight is within the normal range.

The dietary fiber in B6 vitamin rich foods can also reduce estrogen levels. These foods are tofu, kelp, whole grains, walnuts, and wheat germ. Insufficient estrogen can be counteracted by increasing your consumption of para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA), which stimulates the pituitary gland into increasing estrogen production. Consuming wheat germ will satisfy your need for this nutrient. Insufficient progesterone levels can be aided by increasing your consumption of foods rich in vitamin B6, tofu, kelp, whole grains, walnuts, and wheat germ. These foods can also reduce Prolactin levels. Progesterone production in the luteal phase can also be affected if prostaglandin impairs the functioning of the corpus luteum. Avoid arachidonic acid, a precursor or prostaglandin found in animal fat.

Finally, yams eaten in the pre-ovulatory phase of the cycle are beneficial for women whose short luteal phase leads to insufficient progesterone production.

Dietary Recomendations for PCOS - Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome

Dietary Recomendations for PCOS - Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome

PCOS - Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome

In Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) the body produces increased male hormones which are converted into estrogen. In an obese woman, estrogen is also stored in fat cells. Because estrogen is normally made from the developing follicles, the brain's hypothalamus, confused by the constant level of estrogen, assumes that it is due to a developing egg inside the follicle. Therefore, the hypothalamus tells the pituitary gland to stop or slow down the release of follicle stimulating hormone. Thus, the follicles don't mature and burst, and ovulation never occurs. Instead the follicle turn into small cysts on the ovaries. There have been very few good nutritional studies done on PCOS, and the only nutritional recommendations currently given is that PCOS sufferers should shed their excess weight. We have two suggestions: One is that you follow the general guidelines for anovulation. The other is that you consume yams, and elevate your levels of vitamin B6. The second suggestion is since PCOS can often be characterized by elevated Prolactin levels try following the dietary guidelines for elevated Prolactin levels: eliminate alcohol, marijuana, aspartame, dioxins in meat and dairy, too much protein and too strenuous exercise.

Progesterone Low or Estrogen Dominance

Research has shown that many women in their 30s - some even younger - will occasionally not ovulate during their menstrual month.[1] Without ovulation, no corpus luteum results and no progesterone is made. A progesterone deficiency ensues and several problems can result from this, one being the month-long presence of unopposed estrogen with all its attendant side-effects.

A second major problem results from the interrelationship between progesterone loss and stress. Stress combined with a bad diet can induce cycles where ovulation does not occur. The consequent lack of progesterone interferes with the production of the stress-combating hormones, worsening stressful conditions that give rise to further anovulatory cycles and so continues the vicious cycle.

Another major factor contributing to this imbalance between estrogen and progesterone is the industrialized world now live in, immersed in a rising sea of petrochemical derivatives. They are in the air, food and water and include pesticides and herbicides (such as DDT, dieldrin, heptachlor, etc.) as well as various plastics (polycarbonated plastics found in babies bottles and water jugs) and PCBs. These estrogen-mimics are highly fat-soluble, not biodegradable or well excreted, and accumulate in the fat tissue of animals and humans. These chemicals have an uncanny ability to mimic natural estrogen and thus are given the name "xeno-estrogens" since, although they are foreign chemicals, they are taken up by the estrogen receptor sites in the body, seriously interfering with natural biochemical activity. Drinking sodas out of plastic bottles is one of the leading causes of estrogen dominance.

Extensive research is now revealing an alarming situation worldwide, created by the inundation of these hormone-mimics. In their book, Our Stolen Future, authors Theo Colburn of the World Wildlife Fund, Dianne Dumanoski of The Boston Globe, and John Peterson Meyers, a zoologist, have identified 51 hormone mimics, each able to unleash a torrent of effects such as reduced sperm production, cell division and sculpting of the developing brain. These mimics are not only linked to the recent discovery that human sperm counts worldwide have plunged by 50% between 1938 and 1990 but also to genital deformities, breast, prostate and testicular cancer, and neurological disorders.

Causes & Development

---

Dr. John Lee, MD has discovered a consistent theme running through women's complaints of the distressing and often debilitating symptoms of PMS, peri-menopause and menopause: too much estrogen or, in other words, estrogen dominance. Now, instead of estrogen playing its essential role within the well-balanced symphony of steroid hormones in a woman's body, it has begun to overshadow the other players, creating biochemical dissonance. Even natural estrogens should not be prescribed unless it is clear that a deficiency exists.

Signs & Symptoms

---

Female hormone imbalances can manifest in many and diverse symptoms. More specific suggestions regarding individual hormone levels may be made elsewhere in this report.

Diagnosis & Tests

---

The hormone issue is a complicated one. There are three types of natural estrogen, and multiple degradation pathways and metabolites. Depending on the area of concern, a skilled natural doctor should be able to recommend those tests which will yield the most information, and guide you into balance. While a therapeutic trial of progesterone may help a condition of estrogen dominance, specific laboratory testing on a doctor's recommendation should be conducted prior to hormone replacement. Blood, saliva, or urine measurements may be made. Your doctor should be aware that the timing of specimen collection in relation to your cycle is important in progesterone testing. The best time is day 21 - 24 of your cycle (sooner if cycle is shorter and later if cycle is longer). If progesterone levels are normal, elevated estrogens can be reduced by means other than progesterone use.

The need for testing is seen in the situation of two menopausal women having similar symptoms but one with elevated estrogens (or an imbalance of estrogens) and the other with low estrogens. Both may have normal or low levels of progesterone. Giving natural estrogen to a woman in menopause seems the logical thing to do, but may make the situation worse if her levels are already too high. Giving a women low in estrogen, more progesterone won’t solve the underlying deficiency.

Treatment & Prevention

---

Dr. Lee has been able to balance the estrogen-dominance effect through the use of transdermal natural progesterone cream.

Anti-aging Benefits of Natural Progesterone

1. Progesterone is a primary precursor in the biosynthesis of the adrenal corticosteroids. Without adequate progesterone, synthesis of the cortisones is impaired and the body turns to alternate pathways. These alternate pathways have masculine-producing side effects such as long facial hairs and thinning of scalp hair. Further impaired corticosteroid production results in a decrease in the ability to handle stress, e.g., surgery, trauma or emotional stress.
2. Many peri- or post-menopausal women with clinical signs of hypothyroidism, such as fatigue, lack of energy, intolerance to cold, are actually suffering from unrecognized estrogen dominance and will benefit from supplementation with natural progesterone.
3. Estrogen and most of the synthetic progestins increase intracellular sodium and water uptake. The effect of this is hypertension. Natural progesterone is a natural diuretic and prevents the cell's uptake of sodium and water, thus preventing hypertension.
4. Whereas estrogen impairs homeostatic control of glucose levels, natural progesterone stabilizes them. Thus, natural progesterone can be beneficial to both those with diabetes and those with reactive hypoglycemia. Estrogen should be contraindicated in patients with diabetes.
5. Thinning and wrinkled skin is a sign of lack of hydration in the skin. It is common in peri- and post-menopausal women and is a sure sign of hormone depletion. Both estrogen and progesterone restores skin hydration.
6. Progesterone serves a role in keeping brain cells healthy. A disorder such as premature senility (Alzheimer's disease) may be, at least in part, another example of disease secondary to progesterone deficiency.
7. Progesterone is essential for the healthy development of the myelin sheath which protects the nerve cells. Low progesterone levels lead to recurring aches and pains.
8. Progesterone creates and promotes an enhanced sense of emotional well being and psychological self-sufficiency.
9. Progesterone is responsible for enhancing the libido. [John R. Lee, M.D., Slowing the Aging Process with Natural Progesterone, BLL Publishing, CA, USA, 1994, p.14]

Complications

---

Estrogen's role in osteoporosis is only a minor one. Estrogen replacement will reduce bone breakdown, but only progesterone increases new bone growth or deposition. Progesterone deficiency results in bone loss. In a three year study of 63 post-menopausal women with osteoporosis, women using transdermal progesterone cream experienced an average 7 to 8% bone mass density increase in the first year, 4 to 5% the second year, and 3 to 4% in the third year. Untreated women in this age category typically lose 1.5% bone mass density per year.[3] Dr. Lee believes that the use of natural progesterone in conjunction with dietary and lifestyle change can not only stop osteoporosis but can actually reverse it - even in women aged over 70.

Effects of Estrogen Dominance

1. When estrogen is not balanced by progesterone, it can produce weight gain, headaches, bad temper, chronic fatigue and loss of interest in sex - all of which are part of the clinically recognized premenstrual syndrome.
2. Not only has it been well established that estrogen dominance encourages the development of breast cancer thanks to estrogen's proliferative actions, it also stimulates breast tissue and can trigger fibrocystic breast disease - a condition which wanes when natural progesterone is introduced to balance the estrogen.
3. Excess estrogen implies a progesterone deficiency. This, in turn, leads to a decrease in the rate of new bone formation in a woman's body by the osteoblasts - the cells responsible for doing this job. Although most doctors are not yet aware of it, this is the prime cause of osteoporosis.
4. Estrogen dominance increases the risk of fibroids. One of the interesting facts about fibroids is that, regardless of the size, fibroids commonly atrophy once menopause arrives and a woman's ovaries are no longer making estrogen. Doctors who commonly use progesterone with their patients have discovered that giving a woman natural progesterone may cause fibroids to atrophy.
5. In estrogen-dominant menstruating women where progesterone is not peaking and falling in a normal way each month, the ordered shedding of the womb lining doesn't take place. Menstruation becomes irregular. This condition can usually be corrected by making lifestyle changes and using a natural progesterone product. It is easy to diagnose by having a doctor measure the level of progesterone in the blood at certain times of the month.
6. Endometrial cancer (cancer of the womb) develops only where there is estrogen dominance or unopposed estrogen. This, too, can be prevented by the use of natural progesterone. The use of the synthetic progestins may also help prevent it, which is why a growing number of doctors no longer give non-human estrogens without combining them with progesterone drug during HRT. However, all synthetic progestins have side effects.
7. Water logging of the cells and an increase in intercellular sodium, which predispose a woman to high blood pressure or hypertension, frequently occur with estrogen dominance. These can also be side effects of progestins use. A natural progesterone cream often resolves this problem.
8. The risk of stroke and heart disease is increased dramatically when a woman is estrogen-dominant. [Leslie Kenton, Passage to Power, Random House, UK, 1995]

Progesterone Low or Estrogen Dominance

Research has shown that many women in their 30s - some even younger - will occasionally not ovulate during their menstrual month.[1] Without ovulation, no corpus luteum results and no progesterone is made. A progesterone deficiency ensues and several problems can result from this, one being the month-long presence of unopposed estrogen with all its attendant side-effects.

A second major problem results from the interrelationship between progesterone loss and stress. Stress combined with a bad diet can induce cycles where ovulation does not occur. The consequent lack of progesterone interferes with the production of the stress-combating hormones, worsening stressful conditions that give rise to further anovulatory cycles and so continues the vicious cycle.

Another major factor contributing to this imbalance between estrogen and progesterone is the industrialized world now live in, immersed in a rising sea of petrochemical derivatives. They are in the air, food and water and include pesticides and herbicides (such as DDT, dieldrin, heptachlor, etc.) as well as various plastics (polycarbonated plastics found in babies bottles and water jugs) and PCBs. These estrogen-mimics are highly fat-soluble, not biodegradable or well excreted, and accumulate in the fat tissue of animals and humans. These chemicals have an uncanny ability to mimic natural estrogen and thus are given the name "xeno-estrogens" since, although they are foreign chemicals, they are taken up by the estrogen receptor sites in the body, seriously interfering with natural biochemical activity. Drinking sodas out of plastic bottles is one of the leading causes of estrogen dominance.

Extensive research is now revealing an alarming situation worldwide, created by the inundation of these hormone-mimics. In their book, Our Stolen Future, authors Theo Colburn of the World Wildlife Fund, Dianne Dumanoski of The Boston Globe, and John Peterson Meyers, a zoologist, have identified 51 hormone mimics, each able to unleash a torrent of effects such as reduced sperm production, cell division and sculpting of the developing brain. These mimics are not only linked to the recent discovery that human sperm counts worldwide have plunged by 50% between 1938 and 1990 but also to genital deformities, breast, prostate and testicular cancer, and neurological disorders.

Causes & Development

---

Dr. John Lee, MD has discovered a consistent theme running through women's complaints of the distressing and often debilitating symptoms of PMS, peri-menopause and menopause: too much estrogen or, in other words, estrogen dominance. Now, instead of estrogen playing its essential role within the well-balanced symphony of steroid hormones in a woman's body, it has begun to overshadow the other players, creating biochemical dissonance. Even natural estrogens should not be prescribed unless it is clear that a deficiency exists.

Signs & Symptoms

---

Female hormone imbalances can manifest in many and diverse symptoms. More specific suggestions regarding individual hormone levels may be made elsewhere in this report.

Diagnosis & Tests

---

The hormone issue is a complicated one. There are three types of natural estrogen, and multiple degradation pathways and metabolites. Depending on the area of concern, a skilled natural doctor should be able to recommend those tests which will yield the most information, and guide you into balance. While a therapeutic trial of progesterone may help a condition of estrogen dominance, specific laboratory testing on a doctor's recommendation should be conducted prior to hormone replacement. Blood, saliva, or urine measurements may be made. Your doctor should be aware that the timing of specimen collection in relation to your cycle is important in progesterone testing. The best time is day 21 - 24 of your cycle (sooner if cycle is shorter and later if cycle is longer). If progesterone levels are normal, elevated estrogens can be reduced by means other than progesterone use.

The need for testing is seen in the situation of two menopausal women having similar symptoms but one with elevated estrogens (or an imbalance of estrogens) and the other with low estrogens. Both may have normal or low levels of progesterone. Giving natural estrogen to a woman in menopause seems the logical thing to do, but may make the situation worse if her levels are already too high. Giving a women low in estrogen, more progesterone won’t solve the underlying deficiency.

Treatment & Prevention

---

Dr. Lee has been able to balance the estrogen-dominance effect through the use of transdermal natural progesterone cream.

Anti-aging Benefits of Natural Progesterone

1. Progesterone is a primary precursor in the biosynthesis of the adrenal corticosteroids. Without adequate progesterone, synthesis of the cortisones is impaired and the body turns to alternate pathways. These alternate pathways have masculine-producing side effects such as long facial hairs and thinning of scalp hair. Further impaired corticosteroid production results in a decrease in the ability to handle stress, e.g., surgery, trauma or emotional stress.
2. Many peri- or post-menopausal women with clinical signs of hypothyroidism, such as fatigue, lack of energy, intolerance to cold, are actually suffering from unrecognized estrogen dominance and will benefit from supplementation with natural progesterone.
3. Estrogen and most of the synthetic progestins increase intracellular sodium and water uptake. The effect of this is hypertension. Natural progesterone is a natural diuretic and prevents the cell's uptake of sodium and water, thus preventing hypertension.
4. Whereas estrogen impairs homeostatic control of glucose levels, natural progesterone stabilizes them. Thus, natural progesterone can be beneficial to both those with diabetes and those with reactive hypoglycemia. Estrogen should be contraindicated in patients with diabetes.
5. Thinning and wrinkled skin is a sign of lack of hydration in the skin. It is common in peri- and post-menopausal women and is a sure sign of hormone depletion. Both estrogen and progesterone restores skin hydration.
6. Progesterone serves a role in keeping brain cells healthy. A disorder such as premature senility (Alzheimer's disease) may be, at least in part, another example of disease secondary to progesterone deficiency.
7. Progesterone is essential for the healthy development of the myelin sheath which protects the nerve cells. Low progesterone levels lead to recurring aches and pains.
8. Progesterone creates and promotes an enhanced sense of emotional well being and psychological self-sufficiency.
9. Progesterone is responsible for enhancing the libido. [John R. Lee, M.D., Slowing the Aging Process with Natural Progesterone, BLL Publishing, CA, USA, 1994, p.14]

Complications

---

Estrogen's role in osteoporosis is only a minor one. Estrogen replacement will reduce bone breakdown, but only progesterone increases new bone growth or deposition. Progesterone deficiency results in bone loss. In a three year study of 63 post-menopausal women with osteoporosis, women using transdermal progesterone cream experienced an average 7 to 8% bone mass density increase in the first year, 4 to 5% the second year, and 3 to 4% in the third year. Untreated women in this age category typically lose 1.5% bone mass density per year.[3] Dr. Lee believes that the use of natural progesterone in conjunction with dietary and lifestyle change can not only stop osteoporosis but can actually reverse it - even in women aged over 70.

Effects of Estrogen Dominance

1. When estrogen is not balanced by progesterone, it can produce weight gain, headaches, bad temper, chronic fatigue and loss of interest in sex - all of which are part of the clinically recognized premenstrual syndrome.
2. Not only has it been well established that estrogen dominance encourages the development of breast cancer thanks to estrogen's proliferative actions, it also stimulates breast tissue and can trigger fibrocystic breast disease - a condition which wanes when natural progesterone is introduced to balance the estrogen.
3. Excess estrogen implies a progesterone deficiency. This, in turn, leads to a decrease in the rate of new bone formation in a woman's body by the osteoblasts - the cells responsible for doing this job. Although most doctors are not yet aware of it, this is the prime cause of osteoporosis.
4. Estrogen dominance increases the risk of fibroids. One of the interesting facts about fibroids is that, regardless of the size, fibroids commonly atrophy once menopause arrives and a woman's ovaries are no longer making estrogen. Doctors who commonly use progesterone with their patients have discovered that giving a woman natural progesterone may cause fibroids to atrophy.
5. In estrogen-dominant menstruating women where progesterone is not peaking and falling in a normal way each month, the ordered shedding of the womb lining doesn't take place. Menstruation becomes irregular. This condition can usually be corrected by making lifestyle changes and using a natural progesterone product. It is easy to diagnose by having a doctor measure the level of progesterone in the blood at certain times of the month.
6. Endometrial cancer (cancer of the womb) develops only where there is estrogen dominance or unopposed estrogen. This, too, can be prevented by the use of natural progesterone. The use of the synthetic progestins may also help prevent it, which is why a growing number of doctors no longer give non-human estrogens without combining them with progesterone drug during HRT. However, all synthetic progestins have side effects.
7. Water logging of the cells and an increase in intercellular sodium, which predispose a woman to high blood pressure or hypertension, frequently occur with estrogen dominance. These can also be side effects of progestins use. A natural progesterone cream often resolves this problem.
8. The risk of stroke and heart disease is increased dramatically when a woman is estrogen-dominant. [Leslie Kenton, Passage to Power, Random House, UK, 1995]

understanding hormones

Diet and Hormones for Fertility & IVF

Eating a healthy diet and maintaining a healthy body weight will optimize your chances of conception by supporting your body and its hormonal functioning.

Your nutrient levels and how well your digestion is functioning is a huge determinant of hormonal balancing in your body. Essential Fatty Acids and nutrients such as vitamin A, B6, zinc, magnesium, and antioxidants are key factors to hormonal balance and therefore fertility.

The body has to expend valuable energy (that could be used within reproductive processes) when it is saturated with junk food and all the liver stressing elements that come with it. The body then works to detoxify, not reproduce.

Enough fiber and optimal liver function are important because once hormones have completed their function, they are processed by the liver and put back into the digestive tract to be eliminated. A Liver Detox before beginning any fertility programs is usually a good idea.

Food sensitivities are also important to be determined, they effect digestion and will ultimately decrease your absorption of vital nutrients, and therefore compromise your hormone balance. Most people already know if they are allergic to things such as peanuts and shellfish, but other commonly eaten foods such as dairy and wheat products cause problems without people knowing. Eliminate or at least limit greatly your comsumption of milk, cheese, cream, sour cream, bread, pastas, and flour. After a couple of weeks, once the cravings for these items is waning, reassess how you are feeling, your energy levels, headaches, libido, bowel habits, etc.. If you feel a lot better than usual, it is almost certain that you are sensitive to these foods.

It is also recommended strongly, if you are a meat eater, to make the switch to organic. The growth hormones (i.e. testosterone) in commercial meats wreak havoc on your hormonal balance.

Weight and Hormonal Balance

You probably know if you have issues with being overweight. If you think you may have an eating disorder, consult a counsellor that specializes in this area. Being underweight is also a problem for women trying to concieve.

Fat cells continually release estrogen, which suppresses the pituitary gland and therefore the release of follicle stimulating hormone, in turn making it difficult for the body to reach a state where ovulation can occur. Being overweight obviously can effect fertility.

Too little fat cells in the body (being more than 15% underweight) causes estrogen levels to drop and cause intermittent menstruation, or an altogether stopping of the menses. This may also effect the quality of cervical mucus.

Find your ideal weight. Do not go on any intense diets to gain or lose weight, this will throw the body further out of balance. Consult your healthcare professional to discuss your options.

Cortisol Deficiency

Long term low level stress and/or poor nutrition fatigue the adrenals which causes a cortisol deficiency. This stress hormone competes with progesterone for receptor sites, leading to a condition of estrogen dominance and less active progesterone.
Symptoms: (Kidney vacuity), unstable blood sugar levels, extreme tiredness, allergies, candida, fatigue, insomnia, PMS, loss of libido, weak immune system (frequent colds), low blood pressure, alcohol intolerance, chronic fatigue, weak muscles, depression, and headaches.
Solutions: reduce intake of stimulants such as sugar, caffeine, tobacco, and alcohol, healthy diet, relaxation, meditation, yoga, and Chinese herbal medicine.

Too Many Male Hormones

Excess androgens can affect both men and women. In women this is usually a result of PCOS, a poor diet that includes a lot of sugar, refined foods, and simple carbohydrates. Adrenal disorders, anabolic steroid use, corticosteroids, and obesity can also cause this.
Symptoms: acne, ovarian cysts, excess body hair, unstable blood sugar levels, thinning hair on the head, mid-cycle pain, and erratic menses.
Solutions: high fiber vegetarian diet that is low in saturated fats and high in phytoestrogens.

Too Little Progesterone

Progesterone is used to produce three different types of estrogen, testosterone, cortisol, and aldosterone.
It helps control water balance, the use of fat for energy, proper thyroid function, and is a natural antidepressant.
This is the most common hormone to be deficient in all women. When ovulation fails (due to perimenopause or other reasons) progesterone is not produced in the luteal phase (second half of cycle), or it is not produced long enough to sustain implantation. This can happen after using the pill too long, having a miscarriage, or breastfeeding. This is called a luteal phase defect. The luteal phase should be at least 10 days for pregnancy to occur. Progesterone maintains a pregnancy in the beginning, so a deficiency may cause miscarrige.
Women with PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome), faulty secretion of other hormones such as FSH, LH, or prolactin, endometriosis, and menstrual irregularities, may have a progesterone deficiency.
Symptoms: painful or lumpy breasts, headaches at a certain time of the cycle, anxiety, irritability, sleeping problems, unexplained weight gain, PMS, bleeding between periods, and reduced libido.
Solutions: the controversial progesterone therapy, natural progesterone cream, vitamin B6, E, magnesium, and evening primrose oil, vitex agnuscastus (man jing zi, chasteberry), reducing stress, less exercise, and increasing low body weight.

Too Much Estrogen

Environmental estrogens are found in pesticides, plastics, and PCB's (chemical pollutants in the water, air, and soil).
These forms of estrogen are thought to have a major influence on the excessive amounts of estrogen that are being found in both men and women.
Poor diet, with too much refined carbohydrate and saturated animal fat and too little fiber is also responsible.
Eat more high fiber foods (except wheat bran) to prevent excess reuptake of estrogen by the bowel. Organic food reduces your exposure to pesticides, antibiotics, and growth hormones.
Too much fat tissue increases your body's ability to convert male hormones into estrogen. Stress also plays a major role in your liver and digestive system removing excess estrogen.
Symptoms: (Yin excess), puffiness and bloating, water retention, rapid weight gain, breast tenderness, heavy bleeding, mood swings (anxiety, depression, weepiness), sleep problems, migraines, flushed face, low libido, foggy thinking, and high levels of copper in the system. Later, endometriosis, fibroids, gall bladder problems, poor blood sugar control, and hypothyroid conditions may arise. Symptoms in Men: hair loss, headaches, bloating, weight gain, prostate enlargement, irritability, and breat enlargement.
Solutions: low fat high fiber diet, live yogurt (encourage excretion of estrogen), eating cabbage family veggies increases the rate at which the liver converts estrogen into a water-soluble form that can be excreted, increase protein intake to improve estrogen metabolism in the liver, vitamin B6 reduces the effects of excess estrogen, more exercise, less stress, and lose weight.

Too Little Estrogen

The years leading up to menopause show a decrease in estrogen levels. Estrogen deficiencies also arise when estrogen is leached from the body via a diet too rich in wheat fober, or if not enough estrogen is recycled by the bowels or liver. It may also be caused by low body weight, vitamin A deficiency, too much exercise, smoking, taking antibiotics, or being on the contraceptive pill for too long.
Symptoms: (Yin vacuity), irregular menses, vaginal dryness, painful intercourse, hot flashes, night sweats, bladder infections, dry skin, lethargy and depression, and signs of premature aging such as memory loss.
Solutions: eating phytoestrogen rich foods and herbs (legumes, alfalfa sprouts, flax seeds, oats, hops, fennel, parsley, cabbage, brussels sprouts, broccoli, cherries, and soy), and B vitamins which contain PABA that stimulates the pituitary to produce estrogen.

Low Progesterone, Clomid as treatment

Reasons ,Symptoms ,Results of Low Progesterone

Progesterone is a steroid hormone made by the ovary at ovulation and in low amounts by the adrenal glands. Progesterone is manufactured in the body from the steroid hormone pregnenolone, and is a precursor to most of the other steroid hormones, including cortisol, androstenedione, the estrogens and testosterone. When there is a low progesterone level, it needs to be replaced. The most important role of progesterone is to balance or oppose the effects of estrogen.

When progesterone levels are low the following symptoms may occur:

* Depression * Decreased libido * Fibrocystic breasts * Food and sugar cravings * Uterine fibroids * Irregular or excessive uterine bleeding * Endometriosis * PMS * Infertility * Weight gain * Increased blood clotting * Thyroid dysfunction

Three symptoms of low progesterone include early disintegration of the corpus luteum, poor follicle production, and the failure of the uterine lining to respond to normal levels of progesterone, which may cause a miscarriage. One way to determine if low progesterone is the problem is by charting your basal body temperature. If the temperature drops early after ovulation, usually before the tenth day, there might be a problem with progesterone levels. Another way to determine if there is enough progesterone to sustain the pregnancy is with an endometrial biopsy. This is a test where a small section of uterine tissue is removed during the second half of a woman’s cycle to determine if it is developing correctly.

Why Clomid is taken ???

Clomid is actually quite a potent and somewhat complicated medication. It is capable of reacting with all of the tissues in the body that have estrogen receptors. These tissues include hypothalamus, pituitary, ovary, endometrium, vagina, and cervix. Clomid influences the way that the four hormones required for ovulation, GnRH, FSH, LH and estradiol, relate and interrelate. While we do not completely understand the mechanisms by which this drug works, in essence it appears that Clomid fools the body into believing that the estrogen level is low. This altered feedback information causes the hypothalamus (an area of the brain) to make and release more gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) which in turn causes the pituitary to make and release more FSH and LH. More follicle stimulating hormone and more luteinizing hormone should result in the release of one or more mature eggs - ovulation.

Clomid Intake increase/Decrease & when ,what days?

When used for ovulation induction, Clomid is taken orally for approximately five days early in the menstrual cycle. Depending upon your clinic protocol this may start as early as day 3 or as late as day 5. It is important to remember that the first day of the menstrual cycle is the first day of normal bleeding, not spotting. Most women begin with an initial dose of one tablet (50 mg.) per day. This dose may be increased by your physician in subsequent cycles if pregnancy does not occur. Once ovulating, most pregnancies occur in the first 6 cycles of treatment. Clomid is said to be able to induce ovulation in as much as 85% of the women who use it, though only half of those will actually become pregnant. Most authorities agree that continuing for more than 6 ovulatory cycles in not likely to increase the chances of success.

At many clinics a pelvic examination or ultrasound is done each cycle shortly before starting on CC in order to determine if there are any ovarian or uterine abnormalities. Approximately 5% of women using Clomid will develop an ovarian cyst at some time during their treatment period. These cysts are benign and will usually resolve spontaneously without any treatment, but may cause discomfort. If you are using Clomid and do not have a menstrual period by cycle day 35, you may have failed to ovulate or you may be pregnant! In either event you need to schedule a visit to your doctor to ascertain what is happening. If you are not pregnant, your doctor may prescribe other medications to help bring on your period. Extended luteal phases (late periods, long cycles) are not uncommon on Clomid.

What are the side effects of Clomiphene?

Twin pregnancies may occur in as many as 5% of the women who use Clomid. Triplet pregnancies are far more rare. Other reported adverse effects include ovarian enlargement 13.6%,Vasomotor Flushes 10.4%, abdominal or pelvic discomfort, distention or bloating 5.5%, nausea and vomiting 2.2%, breast discomfort 2.1%, visual symptoms (blurred vision, lights, floaters, waves, unspecified visual complaints, photophobia, diplopia, scotoma, etc.) 1.5%, headache 1.3% and abnormal uterine bleeding (intermenstrual spotting, menorrhagia)

Did your OB&GYN discuss all these ,Side effects of Clomid,Increase or decrease of clomid and explain how ovulation takes place ,if no please refer following URL :

http://www.oasisserene.com/hormones… http://infertility.about.com/cs/clo… http://www.fwhc.org/health/moon.htm… http://www.conceivingconcepts.com/l… http://www.conceivingconcepts.com/c…

Personal Recommendation Instead of KY Jelly or Astroglide or Replens try using Pre-seed lubricant next time during your intercourse,cause most of time's Sperms cant be motile in the above lub's and if they are motile upto 70% than they can't sustain life of 20-24 hours long ,so better use Pre-seed,it costs something around 170-180$ & can be used atleast 6-10 times,but it work wonders.

Am I /Will I be Pregnant : Well dear its really too early to say these cause mostly after using Clomid the success rate for Conception is around 25-40% not more.Better see the Cervical Mucus change,Measure your Leutal phase (14 days by default) and measure your basal temp ,if you get mid ovulation pain than yes you are pregnant and if you have leautal problem we recommend at times for few patients to watch leautal phases of Moon that also makes difference at times.Though its just natural remedy.

(Rated by 11 Council Members)