Female Hormones

Stress and Your Female Hormones

Thursday, September 2, 2010 by Kimberly Day

Women produce two major sex hormones, estrogen and progesterone. These hormones help to

keep in balance the various functions of the nervous systems, and they can have a strong impact on how you respond to stress. For example, estrogen tends to affect the levels of serotonin and acts as a natural mood elevator, whereas progesterone affects the levels of dopamine and has a sedative or calming effect. When these hormones (and subsequently, neurotransmitters) are out of balance in relation to one another, stress symptoms can be aggravated.

Additionally, stress itself can cause or aggravate hormone imbalances. In fact, it can interfere with your ability to ovulate, thereby blocking progesterone production and pushing further into estrogen dominance. This can lead to severe PMS, menstrual cramps, anxiety, fibroids, endometriosis, and infertility.

Studies from journals as varied as Human Stress, Psychosomatics, and Acta Psychiatry of Scandinavian have all shown that women with stressful lives are much more likely to experience PMS symptoms. In fact, a study from the Archives of Family Medicine found that women who suffered from PMS scored four times higher on a stress scale than other women.

Another Scandinavian study looked at baboons living in captivity. Researchers found that those who developed endometriosis had higher stress levels and were less able to react positively to stress as compared to baboons in the wild.

Like their estrogen dominant sisters, estrogen deficient women must also manage stress carefully. Not only can stress reduce estrogen levels, but it can reduce production of all female hormones. This can lead to a worsening of menopause symptoms, including hot flashes, insomnia, depression, and vaginal and tissue dryness, as well as other related issues, such as heart health.

A study from the journal Menopause looked at more than 400 women between the ages of 37 and 47 who were still menstruating. Researchers gave the participants an anxiety test at the start of the study and again six years later. By this time, many of the women were experiencing irregular periods and hot flashes.

The researchers found that those women with the highest anxiety levels had almost five times as many hot flashes as the less anxious women. Women with moderate anxiety had three times as many hot flashes. A second study from the Maternal and Child Health Journal found that vaginal dryness (also a common symptom of estrogen deficiency) was significantly associated with high emotional or psychological stress.

For more information on stress and female hormones, visit Dr. Lark’s Web site.

Fibroid-Fighting Recommendation #4

Wednesday, September 1, 2010 by Susan Lark

My fourth fibroid-fighting recommendation is to slim down with exercise. Excess body fat is a significant site of estrogen manufacture in your body and tends to sustain estrogen dominance.

If you’re overweight, I recommend exercising for an hour at least five days a week. Of course, regardless of your weight, it’s important to exercise. A recent study found that women who exercise regularly are significantly less likely to have fibroids that grow large enough to cause problems.

To learn more about balancing female hormones, estrogen dominance, and much more, visit my Web site.

Female Hormones and Stress

Wednesday, September 1, 2010 by Kimberly Day

Stress can exacerbate virtually every female problem, from PMS through menopause symptoms,

by interfering with the production and function of normal female hormones.

Dr. Lark has seen this first hand in her practice. Women come in with severe PMS symptoms, fibroid tumors, and endometriosis, as well as hot flashes, insomnia, and night sweats. When she asks them what is going on in their personal life, more often than not, they have an extremely stressful situation they are dealing with.

Unfortunately, even if you are eating the perfect diet, exercising every day, and taking the recommended nutritional supplements religiously, excessive stress can literally neutralize the benefits of everything positive that you are doing. But the good news is that the reverse is also true. You can create miracles by handling stress in a positive, self-nurturing, life-enhancing manner.

By discovering and taking the emotional and spiritual journey towards a stress-free life, you’ll begin to notice several amazing changes. Your mood will lift and even out, you’ll feel much more loving and joyful, you’ll begin to sleep like a baby, you’ll experience more positive dreams, and you’ll have a new appreciation for your friends and family. What you may not also realize is that your health will greatly improve too, particularly your hormone health.

For more information on female hormones, visit Dr. Lark’s Web site.

Fibroid-Fighting Recommendation #3

Monday, August 30, 2010 by Susan Lark

My third recommendation for fighting fibroids naturally is to add nutrients that have special effects for the uterus and female hormones--especially estrogen levels.

N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) normalizes the ovarian cycle, boosting natural progesterone levels to reestablish balanced estrogen levels. Take 1,200 mg daily.

Vitex (chaste tree berry) contains at least three phytoestrogens which block estrogen from its receptors and significantly help bring estrogen levels and progesterone levels into balance. It also helps to promote healthy ovulation, which is necessary for progesterone production. I recommend 225 mg per day of a standardized product.

To learn more about balancing female hormones and much more, visit my Web site.

Fibroid-Fighting Recommendation #2

Saturday, August 28, 2010 by Susan Lark

My #2 recommendation for fighting fibroids naturally is to use supplements that are known to fibroids heal and resolve.

Start by taking a top-quality, broad-spectrum multinutrient that contains at least 50 mg of B complex vitamins, 100 mg of vitamin B6, 1,000 mg of buffered vitamin C, 700 mg of bioflavonoids, 600 IU of vitamin E, 800 mg of calcium, and 400 mg of magnesium every day. These nutrients help support the liver’s ability to metabolize estrogen (and therefore balance estrogen levels), block its fibroid-stimulating effects, maintain healthy uterine muscle tone, and help reestablish healthy balance of female hormones.

For more hormone-balancing recommendations, visit my Web site.

Fight Fibroids Naturally

Friday, August 27, 2010 by Susan Lark

Uterine fibroids affect 30–40 percent of women by age 50. However, fibroids rarely cause symptoms, so they’re often overlooked. Their growth is triggered by estrogen dominance, since estrogen is a growth-stimulating hormone. Estrogen dominance is a common hormonal imbalance during perimenopause, and fibroids often disappear on their own after menopause.

The problem with fibroids occurs when they get big enough or numerous enough to cause pain or increased bleeding during or between periods. Some women also experience more frequent urination or changes in bowel habits because of the enlarged fibroids pressing against the bladder or colon.

Many doctors recommend a hysterectomy to remove fibroids and prevent new ones from forming—after all, if you don’t have a uterus, you can’t have uterine fibroids. But hysterectomies can cause so many other problems in the long term, that I truly believe that they should be reserved only for extremely severe cases that cannot be resolved with any other treatments. Today and in the days to come, I am going to give you my top 5 recommendations for safely, naturally, and effectively dealing with uterine fibroids.

#1: Eat for hormonal balance. One key to bringing estrogen levels back into balance is to avoid foods that stimulate estrogen production and raise estrogel levels, such as alcohol, sugar, and saturated fats. Let your meals revolve around phytoestrogens—substances that are chemically and functionally similar to a woman’s own natural estrogen, except that natural plant estrogens are much weaker and less potent. Phytoestrogens soften estrogen’s effects. Fibroid tissue is studded with estrogen receptors, and phytoestrogens bind to those receptors, displacing the more potent estrogen.

Colorful fruits and vegetables, whole grains such as buckwheat and ground flax meal are great phytoestrogen sources that are also rich in the vitamins and minerals needed to balance estrogen levels, strengthen capillaries, and reduce uterine bleeding. As for supplements, I recommend 4–6 tablespoons of ground flaxseed, or 700–3,000 mg of bioflavonoids taken in divided doses.

To learn more about balancing female hormones and much more, visit my Web site.

Conventional Hormone Replacement Therapy and Strokes?

Saturday, August 21, 2010 by Susan Lark

Did you know that taking conventional hormone replacement therapy increases your risk for stroke? In fact, preliminary studies show that in younger females, estrogen actually protects brain tissue traumatized by stroke, but after menopause estrogen becomes neurotoxic: It takes the area of the brain damaged by stroke and actually enlarges it.

It is important to remember that conventional hormone replacement therapy does not cure menopause symptoms, it only postpones them. For the majority of women, menopause symptoms come back when they discontinue hormone therapy, whether they quit cold-turkey or gradually wean off. But alternative therapies, such as supplements and bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, actually target the causative hormonal imbalance, rather than the symptoms.

Review all my menopause-related entries in this blog, and my Web site, for more information about natural solutions for menopause relief.

Fight Diabetes with Tea

Wednesday, August 18, 2010 by Kimberly Day

According to a new study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, people who drank three to four cups of regular or decaf coffee or tea a day reduced their risk of developing diabetes by 25 percent! Researchers attributed magnesium and antioxidant lignans (among other things) to the potential health benefits of these beverages.

I personally find about half of this news to be good. As I’ve written before, a study from the October 2001 issue of Fertility and Sterility found that caffeine elevates estrogen levels in women. Similarly, a from the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston found that the more coffee a woman consumed, the higher her estrogen levels were likely to be. Researchers went on to caution women against drinking more than two cups of coffee per day.

Conversely, the news about tea (especially green tea) is all good! Not only does tea appear to help protect against cancer, but it also helps promote natural weightloss. Plus, it has been shown to be cardio-protective, while also ease the pain associated with rheumatoid arthritis.

My advice? To help decrease your risk of diabetes, opt for green tea and skip the java. You can lower your blood sugar without raising your estrogen levels, while also promoting natural healthy weight loss. Now that’s something to cheer about!

For more information on female hormones, weight loss, or other women’s health related topics, visit Dr. Lark’s Web site.

Great Friends, Great Health

Monday, August 16, 2010 by Kimberly Day

I just finished reading a great book that celebrated the power of female friendships, and shortly after, received this email from my mother-in-law. Clearly, the universe is telling me to

pass the love along and remind us all to cherish our female friends.

The story apparently comes from the head of psychiatry at Stanford University (ironically, Dr. Lark served on the clinical faculty of Stanford’s Medical School and taught in their Division of Family and Community Medicine). During a lecture, he said that “one of the best things that a man could do for his health is to be married to a woman whereas for a woman, one of the best things she could do for her health was to nurture her relationships with her girlfriends.”

Naturally, everyone laughed, until it became clear that he was serious. He went on to explain:

“Women connect with each other differently and provide support systems that help each other to deal with stress and difficult life experiences. Physically this quality ‘girlfriend time’ helps us to create more serotonin—a neurotransmitter that helps combat depression and can create a general feeling of well-being.

“Women share feelings whereas men often form relationships around activities. They rarely sit down with a buddy and talk about how they feel about certain things or how their personal lives are going. Jobs? Yes. Sports? Yes. Cars? Yes. Fishing, hunting, golf? Yes. But their feelings? Rarely.

“Women do it all of the time. We share from our souls with our sisters and, evidently, that is very good for our health. He said that spending time with a friend is just as important to our general health as jogging or working out at a gym….In fact, he said that failure to create and maintain quality personal relationships with other humans is as dangerous to our physical health as smoking!”

We all likely know inherently that our friendships (usually!) bring us joy and peace. So, I encourage us all to reach out this week to all of our amazing women friends. Be it your mother, sister, aunt, family friend, in-law, niece, child, grandchildren, or best girlfriend…tell them you love them. Make time for them. Listen. Share. Laugh. Love.

For more information on overall health, female hormones, or other women’s health related topics, visit Dr. Lark’s Web site.

Estrogen Dominance and Lycopene

Saturday, August 14, 2010 by Kimberly Day

Lycopene is one of the most concentrated carotenoids found in the blood, organs, and tissues of the body. One of the most important health benefits of lycopene is its ability to reduce the risk

of cancer, particularly cancers of the reproductive tract.

One study in particular from the International Journal of Cancer found that the 75 percent of women who ate the least amount of tomatoes (a rich source of lycopene) were three to five times more at risk for pre-cancerous lesions of the cervix than those who ate a lycopene-rich diet. Another study found that a diet high in lycopene significantly reduced the risk of ovarian cancer in women in premenopause. Investigators suggested that consumption of fruits, vegetables and food items high in carotene and lycopene, particularly raw carrots and tomato sauce, may reduce the risk of ovarian cancer.

Help reduce your risk for estrogen-dependent cancers by eating foods high in lycopene, including tomatoes and carrots, as well as red peppers, watermelon, apricots, cantaloupe, pumpkin, guava, and sweet potatoes.

For more information on balancing female hormones and premenopause, visit Dr. Lark’s Web site.

What to Expect During Your First Mammogram

Wednesday, August 11, 2010 by Lauren Kent

Last week, during my annual exam with my doctor, she suggested I get a mammogram to establish a baseline. I was not expecting this. I'm 37 (almost 38), and thought I wouldn't have

to deal with such things for a few more years.

I have to admit, I was nervous. Who hasn't heard horror stories from other women about how awful a mammogram is? I was also a bit worried about the results. While I've never found a lump, my paternal grandmother did have breast cancer, so the risk is always in the back of my mind.

I scheduled the appointment for later that week and then started asking women around my office what to expect. This was not helpful. It was a little bit like hearing other women's childbirth stories when I was pregnant.

So, if you are wondering what to expect at your first mammogram, here's what I can tell you:

They will ask you not to wear deodorant for the mammogram. I wish I had known this upfront so that I could have scheduled an appointment for first thing in the morning. Instead, I ended up with an 11:30 am appointment on a warm summer day. (My apologies to my colleagues if there was an unpleasant smell coming from my office.)
You will have to undress from the top up. So, it's best not to wear dresses or other one-piece outfits. And, they'll give you a gown to cover-up.
The person doing the mammogram will manipulate your body to get the best pictures. Just let them move you. Don't try to help them. Just (try to) relax and let them position your arms, breasts, etc.
The actual mammogram will be uncomfortable, but compared to childbirth, it is nothing! Yes, your breasts will feel smushed. And there is pressure. But it is quick. The entire process took about 5-10 minutes. Since my office was near the center, I was back at my desk by 11:45.

Hopefully, this information will be helpful for some of you out there!

For more information on anything related to female hormones, from breast cancer risk to menopause symtoms, visit Dr. Lark's Web site.

Understanding Bioidentical Hormone Replacement

Saturday, August 7, 2010 by Kimberly Day

Trying to reverse female hormone issues can be quite complicated, especially when you are

trying to increase estrogen levels to offset menopause symptoms. And with all the negative side effects surrounding conventional hormone replacement therapy, many women don't know where to turn.

Fortunately, you don't have to look any further than bioidentical hormone replacement. Biochemically identical hormones are molecularly identical to the hormones found in the human body. Moreover, they are produced in the laboratory from natural ingredients such as soy and wild yam, derived from plants, not horse urine. Since bioidentical hormones are biologically similar to the hormones your body produces, they do not appear to have the grave risks associated with conventional HRT.

The bioidentical estrogen that Dr. Lark typically recommends is estriol. Of the three types of estrogen produced within your body, estriol is the weakest and least potent. More importantly, several research studies have found that it is as effective as the stronger, more potent estrogens for treating menopause symptoms.

One study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that estriol was particularly effective in treating vaginal atrophy, mood swings, and hot flashes. Researchers selected 52 symptomatic, postmenopausal women and separated them into four groups, giving each group either 2 mg, 4 mg, 6 mg, or 8 mg of estriol per day for six months. On average, women in every group experienced a decrease in their menopausal symptoms after one month of treatment. Furthermore, in the groups with the three highest dosages, women who had ranked their symptoms as severe now felt that their symptoms were very mild.

Estriol and all biochemically identical estrogen have to be prescribed by your physician. Estriol is available at most compounding pharmacies, as well as a few mainstream pharmacies, including the Women’s International Pharmacy in Madison, Wisconsin, which sends estriol formulations to physicians throughout the U.S.

For more information on bioidentical hormone replacement or other natural hormone replacement therapy options, visit Dr. Lark's Web site.

Estrogen Levels in Food and the Environment

Friday, July 30, 2010 by Kimberly Day

While estrogen levels decline with age, the amount of estrogen in your body is influenced by a range of other factors, including diet and environmental toxins—a topic that has not

received sufficient attention to date.

Meat, poultry, and dairy foods contain estrogens that have been injected into the animals to fatten them for market. One of the synthetic estrogens routinely given to livestock was DES (diethylstilbestrol). DES was also given to women to prevent miscarriages and symptoms of menopause, until it was associated with birth defects in their offspring and was finally banned in 1979. However, today poultry and livestock, especially dairy cows, are still given other forms of estrogen compounds. Hormones such as estrogen accumulate in fatty tissue in the animals we eat as well as in us, and high-fat diets have been associated with changes in human estrogen levels.

Caffeine and alcohol consumption can also influence estrogen levels. Excessive alcohol intake can affect the liver’s ability to break down estrogen for excretion, thereby elevating the body’s blood estrogen levels, particularly of the more chemically active forms of estrogen. Even public water supplies may contain estrogens, if that water is recycled at treatment plants and still contains traces of excreted synthetic estrogens, such as those contained in birth control pills and excreted from the bodies of women using these products.

Additionally, pollutants that have estrogen-like activity when they are taken into the body (xenoestrogens) are found in an enormous range of products for the home and workplace. They are present in cosmetics, detergents and dishwashing liquids, and bug spray. Pesticides and industrial chemicals such as organochlorines, dioxins, and PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) also contain substances related to estrogen.

There are many suspected health consequences of our wide exposure to xenoestrogens, including an increased risk of PMS and breast cancer. This problem has also affected male reproductive health, and has been implicated in lowering sperm counts in men all over the world.

To avoid these dangers, be sure to take the following precautions:

Eat organic as often as possible, especially when it comes to animal-based products such as meat, eggs, dairy, etc.
Limit (if not avoid) caffeine and alcohol consumption. Aim for no more one or two caffeinated or alcoholic beverage per week.
Use natural beauty care products.
Choose natural, chemical-free household products as often as possible.

For more information on estrogen levels or other issues related to female hormones, visit Dr. Lark’s Web site.

Female Hormones’ Check and Balances

Wednesday, July 28, 2010 by Kimberly Day

Your two primary female hormones (estrogen and progesterone) are naturally design to create a sort of biological check and balance within your body. These two hormones, working

together, help regulate a notably wide range of physiological processes.

For instance, estrogen increases body fat, while progesterone helps the body burn fat for energy. Estrogen also promotes salt and fluid retention, whereas progesterone is a natural diuretic, increasing the flow of urine. Estrogen promotes blood clotting, while progesterone normalizes clotting. Furthermore, estrogen impairs blood sugar control, and progesterone normalizes blood sugar levels.

When these hormones are in balance, they help keep your entire body in balance.

For more information on estrogen levels or other issues related to female hormones, visit Dr. Lark’s Web site.

Three Types of Estrogen

Monday, July 26, 2010 by Kimberly Day

Estrogen, along with progesterone, is one of the two major female hormones that support the functioning of the female reproductive organs and the menstrual cycle. The ovaries and

adrenal glands produce substantial amounts of estrogen during your active reproductive years and continue to produce small amounts after menopause.

While we are accustomed to using the term estrogen, this term actually refers to several different types of estrogens made within the body. At least six types of estrogen have been identified and are classified according to their potency or strength/influence of that particular form of estrogen. For example, estrogen is a growth-stimulating hormone, causing tissues to grow and thicken; it also causes water and salt to be retained within the tissues of the body. The more potent and powerful forms of estrogen cause these effects to occur in a more pronounced fashion.

The three main types of estrogen produced within the body are estradiol, estrone, and estriol.

Estradiol is the most potent form of estrogen. It is the primary type of estrogen produced by the ovaries during your reproductive years.
Estrone is an intermediate-potency form of estrogen, 12 times weaker than estradiol. It is mainly produced within the fatty tissue of the body from precursor hormones made by the adrenal glands. Obviously, the more weight a woman carries, the more adrenal estrogen she is capable of making.
Estriol is the weakest form of estrogen produced by the body. It is 80 times weaker than estradiol.

For more information on estrogen levels or other issues related to female hormones, visit Dr. Lark’s Web site.

Understanding Estrogen

Friday, July 23, 2010 by Kimberly Day

Estrogen is the “queen bee” of the female hormones. As one of the two major female hormones, it is an especially important factor in health for women. When many women enter their

menopausal years, it’s as if they cross over an invisible line in their lives.

As a result of the decline in their estrogen levels, these women find that many of the functions needed for peak performance, which had formerly been effortless, seem to evaporate or diminish. While women often do complain of menopause symptoms that are strictly physical—such as vaginal dryness, more frequent bladder and vaginal infections, and dryness of the skin—they complain just as often about menopause symptoms that impair their job performance, social relationships, and even their ability to take pleasure in day-to-day activities.

The negative effects of the natural decline in female hormone production during menopause are not uncommon. Menopausal symptoms are so common in the United States that 80 to 85 percent of American women experience them to some degree. A small number of these women are lucky enough to have mild symptoms, such as occasional hot flashes over a period of a few months to a year. However, the majority of women have menopause symptoms that are bothersome enough to cause them to seek the help of physicians or complementary health care practitioners, or to seek solutions on their own by reading books and articles and exploring the use of natural hormones, vitamins, and herbs to relieve their symptoms.

For more information on menopause symptoms or other issues related to female hormones, visit Dr. Lark’s Web site.

Cholesterol and Female Hormones

Wednesday, July 21, 2010 by Kimberly Day

Female hormones are produced through a series of chemical reactions, beginning with cholesterol. Of the total cholesterol in the body, about 75 percent is produced in the liver. The

remaining 25 percent is supplied in the diet by foods such as meat and dairy products.

Both the overproduction and the underproduction of cholesterol can lead to hormone imbalances. People who go on stringent low-fat diets may lower their levels of cholesterol to such a degree that they don’t have enough to make sufficient amounts of hormones. For example, teenage girls who go on crash diets often have irregular menstrual cycles, as their body’s production of estrogen and progesterone, which regulates the cycle, diminishes.

At the other extreme, people who are obese and eat the high-fat foods of the standard American diet have the opposite risk: Their bodies make too much cholesterol, making them prone to diseases and disorders related to estrogen dominance, including premenstrual syndrome (PMS), fibroid tumors, fibrocystic disease of the breast, heavy menstrual bleeding, and uterine cancer.

For more information on estrogen levels or other issues related to female hormones, visit Dr. Lark’s Web site.

What Are Sex Hormones?

Tuesday, July 20, 2010 by Kimberly Day

Sex hormones belong to a classification called steroid hormones, which are all derived from cholesterol, a waxy, white, fatty material found in all cells of the body. Other steroid hormones

are the stress hormones, the glucocorticoids, and the mineralocorticoids. The steroid hormones are made in the adrenal glands, as well as the ovaries. Within these tissues, cholesterol is converted to hormones through a number of intermediary steps, leading to the final production of three major sex hormones—estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone.

While women produce all three major sex hormones, the female hormones estrogen and progesterone predominate, supporting normal functioning of the reproductive tract and menstrual cycle. The ovaries and adrenals also make small amounts of male hormones, or androgens. Although they are only secreted in tiny amounts, androgens play a vital role in the female libido, or sex drive, as well as helping to maintain bone mass. The sex hormones also help to determine the physical characteristics, such as skin texture, muscle tone, and body shape.

For more information on estrogen levels or other issues related to female hormones, visit Dr. Lark’s Web site.

Maca for Estrogen Dominance

Friday, July 16, 2010 by Kimberly Day

I have been taking maca for my estrogen dominance for at least five years now. In addition to my foundational supplement regimen, it is the one supplement I simply cannot do without.

Maca is a malty, butterscotch flavored root from Peru that operates as an adaptogenic herb to help regulate hormones produced by glands in the endocrine system. In other words, it helps your body produce its own unique balance of female hormones. It does this by encouraging your ovaries and adrenals to produce the hormones you need, in the levels you need them.

A 2003 study from the Journal of Veterinary Medical Science showed that maca was particularly effective in treating estrogen dominance. Researchers tested the effects of maca on mouse sex hormones. They found that while progesterone and testosterone levels increased significantly in those mice that received the maca, their estradiol levels were not increased. In other words, the maca helped to raise the levels of progesterone and testosterone to offset the blood levels of estradiol.

But that’s not all! Maca is also great for women suffering from menopause symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats. Plus, it has been shown to increase libido and sexual desire!

Dosages for maca can be tricky. It really is based on your own body and needs. Dr. Lark suggests starting with 2–4 grams a day, and some women may need as much as 10 grams a day. There have been no acute toxic effects of maca, even at very high doses. However, due to no formal studies, Dr. Lark recommends that you avoid maca if you have a hormone-related cancer, liver disease, if you are pregnant or nursing, or if you are currently taking conventional HRT.

For more recommendations on estrogen dominance, menopause relief, or other conditions related to female hormones, visit Dr. Lark’s Web site. While there, you can also sign up for Dr. Lark’s FREE eLetter or subscribe to her monthly newsletter.