Comments for

Comment on Hormones and Breast Cancer by Ann

Ann — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 07:10:31 +0000

I agree with this completely, thanks for the post.

Comment on Progestin vs. Progesterone…what’s the difference? by lala

lala — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 05:33:01 +0000

hi my naim is lala and resently my ginecologist told me that i have to take Duphaston(dydrogesterone), cos i have no period comeing many munth ,and i have PCOS(polycystic ovary syndrome) she told me it will pritect my womb frome geting a cancer,. So i did toock the medicin and i got my period, and naw im not shure is it save 4 me to take it?
and i,d like to know can it give me any waighte incris.
i alsow red some about MERCILON , : IS IT SAVE , ITS GOING TO MAKE UR SKIN BETER AND CONTROL A WAGHTE , AND SO ON…, IM NOT FAT IM ONLY 33 KILOS AND IM 28 YEARS OLD , I JUST LIKE TO GET SOME MORE PROFESSIONAL ADVICE.
THANK YOU SO MUCH SORRY 4 MY ENGLISH , IM NOT ENGLISH NATIVE.

Moderator- dydrogesterone is a synthetic form of progesterone called a progestin. Synthetic progestins frequently cause bloating, headache, fatigue, weight gain, depression, and increased symptoms of PMS by stimulating the estrogen receptors. Progestins have been linked to breast cancer and increased risk for cardiovascular disease. A safer option would be bioidentical micronized progesterone. Progesterone has been shown to decrease headaches and bloating associated with menstruation and protects against uterine and breast cancer, osteoporosis, fibrocystic disease and ovarian cysts.

Mercilon was one of the first low-dose contraceptives. It was launched in 1988 and is available in the US as Mircette. It has a low enough dose of estrogen that it typically doesn’t cause nausea or headaches. Mircilon is usually prescribed for women with moderate bleeding and cramps, irregular and infrequent periods, hypermenorrhea (lots of bleeding) when a period finally occurs and acne, oily skin, and hirsutism (excess body hair) associated with PCOS.

Comment on Saliva vs. Blood Serum Testing by Ernie Baumbach

Ernie Baumbach — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 21:22:05 +0000

A number of doctors: Dr. John R. Lee (now deceased), Dr. Joseph Mercola, Dr. Peter Eckhart have web sites that promote “hormone balancing” as a way to prevent cancer and other ailments that come with aging. Dr. Lee’s site, promotes saliva testing as the only way to accurately test free testosterone, progesterone, etc. His site also markets saliva testing kits. The site states that “serum testing does not discriminate between “free” and protein-bound hormone.”

One problem is that these web sites never provide calendar dates regarding when the information was last considered current…usually implying that it is still current.

Your statements regarding saliva testing suggest that the information on Dr. Lee’s site is no longer accurate. Can you tell me whether or not there is still legitimate disagreements regarding the use and accuracy of saliva testing or is the information on Dr. Lee’s web site on this subject obsolete?

Moderator- There have been several studies that have shown saliva testing to be unreliable. It is very complicated and is typically not done correctly, making the test results questionable. Many proponents of salivary testing don’t realize you can test “free” hormones in the blood easily making their arguments against serum testing obsolete. Some resources for you:

ACOG Committee Opinion- “There is no evidence that hormonal levels in saliva are biologically meaningful. Whereas saliva is an ultrafiltrate of the blood and in theory should be amenable to testing for “free” (unbound) concentrations of hormones, this has not proved to be the case. The problem with salivary testing and monitoring of free hormone levels is twofold: 1) there is no biologically meaningful relationship between salivary sex steroidal hormone concentrations and free serum hormone concentrations and 2) there is large within-patient variablilty in salivary hormone concentrations. Salivary hormone levels vary depending on diet, time of day of testing, the specific hormone being tested, and other variables.” 2005

Caution on the use of saliva measurements to monitor absorption of progesterone from transdermal creams in postmenopausal women. Lewis JG, McGill H, Patton VM, Elder PA. Maturitas 2002; 41:1-6
link to PubMed.gov article

Estrogen and progestin bioactivity of foods, herbs, and spices. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med 1998; 217:369-78
link to Experimental Biology and Medicine article

These are a few of the articles showing the problems with salivary testing…if you need any more resources, let us know.

Comment on All About Fibroids by lorraine gilbert

lorraine gilbert — Sun, 17 Jun 2007 14:41:54 +0000

What happens to fibroids after menopause if a woman has not had surgery to remove them?

All fibroids should stop growing after menopause because of the reduction in estrogen levels. If you supplement with too much estrogen, they could keep growing. That’s one reason it is so important to have your hormone levels checked on a regular basis when you are on hormone replacement therapy. -Moderator