Sure aging is natural, if you live long enough! Death is natural too, so are wrinkles! But, who doesn’t fight the inevitable? Aging is caused by the slow and steady decline of our bodies’ natural hormones. Our hormones were at their peak when we were young healthy adults. The thyroid hormones, sex hormones and adrenal hormones all decline with age. This decline is associated with the onset of degenerative problems, such as, heart disease, hypertension, strokes, adult onset diabetes, arthritis, Alzheimer’s, and cancer. Numerous symptoms occur with hormonal decline as we age including: loss of energy, weight gain, decreased mental sharpness, depression, anxiety, irritability, joint and muscle pains, headaches, sluggish bowel function, hair loss, cold sensitivities, numbness and tingling in the extremities, insomnia, restless sleep, tiredness after sleep, afternoon fatigue, loss of stamina and endurance, decreased libido, loss of sexual potency, irregular menstrual cycles, fibrocystic breast disease, uterine fibroids, weight gain, and loss of resistance to infections.

These symptoms are so very common that they are considered normal by individuals and physicians alike. But they are not normal, rather they are a sign of a decline in bio-identical hormones that accompany aging. These symptoms are an indication that our bodies are transitioning from health and wellness to sickness and tiredness.

Since aging is caused by a decline in our natural hormones, it can be easily corrected by bio-identical hormone replacement. Think of hormonal decline as a drought. If your grass and plants are withering during the summer months due to a heat wave and lack of rain, then you can accept this as natural and normal, or you can water your yard to ensure that your grass and plants live. So too, when your hormones decline, as they inevitably will, you can replenish them with the same natural, bioidentical hormones, restoring your health, or you can suffer the drought of hormones with all the associated problems. It is your choice.

The average woman who lived 100 years ago did not survive very well. Her life expectancy was approximately 40 years.

Hormones are bioidentical chemical messengers made by the hormone producing glands in the body, known as the endocrine glands. The term hormone is derived from the Greek root hormaein which means to arouse to action or to excite. Hormones are secreted through glandular tissue into the blood stream which carries them to different areas of the body where they exert their effect.

The endocrine system allows the body to respond to both internal and external conditions in order to maintain the body’s internal equilibrium and balance. Ultimately the brain controls the hormonal production by sending messengers, called neurotransmitters, to the endocrine glands signaling them to action. The hormones are produced in minute amounts and are measured in picograms, parts per billion, yet they are very powerful. The influence of the various hormones on the functions of our body is profound. They regulate our growth, sex characteristics, reproductive capabilities and the energy production or metabolism which enables the cells of our body to perform their functions.

You have probably heard of the several of the glands that produce hormones, such as the thyroid gland, the ovaries, the testes and the adrenal glands. The hormones produced by these glands work together synergistically, enhancing one another’s function when they are properly balanced.

Symptoms of estrogen dominanace:

• PMS (premenstrual mood swings, breast tenderness, fluid retention, headaches, cravings, cramping)
• Endometriosis
• Ovarian cysts
• Fibrocystic breast diease
• Uterine fibroids
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Insomnia
• Weight gain
• Migraines
• Heavy periods
• Decreased libido

Estrogen dominance refers to a time during a woman’s menstrual life when the primary influencing hormones are the estrogen hormones. This condition is caused by progesterone deficiency and is the cause of female hormone imbalance. A woman’s ovaries generally function best between a few years after puberty until around age 30. As a woman ages so do her ovaries. By the time a woman reaches 35 years of age she is over halfway through her menstrual life and her ovarian function begins to falter. The progesterone hormone production falls most dramatically over the last half of her menstrual life, between the ages of 35 and 50. This decline in progesterone occurs for two reasons. Firstly, the ovaries are aging and functioning less effectively than they did earlier in life. Secondly, as a woman ages she begins to have menstrual cycles during which her ovaries do not ovulate, that is, they do not give off an egg. This is called an anovulatory cycle. When a woman does not ovulate during a menstrual cycle, her ovaries will produce no progesterone. These are the causes of what is termed “progesterone deficiency”. In these cases the hormones that have the greatest influence in a woman’s body are the estrogen hormones. When this occurs a woman will experience estrogen dominance, meaning her female hormones are imbalanced in favor of the estrogen hormones. Many women have experienced estrogen dominance since puberty. In most women this condition develops as they move through their menstrual lives. The estrogen hormones and progesterone decline as a woman ages. But progesterone declines much more rapidly than do the estrogen hormones. As a woman approaches and enters the change of life, menopause, she may begin to experience the symptoms of declining estrogen hormones manifested by hot flashes and vaginal dryness. By this time progesterone is no longer being produced by the ovaries. Even as she has symptoms of declining estrogen a woman still has estrogen dominance because there is no progesterone to balance the lower levels of estrogen. When a woman enters menopause her ovaries no longer function. Yet she still makes estrogen hormones, primarily estrone, in her fat cells at approximately 50% of what she made premenstrually. The estrogen hormones affect every cell in a woman’s body. Depending on the degree of the progesterone deficiency, estrogen dominance may manifest itself with one. See the section, What are the Symptoms of Estrogen Dominance? In menstruating females Progesterone can be used on days 15 through 28 of the menstrual cycle. The dose of Progesterone will vary depending a woman’s age, size, symptoms and weight. Very few physicians, including Ob-Gyn doctors, have been trained or have the experience to properly dose the biologically identical human hormones correctly. Most physicians, who prescribe these hormones, use much too high of a dose. This can cause adverse symptoms and make you think that you cannot take these bio-identical hormones. It is important to seek the care of a physician who is experienced and who has been successful in evaluating and treating female hormonal imbalances with bio-identical hormones. After a hysterectomy, if the ovaries are removed, the Ob-Gyn will prescribe counterfeit estrogen hormones or horse estrogen, such as Premarin, Ogen or Cenestin. This maintains the condition of estrogen dominance and progesterone deficiency which caused her problems in the first place. The symptoms of estrogen dominance will persist and worsen on the counterfeit estrogen hormones. After a hysterectomy, in which the ovaries were removed, a woman still needs progesterone. Many Ob-Gyn doctors tell women that they do not need progesterone after a hysterectomy because they no longer have a uterus. This would be true if it was only the uterus that had receptors for progesterone. But every cell in the body has receptors for progesterone, most importantly the brain cells. Progesterone balances estrogen and opposes the stimulating effect of estrogen on the cells of the body. Progesterone is also the hormone which stimulates new bone formation and is needed to prevent further bone loss. Menopausal women should take both Bi-Est, a combination of the bio-identical human estrogens, estriol and estradiol, and Progesterone. Additionally, Testosterone may be helpful in restoring a normal sex drive.