Dr Bernie's Blog

Oestradiol and Progesterone – Your Best Friends Forever

Menopause is the permanent loss of your body’s ability to produce oestradiol and progesterone. While the traditional view of menopause recognizes this fact, it has not yet fully recognized its implications.  What we know today that was not known years ago, is that both of these hormones are essential to your health. 

Traditionally, menopause is simply viewed as the end of menstruation, which often results in a temporary period of symptoms that sometimes need to be treated for a woman’s comfort. 

In fact, oestradiol and progesterone are essential to a woman’s immediate and long-term health and wellbeing.

That this truth is not widely known or understood can be attributed to the fact that oestradiol and progesterone are minor hormones.  In the context of the major hormones such as insulin and cortisol, whose absence causes immediate death, the implications of the loss of oestradiol and progesterone are relatively insignificant, as they are not immediately noticeable.  Prior to the mid 20th century, when women typically died in their fifties and early sixties, primarily from infectious diseases, in the scheme of things, the absence of oestradiol and progesterone was insignificant.

Today, however, women are living decades after the onset of menopause – 30% to 40% of their lives.  And the detrimental effects of the absence of estradiol and progesterone are becoming glaringly evident.

Instead of dying primarily from infectious diseases, women now die from degenerative diseases such as: heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s dementia, osteoporosis, and stroke.  The absence of the sex hormones plays a significant role in promoting these diseases. 

As well, in their menopausal years – the remainder of a woman’s life after menopause begins – women increasingly face other threats to their health such as weight gain, high cholesterol, higher blood pressure, higher blood sugar levels, and increased inflammation.  Also, they deal with problems that include: sleep disruption, digestive issues, loss of libido, compromised mental function, increased anxiety, depression, headaches, and lower energy levels. 

All of these problems and dozens more are attributable, to a degree, to the loss of oestradiol and progesterone, either because the body specifically needs these hormones to optimally perform certain functions, or because the absence of oestradiol and progesterone leads to metabolic imbalance.

Balance with bio-identical hormones

For years people have had to choose between the risks of conventional HRT and the hardships of ageing. Now, the introduction of bio-identical hormones promises healthier, happier and well-balanced lives without the side-effects.

Conventional hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is already widely used to treat menopause and other hormone related problems. Unfortunately, conventional HRT uses synthetic hormones which are not identical in molecular structure to those produced by our own bodies. The introduction of these foreign elements has been shown to cause a large number of unwanted side effects and in some cases increases the risk of cancer, stroke and heart disease (WHI, 2002).

Bio-identical hormones are derived from plants and refined to perfectly match the chemical structure of human hormones. The body treats and processes these hormones as if they were its own. As a result, bio-identical hormones are far better tolerated and cause no serious side effects when taken at the correct dose.

How to get started

Balancing, replenishing and adjusting hormones is the art and science of this new specialty of hormone replacement therapy.

Supplementation with blo-identical hormones begins with a thorough investigation of your symptoms and hormone levels. Unlike conventional HRT, BHRT is founded on the principle that each patient is different and requires a unique approach. Your doctor will formulate a hormone supplementation programme that is specifically designed for your needs.

Individualised BHRT medicines are 'compounded' by a qualified pharmacist to include the specific combination of hormones and strengths that the doctor prescribes. These pharmacies work closely with BHRT-prescribing doctors to ensure that patients get the right treatment and care.

We can slow our body's natural decline and retain the energy and vitality of youth

Believe me, as a doctor who has treated thousands of menopausal women, I can tell you with certainty, you need bio-identical oestradiol and progesterone for the rest of your life to stay fit and functional, slow your aging process, and avoid disease.  In fact, there are hundreds of benefits the body derives from having adequate oestradiol and progesterone on board.  Hormone balancing therapy is essential if you want to protect your health. 

Does what I’m saying resonate with you?