The Dangers of Progestins
Posted by admin on 31 Oct 2010 | Tagged as: Menopause, progesterone
There seems to be a lot of confusion these days about Progestins and Progesterone. One can hardly be blamed when the confusion is created by the news media health writers who they themselves are confused about progestins and progesterone. You need to differentiate between the two. Progestins are synthetic hormones which many doctors will prescribe to their patients to use as birth control or as a solution for menopause symptoms. Why? Because doctors, unless specially trained, are prescribing progestins and not aware of natural bioidentical progesterone.
Progestins are manufactured by the large pharmaceutical companies and are marketed under the names of Provera and Prempro. Progesterone is not a generic name but is a naturally occurring hormone made by the body by the corpus luteum after ovulation. Progesteron is created in the placenta in large amounts during pregnancy. It is not marketed by the big pharmaceutical companies because it is a natural hormone, can’t be patented and you can’t be charged a huge price for it. In other words, they can’t make money from it.
Common side effects of progestin use range from irritating to dangerously harmful. Progestin use can cause such side effects as bloating, water retention, depression, weight gain, painful breasts, dry skin, fatigue, rashes, dry eyes, joint and muscle pain, constipation, diarrhea, constipation and anxiety. The more dangerous side effects cause heart attacks, stroke and breast cancer.
To manage the symptoms of menopause successfully, especially if you are experiencing severe menopause symptoms, you need to find a specialist, an anti aging doctor – one who is knowledgeable and experienced in dealing with menopause. If this doctor is able to prescribe bioidentical hormones, then you are on your way to managing and eliminating menopause problems.
If you doctor prescribes you an anti depressant and Provera – it’s best you start looking for another doctor.
So when you read in the press that hormone replacement therapy causes serious health consequences, you should know that they are speaking about synthetic hormone replacement therapy and not bioidentical hormone replacement therapy. Health writers are speaking about progestins such a Provera and not progesterone. They should check their facts. The Womens Health Initiative in 2002 was a study which proved that synthetic hormones caused as increase in the risk factor for heart attacks, stroke and breast cancer. These are the facts about hormone replacement therapy and should not be used to confuse women. You can manage and do away with menopause symptoms with the use of natural bioidentical hormones such as bi-est, tri-est, and natural progesterone used in a cyclical or biomimetic manner. Add to the mix: testosterone and DHEA if you require supplementation. Don’t let the press and media fool you. Find a bioidentical doctor who knows about treating menopause with natural hormones made from plant sources.
Using bio-identical hormones to replace the hormones that are in decline is the way to improve and eradicate all of the negative symptoms for aging. But not only should men take bioidentical hormones, they should also follow a healthy diet for heart health, take daily nutritional supplements, exercise and sleep right. Efforts should be made to reduce chronic stress if it exists.