In most of my patients I have tested, low progesterone levels are exacerbating the effects of estrogen imbalances. It is the correct balance between these .....
In most of my patients I have tested, low progesterone levels are exacerbating the effects of estrogen imbalances. It is the correct balance between these two hormones that maintains healthy functioning, while an imbalance can lead to a range of problems. In some women, low estrogen triggers the imbalance. Estrogen levels normally decline with age, but if stress hormones remain balanced, few symptoms occur. However, women as young as 30 can experience prematurely low estrogen levels, leading to low sex drive, infertility, dry or wrinkled skin, excess fat deposition (especially around the waist and back of the thighs), inability to lose weight despite dieting and exercise, and migraine headaches.
Depending on each individual patient's estrogen levels, treatment options must be confi gured differently. Also, many women have more than one factor contributing to hormone imbalance, such as low estrogen combined with low progesterone and high stress hormone levels. It is hardly surprising that they exhibit symptoms ranging from mood swings to insomnia. Estrogen- progesterone imbalances are not exclusive to menopausal women.
In menstruating women, estrogen peaks at ovulation, around two weeks into the typical 28-day cycle. This is followed by a surge of progesterone in the second half of the cycle as the egg is released. This natural cycle can be disrupted, however, by disturbances in the circadian rhythm, or 24-hour cycle, of production of the essential hormone cortisol.
The daily rhythm is the driving force behind regulating the monthly cycle, and when cortisol levels are disturbed by irregular sleep patterns, skipped meals, emotional stress, or other factors, the result is hormonal symptoms. In effect, the entire system becomes imbalanced.
