Symptoms of Decreased Progesterone and Estrogen Dominance

• Decreased sex drive.
• Irregular or otherwise abnormal periods (most often, excessive vaginal bleeding)
• Bloating (water retention)
• Breast swelling and tenderness
• Mood swings (most often irritability and depression)
• Weight gain (particularly around the abdomen and hips)
• Cold hands and feet
• Headaches, especially prementrually

Adrenal Stressers

The following stressers can lead to fatigue and, ultimately adrenal disfunction which may in turn, make some stressers worse.

• Excessive, unremitting worry, anger, guilt, anxiety, or fear
• Depression
• Excessive exercise
• Chronic exposure to industrial or other toxins
• Chronic or severe allergies
• Overwork, both physically, and mentally
• Chronically late hours or insufficient sleep
• Un healed trauma or injury
• Chronic illness
• Light-cycle disruption: shift work
• Surgery
• Low blood pressure is often a symptom of adrenal exhaustion

Symptoms of Estrogen Deficiency

• Hot Flashes
• Night Sweats
• Vaginal Dryness
• Mood Swings ( mostly irritability and depression)
• Mental Fuzziness
• Headaches, migraines
• Vaginal and/or bladder infections
• Incontinence: recurrant urinary tract infections
• Vaginal wall thinning
• Decreased sexual response

Symptoms of Estrogen Excess

• Bilateral, pounding headache
• Recurrant vaginal yeast infections
• Breast swelling and tenderness
• Depression
• Nausea, vomiting
• Bloating
• Leg cramps
• Yellow-tinged skin
• Excessive vaginal bleeding

Symptoms of Progesterone Deficiency

• Prementrual migraines
• PSM-like symptoms
• Irregular or excessively heavy periods
• Anxiety and nervousness

Symptoms of Excessive Progesterone

• Sleepiness
• Drowsiness
• Depression

Symptoms of Testosterone Deficiency

• Decreased libido
• Impaired sexual fuction
• Decreased overall energy
• Decreased sense of well-being
• Thinning pubic hair

Symptoms of Tostesterone Overdose

• Mood disturbance
• Acne, particularly on the face and skull
• Inceased facial hair growth
• Deepened voice

Principles of Hormone Replacement Therapy

• Establish your natural hormonal levels by getting a baseline test in your late thirties or early perimenopause.
• Replace only those hormones that need replacing.
• Use the lowest dose that does the job
• Use bio-identical hormones that are an exact molecular match to those naturally occurring in your body.
• Support your HRT regiment with a healthy diet, the right nutritional supplements, and mild exercise.
• Be realistic. The goal is not to turn back the clock. Rather, the goal is to optimize your comfort and overall health so you can live the second half of your life with maximal vitality and mental clarity