Hysterectomy

Dr. Stanley West, chief of endocrinology and infertility at St. Vincent’s hospital in New York and author of The Hysterectomy Hoax, believes that a hysterectomy is never necessary unless the woman has cancer. Dr. West points out that the majority of hysterectomies have more to do with out dated views of medical practitioners than any physical problem that women are having.

The most common reason women are talked into having a hysterectomy is bleeding caused by uterine fibroids. Dr. Lee reports that Uterine fibroids can be reduced in size by the use of natural progesterone to a point where they are harmless. After menopause, they usually disappear altogether.

Early signs of menopause can occur in a women as early as her mid thirties in the form of anovalatory cycles (menstrual cycles where a woman does not ovulate) leading to estrogen dominance and a myriad of symptoms related to estrogen dominance including weight gain, fatigue, depression, mood swings, fluid retention and uterine fibroids. When these symptoms are experienced, they can usually be resolved by balancing hormones naturally by regularly applying a high quality natural progesterone cream.

A total hysterectomy has come to mean the removal of a women’s uterus and ovaries, although the removal of the ovaries has gone out of fashion in recent times. Doctors will sometimes tell their patients that by saving the ovaries, they will keep producing hormones, however Dr. Lee contends that this is not accurate. He says that the main blood supply to the ovaries is a branch of the uterine artery which is cut or tied off in a hysterectomy and (he says) if this does not lead to an immediate loss of the functionality of the ovaries they will then usually stop functioning within 2 - 3 years of a hysterectomy.

If you already have had a hysterectomy and are struggling with the side effects of HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) ask your doctor to use natural hormones. Dr. Lee reports that in the case of patients that have come to him already having had a hysterectomy, he has slowly weaned them off HRT over a period of 3 - 4 months by reducing their dosage while at the same time using progesterone cream. Dr. Lee says that in those very few women who continue to have hot flashes or vaginal dryness, he gives them some estrogen cream to use intravaginally for a few months and then they are able to taper that off.

Thyroid function and it’s relationship with estrogen and progesterone

Thyroid is the hormone that regulates the metabolic rate. Low thyroid tends to cause low energy levels, cold intolerance and weight gain. Excess thyroid causes higher energy levels, feeling too warm and weight loss. The crucial nutrient for thyroid hormone synthesis is iodine. Once this was recognized iodides (salts of iodine) have been commonly added to table salts and these days iodine deficiency is rare. Iodine is also available in ocean fish and can be supplemented by taking kelp concentrate.

Estrogen, progesterone and thyroid hormones are interrelated. Estrogen for example, causes food calories to be stored as fat while thyroid hormones causes fat calories to be turned into usable energy. Thyroid hormone and estrogen therefore have opposing actions. Progesterone on the other hand increases the sensitivity of estrogen receptors for estrogen and at the proper levels, inhibits estrogen’s negative side effects. This is what is meant in medical terms when it is said that estrogen opposes progesterone. The lack of progesterone in a women still making estrogen leads to the condition of unopposed estrogen.

Hormone balance involves a complete harmonious balance between all the hormones. The example is sometimes used of likening hormones with instruments in an orchestra so that when balanced and in harmony, the orchestra (or body) will perform as designed.

Dr. Lee has successfully treated patients diagnosed by other doctors with hyperthyroidism using natural progesterone therapy. Hyperthyroidism (excessive production of the thyroid gland) especially resulting from excessive L-thyroxin supplementation, accelerates bone resorbtion and thus promotes osteoporosis, presumably by stimulating osteoclast activity. Dr. Lee hypothesizes that estrogen dominance inhibits thyroid action in the cells by competing with the thyroid hormone at the site of it’s receptor. He speculates that in so doing the thyroid may never complete it’s mission, leading to hyperthyroid symptoms, even despite normal serum levels of thyroid hormones.

Another common thyroid dysfunction is Hashimoto’s thyroiditis which is an autoimmune inflammatory process of the thyroid gland. This means that the body is creating antibodies against the cells which make up the thyroid gland. As this disease progresses, cells of the thyroid are destroyed and inflammation occurs along with fibrous deterioration of the entire gland.

It has been Dr. Lee’s experience that when women with Hashimoto thyroiditis are given progesterone for osteoporosis, there results a gradual diminution of the severity of the decease and sometimes a complete resolution of the thyroiditis problem. He suggests that two factors might be at play that bring this result about:

1. Excess estrogen may have had a hand at triggering the antibodies and when estrogen dominance is corrected with progesterone, there is a gradual correction of the thyroid problem.
2. Progesterone is the main precursor of corticosteriods and in progesterone deficient women, restoration of normal progesterone levels may lead to normal corticosteroid production, thus suppressing the autoimmune attacks.