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Women have often called "menopause" everything they experience during the changing times ofmidlife, but now that we know about perimenopause, it's important to use the right names.Menopause means that a year has passed since a woman's last period. Perimenopause refers tothe long and changing time until the end of no flow. The first change may be more PMS, nightsweats, a new migraine, or sleep trouble and fatigue. On average the perimenopause lasts

several years and commonly lasts six or seven.

EVIDENCE THAT PERIMENOPAUSAL ESTROGEN LEVELS ARE HIGH?

Adozen or so studies in the last 20 years have set out to measure hormone levels inperimenopausal women. Each study reports the data and summarizes by saying that estrogen

levels are dropping. Surprisingly, few bother to mention the high levels they found[2]. When allof the studies are put together (Figure 1),and the average perimenopausal estrogen levels arecompared with average levels in young women, it is clear that the levels are higher, and

significantly so [3].Let's consider estrogen levels from 300 Australian perimenopausal women taken during the end

of flow [2]. The data presented as a scatter plot (Figure 2) indicates a wide range of hormonelevels. Not only are most of the levels as high or higher than the average end of flow estrogenlevel for 20-35 year olds but many are even higher than the average mid cycle estrogen levels(peak in the cycle) in 20-35 year olds. Clearly many of these perimenopausal women had very

high estrogen levels. But what did the very good scientists say in summary about theirdata?"Perimenopause is characterized by dropping estrogen and inhibin levels and rising FSH

levels" [2].

The study cited above [2] mentioned a strange hormone called "inhibin". I believe it is becauseinhibin, the normal brake type hormone begins to slack off in its job of keeping the pituitary'sFollicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) in line, that the perimenopausal ovary goes through its grand

finale [4]. FSH starts to increase, stimulates several rather than just one follicle (the nest ofestrogen producing cells surrounding an egg( and estrogen levels increase and become

unpredictable [3].

HOW CAN A WOMEN KNOW WHEN HER ESTROGEN LEVELS ARE HIGH OR OUT OF

BALANCE WITH PROGESTERONE?

Dr. Patricia Kaufert, a scientist from Winnipeg who has done one of the best studies about whatwomen experience during perimenopause, found that women were likely to have a flooding

menstruation just before their periods changed from regular to skipping [5]. But heavy flow,bleeding at shorter intervals than 3 weeks, continual spotting or flow every two weeks, andclotting with cramping are all signs that estrogen is too high and progesterone is too low. Any

period is too heavy if you soak more than 16 pads or tampons.It is normal for the breasts to swell during the week before flow and it is sometimes normal to

feel tenderness in the front or nipple area when estrogen hits a high midcycle peak. But swollenbreasts most of the time, or front-of-the-breast soreness for more than a couple of days of the

month means high estrogen.During the perimenopause many women occasionally become

forgetful and sometimes can't remember what they were saying,And the high estrogen levels ofthe perimenopause (on top of the necessary stress of moving through this major life change)make cortisol and other stress levels higher

TREATMENT

To help women deal with hot flushes, they can take 400 to 800 IU of vitamin E each day,

http://bcendocrineresearch.com/newsletter/v01/n01/Perimenopause_s01.php

http://bcendocrineresearch.com/newsletter/v01/n01/Perimenopause_s01.phphttp://bcendocrineresearch.com/newsletter/v01/n01/Perimenopause_s01.php

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Why Is Smoking So Damaging to Bone Health?

"Nicotine and toxins in cigarettes affect bone health from many angles," Kaur says.

Cigarette smoke generates huge amounts of free radicals -- molecules that attack and overwhelm the body's

natural defenses. The result is a chain-reaction of damage throughout the body -- including cells, organs, and

hormones involved in keeping bones healthy.

The toxins upset the balance of hormones (like estrogen) that bones need to stay strong. Your liver producesmore estrogen-destroying enzymes, which also leads to bone loss, says Kaur. "Smoking makes bone loss even

worse in the menopausal years. It adds to the bone loss that's already occurring."

Smoking triggers other bone-damaging changes, such as increased levels of the hormone cortisol, which leads to

bone breakdown, says Kaur. "Research also suggests that smoking impedes the hormone calcitonin, which helps

build bones -- so that hormone can't do its job."

There's more: "Nicotine and free radicals kill the osteoblasts -- the bone-making cells," she explains. "Smoking

also damages blood vessels, so there is poor blood supply of oxygen. People who smoke have repeated

fractures. Studies show that when a smoker suffers a fracture, they don't heal very well because of poor blood

supply."

Because smoking damages blood vessels, it also damages nerves in toes and feet, which can lead to more fallsand fractures. "Smokers have double the risk of having a fracture. Heavy smokers increase the risk of fracture

even more," Kaur says

http://www.webmd.com/osteoporosis/living-with-osteoporosis-7/smoking-cigarettes

OSTEOPOROSIS TREATMENT1.Endocrine problems such as overactivity of the thyroid, parathyroid, or adrenal gland or

underactivity of the parathyroid glands or gonads (testicles or ovaries).2.Diabetes mellitus (insulin), kidney disease, liver disease, gall bladder dysfunction,

rheumatoid arthritis, anorexia nervosa.3.HINDARIN ALKOHOL

4.Exercise with weight bearing. It should be noted that over-exercising to the point ofbreaking the body down is counter-productive. Because swimming negates much of theeffect of gravity, swimming is not expected to enhance bone mineralization.

5.Proper hormone balance especially the sex hormones (estrogen, progesterone,testosterone, DHEA, etc).Estrogen regulates the activity of osteoclasts, which results in aslowing of dissolving older bone. Progesterone, on the other hand, promotes theproduction of osteoblasts that are required to form new bone.

http://drkaslow.com/html/osteoporosis.htm

http://www.webmd.com/osteoporosis/living-with-osteoporosis-7/smoking-cigaretteshttp://drkaslow.com/html/osteoporosis.htmhttp://www.webmd.com/osteoporosis/living-with-osteoporosis-7/smoking-cigaretteshttp://drkaslow.com/html/osteoporosis.htm