In the last year, research has proven what women have suspected for years, that HRT (oestrogen, with or without a synthetic progestin) is associated with a 29 percent higher risk of breast cancer, a 26 percent higher risk of heart disease, and 41 percent higher risk of stroke.

Hormonal imbalance in women primarily focuses on two sex hormones, oestrogen and progesterone.

Oestrogens are growth stimulators. They increase the thickness of the lining of the womb to provide essential nutrition to a newly fertilised egg, and they normally stimulate the breast at puberty and in pregnancy.

Progesterone on the other hand, is a growth modulator. Whilst it is essential for pregnancy to continue, its main role is to protect against undesirable oestrogen effects. It helps use fat for energy; it acts as a natural antidepressant; it promotes normal sleep; it restores libido; it prevents migraines and endometrial cancer; and stimulates new bone growth.

Right through reproductive life, the level of oestrogen climbs from day 4 to day 14, whilst the level of progesterone is essentially zero. Progesterone secretion begins at ovulation and its level increases until day 22. If there is no egg fertilisation, the levels fall and another period begins.

At menopause, there is no more egg production. Without egg production, there is no progesterone, and so, there is no control over the growth stimulus of oestrogen.

In normal reproductive life, women make more progesterone than oestrogen, and so the ratio of progesterone to oestrogen is high; but at menopause (and in younger women with anovulatory cycles) progesterone is very low and a relative excess of oestrogen occurs. This excess was called "oestrogen dominance" by Dr John Lee, an outstanding American medical researcher and clinician, who has taken on the drug companies and significantly contributed to women's health and well-being.

Symptoms of oestrogen dominance include:-

• weight gain, resistant to diet and exercise;
• breast tenderness and headaches;
• anxiety and tearfulness;
• hot flushes and insomnia;
• foggy thinking and reduced libido;
• fatigue and depression.

Research now confirms that progesterone deficiency, or relative oestrogen excess also occurs in:-

• young women with seemingly normal periods who do not ovulate, and suffer from PMS symptoms such as, swollen tender breasts, weight gain, mood swings and cramps.
• Peri-menopausal women (say 35 to 50 years) approaching the cessation of periods who are troubled by weight gain, reduced libido, fatigue, sleep disturbance, and the loss of skin elasticity, associated with the stress of balancing a career, home life, and adolescent control.
• Menopause

Women who have undergone hysterectomy, with or without removal of the ovaries, have androgen deficiency and oestrogen dominance, and deserve special consideration. They frequently suffer from low libido, fatigue, depression, vaginal dryness, incontinence, thin skin and bone loss.

Interestingly, men also suffer from hormonal imbalance. As men age, there is progressive loss of testosterone and an excess of oestrogen, resulting in:-

• reduced drive and lower libido;
• softer erections;
• weight gain and breast growth;
• falling asleep in front of the TV;
• high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes;
• and prostate problems.

Making sense of hormonal imbalance requires the detailed application of sex hormone physiology, and the integration of sophisticated, accurate, hormone testing with each person’s individualised symptoms. A hit and miss approach, without careful consideration of changing symptoms, and without three monthly review of hormonal ratios, can produce as much disability, as the initial hormonal imbalance itself.

In inexperienced hands, over dosage or inappropriate hormone treatment can be disastrous. The secret to successfully treating oestrogen dominance, is the appropriate use of natural, bio-identical progesterone to restore the normal physiological hormone levels and ratios, found in 30-year-olds.

Dr Williams, is one of Australia’s foremost medical authorities on menopause, nutritional medicine, hormone control, and disease prevention. He has identified 5 Groups of symptoms, each of which require a completely different approach to investigation and treatment.

If so, you may well have a correctable hormone imbalance. Remember, you can have balanced hormones, and relief from menopausal symptoms, without using conventional HRT.

Dr Williams weans women off HRT and introduces the skin application of natural hormone creams, which have no known adverse side-effects. Lifestyle change, phytoestrogens, identification of preventable risk factors and nutritional support, complement the treatment.

Many of us are unwilling to admit that life is not meeting out expectations

We cannot become what we need to be, by remaining what we are…..

Dr Graeme Williams Life Enhancement Medicine is situated at 35 Mary St, Noosaville.

For further information or an appointment phone +61 7 5455 6588.