Finding ways to cure hot flashes without estrogen is one of the concerns that many menopausal women have. Estrogen has been the traditional treatment for hot flashes and other symptoms and signs related to menopause. Recently, women have been looking for alternatives to estrogen because of its widely-publicized side-effects.
In the 1990s, the concept of “estrogen dominance” was introduced by Dr. R. Lee. He suggested that menopausal symptoms are caused by a lack of progesterone rather than estrogen deficiency. As a result, he felt that it was possible to cure hot flashes without estrogen.
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The perimenopausal years are usually characterized by irregular periods. This is because ovulation is irregular. As such, the increase in progesterone that occurs in the second half of the cycle is absent. The result is very low progesterone levels.
In addition, if you’re under stress, your body diverts to producing the stress hormone cortisol and cuts down on production of the sex hormones. This accounts for the tiredness and low sex drive associated with stress.
Many of the symptoms you experience at this time may be due to low levels of progesterone leading to estrogen dominance. Progesterone is important:
- for fertility
- it helps new bone growth
- it helps convert fat into energy for your body.
Solutions
The important thing where good health is concerned is balance. Just adding progesterone may not be the answer. The biggest influence on hormone production and storage is your lifestyle.
- Stress management – Learning how to reduce and manage stress is important for proper hormone balance. (Read How does stress affect health?)
- Diet – A healthy, high fiber, low fat diet is essential. A daily multivitamin/mineral supplement gives your body extra support especially if you’re going through a lot of stress.
- Natural progesterone cream – This has been the source of a lot of controversy. However, recent studies have shown that it actually works. Many women have gotten relief from their symptoms and been able to cure hot flashes without estrogen.
- Natural progesterone cream may be the answer for some (especially combined with other measures like diet and stress management).You may not benefit from over-the-counter preparations if symptoms are very severe. It then becomes important to do a saliva hormone test to check your hormone levels. This may indicate that you need a more concentrated progesterone cream which is only available by prescription. You will have to consult your healthcare provider for this.
- It is important to know that over-the-counter progesterone cream should not be substituted for oral progesterone in if you are using synthetic estrogen/progesterone combination for Hormone Replacement Therapy as the concentration is not high enough to protect against uterine cancer.
- Also, natural progesterone cream should not necessarily be used indefinitely. You can use it to relieve your symptoms until your body adapts to the changes of menopause. After this, you can gradually tail it off as your body achieves a new post-menopausal balance.
It is possible to cure hot flashes without estrogen but remember- what works for one woman may not work for another. Maintain a healthy lifestyle and don’t be afraid to try something new. Most important of all - don’t give up!
For more information on how to cure hot flashes and night sweats, read Help for hot flashes.
Herbs that may be helpful
Some, double-blind trials support the usefulness of black cohosh for women with hot flashes associated with menopause. In a three-month study of postmenopausal women, 40 mg per day of an extract of black cohosh was as effective as estrogen therapy in the treatment of hot flashes. A review of eight trials concluded black cohosh to be both safe and effective.38 Many doctors recommend 20 mg of a highly concentrated extract
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