Frequently Asked Questions And Troubleshooting
QUESTIONS ABOUT SYMPTOMS
Q: Why am I having a period twice per month after starting progesterone?
A: A portion of the progesterone is converting to estradiol and that will cause the period to be heavier. Lower it the first two weeks of your next few cycles.
Q: Why am I gaining weight?
A: There are three reasons for that.
1. Estrogen is used by almost every tissue in the female body, skin, brain, breast, uterus, vulva, blood system, joints, bones and eyes, etc. The cells of those tissues have a life span, they live for a certain amount of time, die off, and need to be replaced. Estrogen tells the body to replace those cells. As estrogen declines less and less cells are replaced and the tissues start to shrink. This is why people shrink in height as they age. When you start replacing the estrogen, new cells start growing again, and that tissue gain will show as weight gain.
2. Estrogens tells your body to retain salt and water. When the estrogen is too low the cells dehydrate and lose mass. When you replace the estrogen the cells will rehydrate themselves and you can see that as weight gain. Don't worry, it's not fat. If you over- do the estrogen you can fell puffy, as if you've eaten too much salt. You can use Super Chlorides to overcome this problem because it allows the cells to release their excess salt and water.
3. Estrogen decreases fat metabolism, so getting rid of fat slows down if you use too much. If you are gaining weight very rapidly, reduce the estradiol, raise the progesterone, and drink some Super Chlorides.
Q: Why do I get nauseous when I use progesterone?
A: You have applied too much or you didn't need it in the first place. When a woman becomes pregnant her progesterone and estrogen begin to rise very steeply. That steep rise causes many women to experience 'morning sickness'. If a person (male or female) uses progesterone and does not need it or uses too much they can experience nausea.
Q: How do I stop the spotting in the middle of the month?
A: If you're using progesterone only, use 1/8 teaspoon twice a day the first 2 weeks of your cycle, and 1/4 teaspoon twice a day the second two week.
Q: Why are my breasts tender?
A: Could be two reasons.
1. You’re in Stage #1 and do not have enough progesterone. Use 1/8 teaspoon twice a day the first 2 weeks of your cycle, and 1/4 teaspoon twice a day the second two week.
2. You’re in any of the other stages and are not using enough progesterone and/or too much estradiol. Follow the suggestion for progesterone in 1. above and stop the estradiol for as many days as it takes for the tenderness to go away, wait one more day and resume it at half the amount. Keep repeating this process until you find the amount that relieves your symptoms but doesn't make your breasts tender.
Q: Why is my period starting early?
A: That depends, If you've just started using progesterone, only, and are now starting your period too early, you're using too much, cut it back each month until the periods come every 28 days. When you first start using progesterone, it usually takes about three cycles before your period normalizes to 28 days again.
Q: Why am I clotting so heavily?
A: It's not actually blood clots, it's uterine tissue. If you were expelling large amounts of this tissue before you started using supplemental progesterone, and the amount expelled has not changed, you do not have enough progesterone. Use 1/8 teaspoon twice a day the first 2 weeks of your cycle, and 1/4 teaspoon twice a day the second two week. Or you could be using too much estradiol if you are using the amount of progesterone as above, cut the estradiol in half the next months and see if it is better the next period. If it’s still too heavy, cut it back some more and see how the next period is. It could take 2-3 cycles to normalize your period.
Q: Why do I become dizzy when I apply hormones?
A: It's because progesterone and estrogen normalize blood vessels. When either of them are too low the blood vessels constrict. When you replace them the blood vessels will dilate and rush blood to the head. This can make you dizzy for a moment or two.
Q: I'm 36, why is my face breaking out?
A: There could be two reason.
1. You’re not ovulating and have no progesterone, replace it.
2. You may have polycystic ovaries which cause estrogen and testosterone levels to be too high. You can have an ultrasound to have them checked. People with poly cystic ovaries usually have quite heavy periods, with clotting, and may have pain around the middle of their cycle. Using progesterone along with a low carb diet (which is what causes PCO) can greatly improve the condition.
Q: I’m using HRT and now my period is lasting too long?
A: That depends on what Stage you’re in, see the directions for each stage on pages 13-17 of this publication.
Q: Why have I become constipated since using HRT?
A: Estrogen can slow the muscles of the gastrointestinal tract. Lower the amount you're using. You could also have a magnesium and calcium chloride deficiency too. Take some Super Chlorides.
Q: I have been getting small sharp pains in by ovaries and breasts, what is that?
A: They are growing pains. Without your reproductive hormones, your body begins to shrink. When you replace the missing hormones it begins to grow.
Q: How long will it take for my symptoms to go away?
A: Once you get your hormones back into balance your symptoms will subside. A lot of the symptoms will vanish in the first few days, but things like hair loss, irregular periods and sleep difficulties can take a few cycles to correct.
Q: Why are my ovaries painful since I started using HRT?
A: As you raise your estrogen levels, your Follicle Stimulating Hormone rises and tries to get you to ovulate. This can be felt as tenderness or even pain in the ovaries.
Q: My pelvic area feels heavy and a bit painful, what's going on?
A: Estrogen causes tissue to grow. It will resupply the uterus and vagina with blood vessels and new tissue growth. This can actually be felt as 'growing pains" in some women. The female pelvic bones meet in the front but are not one, solid bone structure. They spread apart during child birth. They also do this a few days before the onset of the period. This can be felt in the lower pelvic area and in the lower back by some women. If you are feeling this, it could mean that you are going to start a period.
Q: Why can I feel changes in my uterus?
A: Estrogen causes tissue to grow. It will resupply the uterus with blood vessels and new tissue growth. This can actually be felt as 'growing pains" in some women.
Q: Why have some of my symptoms gotten worse since I started HRT?
A: That depends on what Stage you are in. Check to see if you’re using it correctly on pages 13-17.
Q: I'm menopausal, started using HRT and now I'm having a period.
A: Menopause is caused by the decline of estradiol. If you start using progesterone and estrogen, your body will convert a portion of the progesterone into estradiol. If you’re not going to bring your periods back, cut the estradiol down to the point where you’re not having symptoms or a period.
QUESTIONS ABOUT APPLICATION
Q: By monitoring my own hormones am I 'self medicating'?
A: You bet, and you should! You know your body better than anyone else because you live in it, so who's better qualified to tell you how you feel each day and what to do about it than you?...no one!
The amount of hormones your body is still making changes on a daily basis and those levels vary from person to person. That's why you cannot use the medical approach of 'one size fits all' and use the same amount every day. That erroneous approach is the reason that so many women have heart attacks, strokes, liver damage, developed cancer and even died.
Hormone supplementation is an 'individual' thing. Adjustments need to be made according to your symptoms, which can change from one day to the next. You cannot go to a practitioner every day, tell him/her your symptoms and have him/her try and tell you how much to use that day. You have to learn what the symptoms are and how to adjust the hormones yourself. See pages 13017 of this publication.
Q: Do I need to stop using progesterone the first 7 days of my cycle?
A: No! The female body makes progesterone every day of the cycle. It just makes very little the first two weeks. One of the jobs of progesterone is to hold the uterine lining in place. That's why it rises so steeply the third week of the cycle. If you’re not pregnant by day 21 of your cycle, it drops rapidly, which allows the uterine lining to basically 'fall out'. Stopping the progesterone for the first 7 days of the cycle was Dr. John Lee's idea , but it was not a good one. It's not good for the female body to be without progesterone for a week of the cycle.
Q: Can I put more than one hormone in the same place?
A: Yes, you can put all your hormones on at the same time and in the same place.
Q: Do I rub the hormones in all the way?
A: Yes, rub them in completely.
Q: How long after application can I shower/bathe/swim?
A: It's a good idea to bathe or shower before applying your hormones. But if you want to bathe, shower or go swimming after application you should wait about an hour.
Q: Should I put my supplemental hormone products on fatty areas?
A: No. Hormones need to get into the blood stream, where they hook to red blood cells and proteins and get transported to different areas of the body. Applying them to fatty tissue just slows them down from getting where they need to go. You want to apply them to areas of the body where thin skin and the blood vessels are close to the surface.
Here are the best places to apply your supplemental hormone products:
The feet (except the bottom)
The shins
The back of the knees
The top and outside of the thigh (not the inside)
The upper part of the chest (not the breasts)
The neck
The face
The inside of the arms (from the wrist to the shoulders)
The back of the hands
Q: Won't supplemental estrogen work better if I apply it vaginally?
A: No. The hormones don't work 'where' you put them. They work by traveling through the blood stream to the target tissue. But they have to get into the blood first. Any thin skin where the blood vessels are close to the surface will work just fine. You could rub the creams into the top of your head and it would work the same as putting it on your arms, legs, feet etc. You can apply them vaginally if you wish but they contain acidic ingredients that can irritate the sensitive vaginal tissue and that area is so warm that the creams melt and most of them end up in your under garments.
Q: Should I rotate the areas where I apply my hormones?
A: It's not necessary to apply your hormones in different areas each time you apply them. Just make sure the area is clean before application.
Q: I heard that hormones don't absorb well through the skin, is that true?
A: Some topical products have ingredients in them that inhibit absorption. Compounded products are made incorrectly which makes them only about 10% effective and doctors have mistaken that for an absorption problem when it's not. The creams don’t get ‘hung-up’ in the skin either. They absorb just fine. This is a myth spread by pharmaceutical company selling oral HRT and want you to use their product.
GENERAL QUESTIONS
Q: Is the progesterone, estradiol and DHEA in your cosmetic products bio-identical?
A: Absolutely!
Q: Where do progesterone, estradiol and DHEA come from?
A: They are synthesized from chemicals found in certain plants.
Q: Can I use estradiol if I've had breast cancer?
A: Yes, but you should make sure that you get a saliva test every 6 months to make sure that your levels are not in the cancer causing range. Also make sure you are taking Biochanin A and Chrysin. Research has shown them to stop the proliferation of breast cancer cells. See “How My Neighbor Accidentally Cured her Cancer”
Q: Do I need a prescription to purchase products that contain progesterone, estradiol, DHEA?
A: There are no products that you can obtain without a prescription that the FDA has approved as hormone replacement therapy. However, there are cosmetic products on the market that contain small amounts of progesterone, estradiol, DHEA. You do not need a prescription to purchase cosmetics containing these ingredients. If you wish to purchase hormone replacement products from a pharmacy, you will need a prescription.
Q: Do I need to have a hormone test before I can start using supplemental hormone products?
A: It would be a very good idea but unfortunately there are no accurate tests on the market at this time. If you go to a doctor you will waste a TON of money. See “What Your Doctor Doesn’t Know About Hormone Testing”.
Q: Isn't it better to take supplemental hormone products orally?
A: No! The reproductive hormones are secreted into your blood stream, not into your digestive tract. When you ingest them they are digested (broken down) and the products from being digested are very toxic to the liver and can cause liver damage over time. This information is on the insert of all prescription, oral hormone replacement products.
Q: Will I get pregnant if I start using HRT?
A: The reason that you would need to start using HRT in the first place is that you’re skipping ovulations, or are no longer ovulating at all. If you’re merely skipping ovulation cycles you can become pregnant on the months you do ovulate. The best way to know which months you are ovulating is to purchase an ovulation detector. If you’re no longer ovulating you cannot get pregnant. You can still have a period but that does not mean you can get pregnant.
Q: Isn't there some diet, supplements or herbs that can make my body produce it's own hormones again?
A: Absolutely not! You are born with your total supply of eggs and once they start declining, there's no way to force your body to make any more. You cannot eat, supplement or exercise your way around this, so never let some one tell you you can.
Q: I didn't see the uterine lining shed this month. What do I do?
A: 1. If you were shedding the lining on a regular basis before HRT and you're using progesterone only, you have used too much. Lower it each cycle until it sheds again.
2. If your periods were getting lighter, and you sometimes skipped shedding the lining, before HRT, add or raise estradiol.
Q: Why doesn't my doctor know about all this?
A: Because they're trained by the AMA (American Medical Association). They're taught about progesterone and estrogen but they're only taught to prescribe synthetic hormone replacement, and only as much as it takes to stop the hot flashes and night sweats .
Q: How long will it take to get my period back if I want it?
A: That depends on how long it has been gone. The longer it has been gone, the longer it will take to get it back.
Q: Should I have a mammogram, I've heard they're dangerous?
A: NO!!!! NEVER have a mammogram, for several reason.
1. Squeezing your breast tissue flat between two plates HURTS LIKE HELL!
2. Squeezing a breast that actually has cancer can allow cells to migrate to surrounding tissue.
3. It's done with radiation, the stuff that CAUSES breast cancer.
4. They're unreliable, they can say you have cancer when you don't, and they can say you don't...when you do.
Q: Does coffee affect hormones?
A: The caffeine in coffee lowers the estradiol level, but green tea and caffeine beverages raises it.
Q: Do I have to use BHRT for the rest of my life?
A: Not if you don't want to of course, but if you want your body to function properly and your quality of life to stay high for the rest of your life, you surely should.
Q: Are hormones just for relieving my symptoms?
A: Progesterone, estrogen, testosterone, DHEA, etc. perform over 400 hundred functions in the human body and as they start to decline those functions suffer. Yes, replacing your missing hormones will stop the symptoms of hormone decline, but it is not the only reason to use HRT.