Lara Briden's Blog, page 12

How to decrease estrogen

Too much estrogen can cause heavy periods, breast pain, fibroids, and premenstrual irritability. It can also suppress thyroid function and increase the risk of breast cancer.

What natural treatment works to lower estrogen? To understand that, you need to think about the types of estrogen and why theyre high.

The many types of estrogen

Estrogen is not one thing. Instead, estrogen is a generic term that can refer to any of the following:

Estradiol, which is the main (and best) estrogen from our...

How Vitamin B6 Relieves Premenstrual Mood Symptoms

Thank you to my nutrition professor who first taught me about vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) for PMS. It is a reliable treatment for premenstrual mood problems including PMDD.

I still remember B6 as the eureka moment in the way I thought about periods. Suddenly, I had much higher expectations of how healthy a period can be. Yes, premenstrual mood symptoms are common, but theyre not normal. 

What causes premenstrual mood symptoms?

Premenstrual mood symptoms are the result of neurosteroid of...

Polycystic Ovaries? It Might Not Be PCOS

PCOS cannot be diagnosed by ultrasound because polycystic ovaries are not cysts. Theyre follicles or eggs which are normal for the ovary.

Its normal for all women to sometimes have a higher number of follicles. Its normal for young women to always have a higher number of follicles because young women have more eggs. Thats why the new international PCOS guidelines state that ultrasound is now not recommended in diagnosis in those within 8 years of the start of periods.

PCOS cannot be...

PCOS Cannot Be Diagnosed by Ultrasound

PCOS cannot be diagnosed by ultrasound because polycystic ovaries are not cysts. They’re follicles or eggs which are normal for the ovary.

It’s normal for all women to sometimes have a higher number of follicles. It’s normal for young women to always have a higher number of follicles because young women have more eggs. That’s why the new international PCOS guidelinesstate that “ultrasound is now not recommended in diagnosis in those within 8 years of the start of periods.”

PCOS cannot be...

How Wheat or Gluten Affects Periods

Wheat or gluten is not usually an obstacle to healthy menstruation but can sometimes be a problem for endometriosis, amenorrhea, and thyroid disease.

Keep reading for a short survey of how wheat affects periods but first, let’s take a closer look at wheat’s two main symptom-causing components: FODMAPs, which are a type of carbohydrate, and gluten, which is a protein.

FODMAPs can cause digestive symptoms

FODMAPs are a type of carbohydrate that can cause digestive bloating and lead to the...

Phytoestrogens Are Not Estrogen

Phytoestrogens are a special group of phytonutrients that occur naturally in almost all plant foods. The two major classes are isoflavones in soy, and lignans in seeds, whole grains, legumes, fruits, and vegetables.

They’re called phytoestrogens because they interact with estrogen receptors but they’re not estrogen. In fact, they bind so weakly to estrogen receptors that they effectively block estradiol and are therefore better classified as ANTI-estrogen.

It’s long been observed that...

Help for the Hormonal Weight Gain of PCOS and Menopause

Struggling with hormonal weight gain around your middle? It’s a common problem with PCOS and menopause and it’s not from estrogen.

In women, estrogen is beneficial for weight loss. The abdominal weight gain of PCOS and menopause is more likely to be caused by insulin and testosterone.

Let’s take a closer look.

Insulin resistance and weight gain

Insulin resistance is the condition of having chronically elevated levels of insulin. It’s also called hyperinsulinemia, metabolic syndrome, or...

Hormonal Weight Gain — Testosterone May Be to Blame

Struggling with hormonal weight gain around your middle? It’s a common problem with PCOS and menopause and it’s not from estrogen.

In women, estrogen is beneficial for weight loss. The hormonal weight gain of PCOS and menopause is more likely to be caused by insulin and testosterone.

Let’s take a closer look.

Insulin resistance

Insulin resistance is the condition of having chronically elevated levels of insulin. It’s also called hyperinsulinemia, metabolic syndrome, or pre-diabetes.

There...

The Secret Powers of Ovulation (It’s Not Just for Making a Baby)

Ovarian hormones estrogen and progesterone are highly beneficial for health. That means that natural ovulatory cycles are beneficial for health because cycling is the only way to make ovarian hormones.

Does that surprise you? Men make their valuable testosterone every day, so you might think women would do something similar, but we don’t. Instead, we make our hormones as a surge of estrogen leading up to ovulation and an even bigger surge of progesterone for the two weeks after ovulation.

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4 Things to Know About Bioidentical or Body-Identical HRT

Looking for clarity around bioidentical hormone replacement (HRT)?

Modern hormone therapy is very different from old medications such as Premarin and Provera.

Here’s everything you need to know.

You’ll need progesterone before you need estrogen

Perimenopause or “second puberty” can start years before your periods actually stop. The earliest symptoms of perimenopause include heavy periods, insomnia, and anxiety, and are actually the result of losing progesterone, not estrogen.

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