Articles

Dr Jerilynn Prior believes that “athletic amenorrhea” is a myth! There are no negative effects related to exercise if women start exercising when their cycles are mature and ovulatory, if they are of normal weight and maintain it, if life stresses are not major and if they begin and increase exercise sensibly.

Perimenopause, although characterized as a time of dropping estradiol involves chaotic estrogen levels that average >20% higher and intermittently are extremely high and ovulatory disturbances with decreasing progesterone levels. Perimenopause begins and is most symptomatic when cycles remain regular. Perimenopause is highly symptomatic for more than 20% of women--symptoms typically included heavy menstrual flow, night sweats, infertility, breast tenderness and sleep disturbances. Progesterone, because it normally counterbalances estradiol's actions, is effective treatment for heavy flow, probably night sweats, infertility and breast tenderness and definitely decreased anxiety and improves sleep.

In July 2002, the largest randomized placebo-controlled study of “Hormone Replacement Therapy” for healthy menopausal women was stopped early because it showed that estrogen plus very low dose medroxyprogesterone therapy caused serious harm. Women, when they learned of these results, suddenly stopped their hormone therapy. Many found themselves dealing with severe night sweats and hot flushes.