Acupuncture and Hormone Balance
Chapter 9. Progesterone and Estrogen
What is menopause? When your period has stopped for more than a year, it is called menopause. Menopause usually occurs between the ages of 40 to 55 although its actual onset depends on your individual hormone balance, genetic make-up, and general health condition.
Functions of Estrogen and Progesterone
1. Estrogen stimulates breast and uterine tissue growth. Progesterone protects against fibrocystic breasts and maintains the endometrium.
2. Estrogen enlarges the blood vessels, while progesterone increases the tone of the blood vessels.
3. Estrogen lowers bad cholesterol (LDL) and increases good cholesterol (HDL)
4. Estrogen enhances salt and water retention but progesterone is a natural diuretic.
5. Estrogen prevents bone deterioration, while progesterone stimulates bone cells to produce new bone. Although it takes about 5 years to rebuild the bone frame, you can always reshape your bone structure by exercising and by correcting bad posture. Cortisol can block the bone-building abilities of progesterone. If you develop any pain in the joints during the menopausal period, it is not wise to get cortisone shots because of the possible side effects. Cortisone can damage bone and connective tissues. When you reach the age of menopause, you are more vulnerable to the side effects of cortisone shots because your hormone levels are dropping.
6. Estrogen can enhance our brain activities, while progesterone makes us calm and happy. Having too much estrogen makes us worry about everything, while having too little can lead to confusion, slow responses, poor memory, and depression. Similarly, too much progesterone can cause fatigue and lethargy.
7. Estrogen enhances the body’s immune functions, while progesterone suppresses them. That is why, if our progesterone level is too low, our body will attack the fetus as a foreign entity, leading to a miscarriage. During menopause, if your estrogen level is relatively high compared to your progesterone level (even though the total amount of estrogen is lower than before), your immune system can become out of balance. As a result, around puberty, perimenopause, or menopause, women tend to develop various autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus erythematous, Hashimoto’s disease, fibromyalgia, and multiple sclerosis...