Are working women at risk of becoming infertile?
April 28th, 2010The short answer is yes.
Whether or not it is a reality for you will depend on a few things.
What I have discovered in my clinic and from measuring female saliva hormone levels, is that there is often a rise in testosterone in women that work.
It doesn’t seem to be the quantity of work either – ie part time, casual or full time, employed or self employed.
So what role does testosterone play in a woman?
It can
- Improve your mood & memory
- Help with muscle mass, strength and stamina
- Assist with the prevention of osteoporosis
- Increase sex drive
- Make the lady feel good.
Some testosterone is good! Too much is not and can leave the lady feeling angry and irritable, suffering oily skin and pimples, growing unwanted facial hair and may cause infertility.
The infertility comes about as the high testosterone seems to promote the growth of cysts on the ovaries. These leads to a condition called Poly Cystic Ovary Syndrome. Currently in Australia numbers for this are … “..One in ten women of childbearing age has PCOS… PCOS leads to high levels of androgens.. ” http://www.womanshealth.gov.au
High testosterone can lead to blood sugar problems and wide girths.
Why are working women at risk. I am not sure of the exact cause at this stage. Which is one reason for setting up the www.byebyebridget.com website. I am hoping to gather information about thought patterns, diets and exposure to things that may elevate a women’s testosterone levels. Until then, if you work, be mindful to keep your life in balance. Try to find time for yourself each day. Eat well and exercise. Little daily habits that are ESSENTIAL for balanced hormones.
No Comments »Sun avoidance can lead to Vitamin D deficiency
April 28th, 2010Interestingly Vitamin D deficiency is on the RAPID rise.
Vitamin D is a needed for a massive range of actions in the body including: bone formation, blood clotting, heart and muscle action, immune factors and is a co-factor (small but integral component of many other process).
Your body needs more if you drink in excess, have breast cancer, have Crohn’s disease, are pregnant, a vegetarian and have any bone issues.
You can find it in fish oils (Good old Cod Liver Oil is very high in Vit D), egg yolk, milk, sprouted seeds, and the sun helps your body make it on your SKIN! but you need approx 20 minutes of sun a day on a limb (such as an arm).
Think of all the elderly people shoved away in nursing homes currently being deprived of sunlight. No wonder they trip, fall and break bones. Yet again a small little health issue, that would save you and I (ie the government) millions in health care $$$ and would help a lot of people AVOID pain and immobility due to bone fractures.
Ok, off my high horse….
The recommended daily amount is 400 IU. If you are treating a deficiency you will need 400-1600 IU per day. 40 IU = 1 Microgram of Vitamin D.
high dose calcium can decrease production of Vit D and this can result in sarcoidosis, diabetes and cancers.
I knew some of this, but obtained most of my research from my biochem mentor, Henry Osiecki and his excellent book: The Nutrient Bible, www.bioconcepts.com.au
2 Comments »Why relaxing is as good as prozac
April 28th, 2010Relaxation or “active relaxation” (as I refer to any activity with the intention to make you feel relaxed) is imperative.
Today while thinking about writing this article, I found myself skating aimlessly around the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) website.
I actually thought I would find lots of supporting evidence backing up some theories (perceptions) that I had. But both appear to be a little mislead. I thought we would be spending more time in leisure activities (not the case) and I also thought that women would be participating in greater numbers in sport (not the case)!
According to article 4153 - How Australians Use Their Time, 2006
Feb 21st 2008; We’re spending less time playing, sleeping, eating or drinking and instead are working longer!
Recreation and Leisure activities had decreased by 1 hour and 45 minutes per week, from 1997 until 2006! Nearly 2 hours less, spent on the things we love. That really doesn’t make sense to me. No wonder we need prozac.
Active relaxation allows the hormones, cortisol, adrenaline and noradrenaline to settle and for the glands producing these hormones, the adrenal glands, to replenish.
If you don’t give your body active relaxation, you end up run down, inflammed (elevated cortisol levels) which leads to other inflammatory diseases, allergy and depression.
Try to find something easy and convenient that you can do for 10 mins every day.
1 Comment »What Causes the Aging Process?
April 28th, 2010Article by Andrea Hepner, The Period Pain Guru
www.periodpain.com.au
We all have to age. It’s a fact of life. No one gets out of it. Each year we get a older, chronologically speaking. But have you ever met a 50 year old person and thought they were really young? And have you met another person of the same age and thought they were really old? What is the secret to staying young?
Mr. Bill Anton says that it is not our cells that age us, but a decline in our hormones. It is only natural that our hormones decrease with age. For example, we don’t need the same amount of growth hormone (the hormone that makes us grow) when we are 80 years old as when we are a teenager. If we were still growing at 80, we would be a giant!
Hormones are chemicals in our body that lock onto cells and make reactions happen. For example, the hormone estrogen might come along and lock onto a cell and cause it to grow part of the uterus lining. When we don’t make the same quantities of these hormones, then these reactions start to decline.
What can we do, to keep the hormones that we have healthy?
We do need to look after our hormones. It is known amongst the natural healthcare industry that women who don’t have as much stress in their life, tend to cope with menopause a lot easier than women who are stressed.
Stress depletes our hormones at a much faster rate than our natural timeline.
Stress decreases a number of hormones. One is called progesterone, and when this is depleted, it can cause period pain, menstrual cramps and other nasty female hormone issues. Herbal and nutritional medicine can replete progesterone levels and have you feeling fantastic again!
The other hormone which is depleted is called DHEA. DHEA is our anti-aging hormone. Have you ever seen someone go through a very stressful situation and they have “Aged 10 years”. Unfortunately, unlike red wine, it isn’t a compliment. They age quickly because their DHEA levels lower. On the other side of the coin, spiritual leaders often look very young for their age. For example, I don’t know of a Buddhist Monk that looks old. This is because they meditate daily.
Meditation has been scientifically proven to increase DHEA levels. The study was partly conducted by Deepak Chopra where in older adults, daily practice of meditation, increased their DHEA levels. In clinical practice, I have found that people who see an acupuncturist for increasing calmness over a period of 3 months can improve DHEA levels significantly. So if the thought of meditation doesn’t seem practical in your life, try some acupuncture.
Other things that will help to keep your hormones healthy are eating enough good fat in your diet. Did you know that your hormones are made from cholesterol? If you are on cholesterol lowering medications long term, then you might want to get your healthcare professional to check that your hormones haven’t depleted. If you don’t get enough cholesterol in your diet, then your liver makes cholesterol.
Eating lots of fresh, organic fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds , legumes , fish and meat is really important to slow down the aging process. The nutrients that are in these foods help to make our body work better by providing anti-oxidants that help to reduce the aging process. Anti- oxidants stop the “wrinkles” on the inside of your body, thus making you healthier and help stop you from getting sick.
State of Mind
We are currently in an age of Gen Y and technology. For older generations, it sometimes seems overwhelming and all too hard to know where to start in keeping up with the latest gadgets. But keeping your mind young is the key to decreasing the aging process. Being excited to learn new things and being happy within ourselves is the real key to living life young.
“What we think about most, we create”
So will you age? Yes. However, there are things that you can do in your daily life that will help to slow down the aging process so that you life a long, healthy and happy life.
The Period Pain Guru & Naturopath Andrea Hepner has been helping women who experience period pain and related symptoms for many years. She is also a specialist in hormonal imbalance and fertility issues. To contact Andrea Hepner for treatment call 1300 21 44 25 or go to <a target=”_new” href=”http://www.PeriodPain.com.au/”>www.PeriodPain.com.au</a>
No Comments »Test results – understanding your own results..
April 28th, 2010I believe having a basic understanding about your own results is important as it helps you understnad things that are good for your body and things that are negative and how to avoid them.
The following is an up-to-date guide of what is considered normal or out of range. These recommnedations may change in time as our understanding of the human body improves and refines.
Normal results for tests
| Test | Blood levels | Saliva or other levels | Ideal | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Reproductive female | Post menopausal female | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) | Follicular stage (day 1-14): 1-6 U/L
Ovulation (day 14): 6-17 U/L Luteal phase (day 14-28): 1-6 U/L |
20-100 U/L | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Luteinising Hormone (LH) | Follicular stage (day 1-14): 1-15 U/L
Ovulation (day 14): 22 – 56 U/L Luteal phase (day 14-28): 1-15 U/L |
15-100 U/L | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prolactin (PRL) | PRL: 3.8 – 23.8 µg/L | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oestradiol (E2) | Follicular stage (day 1-14): 1-6 U/L
Ovulation (day 14): 6-17 U/L Luteal phase (day 14-28): 1-6 U/L |
Blood 70-200 pmol/LL
Saliva 4-6 |
2-10 pmol/L
6-18 6-14 |
4-8
6-10 4-8 |
||||||||||||||||||||
| Progesterone (P4) | Follicular stage (day 1-14): 1-6 U/L
Ovulation (day 14): 6-17 U/L Luteal phase (day 14-28): 1-6 U/L |
Blood < 6nmol/L
Saliva 1000-1500 |
50-200
50-200 200-1000 |
200
200 1500 |
||||||||||||||||||||
| DHEAS | Reproductive female
DHEAs: 0.8 – 10.2 µmol/L |
2.5 – 25 | 15-20 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Testosterone | Reproductive female
Free testosterone: < 4 pmol/L/L Total testosterone: < 4 nmol/L/L SHBG: 30-90 nmol/L/L |
Menopause 80 | Follicular 15-90
Ovulation 15-90 Luteal 15-90 |
80
80 80 |
||||||||||||||||||||
| Cortisol | Blood am: 200 – 650 nmol/L
Blood pm: 80 – 400 nmol/L 8pm reading should be <50% of the morning level Urine levels (24hr) 100-330nmol/day |
5-65 nmol/L
1-12 nmol/L |
25 nmol/L
4 nmol/L |
|||||||||||||||||||||
| Iron | Adult female
Ferritin : 15 – 200 Iron: 10-30 µmol/L Iron binding capacity: 45 – 80µmol/L Transferrin saturation: 0.15 – 0.45 (15-45%) Transferrin: 1.7 – 3.0 g/L |
20 µmol/L | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| TSH | 0.4 – 5.0 mlU/L | <2.5 mlU/L | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| T3 | Free T3: 4.0 – 8.0 pmol/L | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| T4 | Free T4 : 10-25 pmol/L | 15-20pmol/L | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Glucose Tolerance Test GTT |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
Testosterone and women
April 28th, 2010Testosterone (TT) is produced by women in small amounts. There are issues associated with low and high testosterone levels. Testosterone is made by the adrenal glands, ovaries and muscles. In post menopausal ladies, testosterone is made by the adrenal glands and muscles.
When a lady has her ovaries removed (for example with a total hysterectomy) or becomes menopausal, her testosterone levels can plummet, causing problems. Many health professionals over look this important hormone for men and for women as a cause for low energy and low libido.
Testosterone can:
- To improve mood, memory and brain integrity
- Help with muscle mass, strength and stamina
- Assist with the prevention of osteoporosis
- Increase sex drive
- Make the lady feel good.
High testosterone
With increasing frequency, I am finding ladies have elevated testosterone levels. At this point in time (2010), there is not a great deal of research into why ladies increase their testosterone levels, except it is probably a combination of a stress response (the adrenal glands make the stress hormones adrenaline and noradrenaline, and therefore stress probably increases supply of TT), a lack in the mineral zinc, possible exposure to violent visual stimuli (video games, movies) and maybe an exacerbation by certain foods.
We know that elevated stress causes TT to rise (due to an over-active adrenal response). As well as exercise and sport (muscle mass). So possibly simply the perception/emotion of “competing” increases our stress response and some survival mechanism takes over and we secrete more testosterone. Who knows. There isn’t much literature to support this theory either way to be honest – not that I am aware of at this point in time. By please if you do know of any supporting or relevant information, always forward it to admin@byebyebridget.com . It helps keep us up to date too.
What is scary is that testosterone imbalances in women lead to the development of secondary male sexual characteristics. Facial hair, increased body hair, receding hair line, acne on the face, neck and shoulders, deep voice, anger, rage, infertility and stubborn weight loss are all signs that a women’s testosterone maybe out of balance.
Whether the sudden rise in young women street and school fighting is due to high testosterone levels is yet to be proven. However, I am sure elevated a hormone imbalance of sorts is a major part of the problem or food additives.
I will up –date this as research gives us a better idea of the reasons behind the rises. HQ
No Comments »Contraception Options – Implanon
April 27th, 2010Implanon is a contraceptive implant device inserted under the skin of the inner upper
arm. It is a soft rod which is 4cm long and 2mm wide in diameter. Once inserted it can be
felt, but not easily seen.
Hormone Results – case study 1
April 20th, 2010Blood tests for hormones can be a waste of everyone’s time. I see so many ladies who are told that there is nothing wrong with their hormones and then, once we conduct a saliva test – the results can be amazing. Look at this particular ladies’ profile.
(more...) No Comments »Women & Stress
March 27th, 2010This is a summary of an article that was published in Psychological Review :Psychol Rev 2000 Jul;107(3):411-29
No Comments »Bridget’s Hot Tips Categories
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Health Information Sheets
- Are working women at risk of becoming infertile?
- Sun avoidance can lead to Vitamin D deficiency
- Why relaxing is as good as prozac
- What Causes the Aging Process?
- Test results – understanding your own results..
- Testosterone and women
- Do you have metabolic syndrome?
- Contraception Options – Implanon
- Hormone Results – case study 1
- Women & Stress
