It’s human to push things to the bottom of the list if everything seems to be going ok. We even push things to the bottom of the list if things AREN’T going ok!

But the truth is… testing hormones should be like testing for anything else.

Every Functional Medicine physician will agree with me, SCREENING for LOW PROGESTERONE should START being offered to every woman in her 40’s, even if she has no symptoms. AND… it should be offered to ALL women who are currently supplementing her body with natural hormones to assure every woman’s Estrogen and Progesterone REMAIN in balance.

Low Progesterone is extremely common (and normal) after a woman reaches the age of 40 and often even begins to decline in her 30’s. And this Low Progesterone creates the state in a woman’s life called Estrogen Dominance.

Estrogen Dominance that is caused by the difference between how soon and quickly Progesterone declines in a woman’s life, COMPARED to when and how quickly Estrogen declines - often lasts about 15 years.

But remember, there are other causes of Estrogen Dominance too. And during this time, the IMBALANCE between Progesterone and Estrogen places women at higher risk of developing Breast Cancer and Endometriosis.

We are CHALLENGING our bodies to more threats now, more than ever. But we are also expecting to live longer, healthier, and stronger lives at the same time. The two don’t match.

And this is not even taking into consideration all of the OUTSIDE hormone influences happening to us every day.

There is increasing bombardment by many more threats that effect our hormone balance than ever before. We are exposed to meats and dairy from livestock treated with estrogens to promote their growth. And that’s just the top of the iceberg.

We are also exposed daily to many industrial chemicals with estrogen properties, called XENOESTROGENS, that end up in food and drinking water and effect our ability to detoxify and metabolize our hormones safely.

Hormone IMBALANCE alters the activity of our cell’s genes. Changes occur inside of cells that place a woman at an increased risk of developing conditions that can be DRIVEN by Estrogen – over the course of her LIFETIME.

It’s like a car’s accelerator pedal and braking pedal. Think of Estrogen as the Accelerator and Progesterone the Brake. If you push the accelerator too hard, you will go too fast. If you press the brake too hard, you will stop too quickly.

A smooth drive requires just the right Acceleration and Braking.

We now know that the Oral Contraceptive Pill increases the risk of a woman developing breast cancer over her lifetime. It’s not an increased risk just while she is taking the pill. It is the FUTURE we are referring to – the time we try NOT to think about when we want the “easy way out.”

Screening for Low Progesterone and Estrogen Dominance is SMART, WISE and the RIGHT thing to do to lower a woman’s risk of Breast Cancer. Just like monitoring your blood pressure to prevent heart disease and stroke. It’s the same thing!

If you haven’t yet tested your hormones… or it has been longer than a year (and certainly if it’s been 2 years!), think seriously about choosing the right test for yourself – and GO FOR IT. I’ll try to put a new guide together and post it tomorrow about how to choose the right test for you.

Thank you for being here! Let’s always promise to take care of ourselves!

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