I found this on a website as I was looking for answers for my breasts that always seem sore only a few days after my period has finished until the next cycle.

This is a long read, but I was wanting to share it as I think it answers a lot of myths.
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[size="2"]Perimenopause is a time of “Endogenous Ovarian Hyperstimulation”by Dr. Jerilynn C. Prior, Scientific Director, Centre for Menstrual Cycle and Ovulation Research In this section:
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“Perimenopausal endogenous ovarian hyper-stimulation” is the exact opposite of “The Myth of the Shriveling Ovary”: High estrogen levels during perimenopause, coupled with characteristically intermittent ovulation, can explain much of the misery of perimenopause.

My hypothesis is based on the assumption that inhibin production decreases while there are still viable follicles (capable of producing both estrogen and eggs) in the ovaries and that this in turn stimulates FSH to increase the production of estrogen in the follicles. I offer five pieces of evidence for this hypothesis:

Perimenopausal changes are similar to changes caused by some infertility treatments.

In vitro fertilization (IVF) requires laparoscopic surgery (through a small tube in the abdomen) to s*ck up ovarian egg cells that are nearly ready to ovulate so they can be grown and fertilized in a laboratory and then injected into the woman’s uterus. In order to collect the maximum number of eggs, gynecologists override inhibin using a technique called “ovarian hyper-stimulation.” The woman is given daily injections of FSH until many follicles have been stimulated and estrogen levels are very high. She is then injected with another hormone (much like luteinizing hormone [LH], another pituitary hormone that stimulates the ovary) to mimic the normal mid-cycle HL surge and this triggers ovulation.

A rare pituitary tumor causes higher-than-normal FSH levels, resulting in hormone levels and symptoms similar to those experienced in menopause.

In an “experiment of nature,” a 36-year-old woman with a tumor on her pituitary gland complained of very heavy menstrual flow. An ultrasound of her pelvis showed seven ovarian cysts and an unusually thick endometrium (lining of the uterus). Her bleeding was successfully treated with medroxyprogesterone (Provera) for ten days each month. This woman’s FSH levels were increased, but only to a level commonly found in perimenopausal woman during the five or more years before the last menstrual period. Her inhibin level was in the normal range, but her estrogen levels during days four to eight of her cycle, were about 12 times higher than normal for the early follicular phase.

More ovarian follicles are used up each year during a woman’s late 30s and early 40s, as compared to earlier in her life.

Pathologists have observed that there is a steady decrease in the numbers of ovarian follicles as women age. (The highest number of follicles is present before birth). This gradual loss takes place during adolescence and young adulthood without any perceptible influence of FSH. The marked increase in the rate of decline in midlife is an indication that more follicles are being stimulated.

Women in their forties are more likely than younger women to be pregnant with non-identical twins (i.e. from two different eggs).

Many women try unsuccessfully to get pregnant for years and then are suddenly successful: compared to younger mothers, these women in their 40s are more likely to bear non-identical twins. In these cases, two ovarian follicles are stimulated, both ovulate and both are fertilized. This could well be due to lower levels of inhibin and higher FSH levels.

Average estrogen levels in perimenopausal women are higher than in younger women.

Although perimenopausal women often believe their estrogen levels to be high, scientists have been slow to acknowledge this possibility. However, two recent studies may change this. One study (subtitled “hyperestrogenism in the perimenopause”) compared the amounts of estrogen (estrone in urine, during one cycle) in two groups of regularly cycling women—one group aged 47 or over and another aged 19 to 38. Ovulation occurred in some cycles and not in others. The older women not only had higher levels of estrogen but also had lower levels of progesterone.

Another study involved a large, randomly selected group of women aged 45 to 55 in Melbourne, Australia. During the early follicular phase, these women showed unexpectedly high estrogen levels (averaging 226 pmol/L) as compared to the expected average of 175 pmol/L. Forty-two per cent of women in a subgroup who had skipped periods for three to 11 months, had levels higher than normal for that phase of their cycle and eight per cent had levels higher than the usual mid-cycle estrogen peak.

[I was gratified to find that high estrogen levels during the perimenopause had been found in a large, well-designed study. However, when I read the authors conclusion that the menopausal transition was characterized by “an increase in serum FSH and decrease in estrogen,” I felt I had to write. The authors subsequently acknowledged that I was probably right about high estrogen levels in the perimenopause.]

Women’s experience and “perimenopausal ovarian hyper-stimulation”
In the book Women of the 14th Moon, nurse practitioner Maura Kelsea says, “At [peri]menopause* life can turn into one long premenstrual experience. Hormones slap you up against the doors of your unfinished business.” Her description of “one long premenstrual experience” aptly describes the physical and emotional upset related to abnormally high estrogen levels. If a woman is to differentiate between moods caused by the social stress of the menopausal transition, and moods caused by high estrogen levels, it helps to be able to recognize the effects of abnormally high estrogen.

For women who menstruate, there are two accurate signs of high estrogen levels that normally occur for a day or two at the middle of a menstrual cycle: front-of the-breast tenderness and stretchy cervical mucus. If estrogen remains high for several days, then the breasts also swell, become firmer and may develop the kind of tenderness often characteristic of early pregnancy. Stretchy mucus is caused by estrogen stimulation of the glands of the cervix (the mouth of the uterus). This mucus is clear and slippery (like raw egg white), can be stretched in a long thread 5-7 cm (2-3" long) and acts to assist sperm traveling into the uterus to fertilize an egg. This type of mucus disappears after mid-cycle when progesterone comes on the scene. Therefore, not only is mucus a sign of high estrogen levels, its disappearance is good evidence of ovulation.

Many perimenopausal women have a high estrogen mid-cycle peak without ovulation. FSH then stimulates another follicle to make high estrogen levels that peak a week or so later. At that point the endometrium has become thickened, is over stimulated and begins to bleed. Thus a common menstrual pattern in the perimenopause is for front-of-the-breast tenderness and stretchy mucus to begin in the middle of the cycle, but then to continue and be at their maximum at the start of a period. Menstrual blood mixed with this mucus may resemble currant jelly. When these signs are present, it is clear evidence that ovulation did not occur. It may also be associated with heavy flow, increased premenstrual moodiness, fluid retention, bloating, and sometimes with menstrual cramps.

What is the significance of these high estrogen levels – aside from breast tenderness and stretchy mucus? According to one recent study, estrogen serves to amplify our body’s hormonal responses to any kind of stress. This was demonstrated by randomizing young men to wear either a high-dose estrogen or a placebo patch and then subjecting all of them to a standard stress test (speaking and doing math problems in front of an audience). Those who were receiving estrogen were found to produce higher levels of the kinds of hormones manufactured in response to stress (i.e. ACTH, cortisol and norepinephrine).

Daytime hot flashes and night sweats are usually interpreted as indicators of low estrogen, despite the fact that they occur in response to rapidly decreasing estrogen levels. Many women who experience flashes find that they start while they are still menstruating regularly – before estrogen could be low. There is now good evidence that hot flashes are related to at least two conditions:

The brain must have been exposed to high estrogen levels at some time, and
The level of estrogen has to be decreasing. The brains of women who have regular periods and mid-cycle estrogen surges will become used to high estrogen levels.
When estrogen decreases –even from high to normal—hot flushes are triggered. Two studies have now shown that severe hot flushes can occur concurrently with either very high or normal estrogen levels.

Treating “perimenopausal endogenous ovarian hyperstimulation”
This picture of erratic (and explosive) estrogen levels in perimenopause not only can help us to make sense of our experiences. It can also guide us toward appropriate treatment choices, including the avoidance of supplementary estrogen until flow has been gone for a year and the possible use of cyclic progesterone.

In the normal course of events a 47-year-old woman seeing her doctor about night sweats, heavy flow and PMS would likely be given combined hormone (estrogen/progestin) therapy or the oral contraceptive pill. (She might even be told that she is too young to be menopausal and scheduled for a D & C). She is not likely to be told that there are many things she could do to help herself. She could find and talk to other women who have come through the perimenopause; she could get more information about perimenopause at community seminars and read about perimenopause. She could also help herself by exercising regularly. Walking (or more strenuous exercise) for 30 minutes a day may not alleviate all premenstrual symptoms but will help reduce stress, control weight, allow more sound sleep, possibly relieve hot flushes and be good for both bones and heart. The hot flushes can also be helped by a daily dose of vitamin E (400-800 IU) and even more so, by relaxation training. Finally, she could use vitamin B6, oil of evening primrose and herbal remedies like black cohosh to see if they help.

If perimenopause is a time of high estrogen and low progesterone, a logical treatment is supplementary natural oral micronized progesterone or medroxyprogesterone, provided that the progesterone and/or progestin produce adequate physiological blood levels to be effective. At the outset, progestin/progesterone may briefly (for one cycle) exacerbate estrogen-related mood symptoms, migraines or breast tenderness. But if you persist, progesterone will block these unpleasant symptoms.

Progestin/progesterone therapy is certainly indicated when estrogen excess (relative to progesterone) causes spotting, heavy flow (defined as more than 16 soaked pads/tampons a period), periods too close together (e.g. two periods within the same month) or endometrial hyperplasia (over-stimulation of the cells lining the uterus). These situations are so common in the perimenopause that physicians or nurse practitioners should feel comfortable prescribing this therapy; gynecological consultation is rarely necessary and endometrial biopsies or ultrasounds are usually not needed. The treatment involves either oral micronized progesterone (Prometrium® in a dose of 300 mg at bedtime because of its drowsy side-effect, or medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) in a dose of 10 mg per day for 16 days – on days 12 to 27, counting from the first day of the menstrual period. This will usually bring flow back to normal.

To ensure an adequate counterbalance to the high estrogen, each 16-day course of progestin/progesterone must be completed, even if bleeding starts. In other words, the woman should finish the 16 days but – at the same time – start counting towards day 12 and the next dose from the beginning of flow. This means that during some cycles, she may be off progesterone for only a few days. Cyclic progesterone therapy should be continued for at least six months.

In some situations, if excess estrogen symptoms are severe, if flow starts before the ninth day of the progestin/progesterone therapy, or if breakthrough bleeding occurs, higher doses of progesterone may be needed. For instance, I have used cyclic natural progesterone (300 mg per day for days 12 to 27 of the cycle) and added daily progestin (Provera®) at 5 or 10 mg per day every day. The daily dose of progestin can be stopped when flow becomes scant or some periods are skipped, but the progestin/progesterone taken on days 12 to 27 should be continued for another six months.

We know that several old controlled studies showed that hot flushes were relieved by progestin treatments. So the cyclic progestin/progesterone treatment I recommend will not only control heavy bleeding, but also alleviate night sweats that often begin before flow. We also know that in premenopausal women experiencing abnormal cycles, ten days a month of Provera can increase spinal bone density by a high significant 2 per cent. Best of all is the knowledge that cyclic progestin/ progesterone therapy can bring estrogen and progesterone back into a healthy balance. You can monitor your feelings and bodily changes, as well as therapy, using a Daily Perimenopause Diary®.

By dispensing with “The Myth of the Shriveling Ovary” and learning the secrets of “perimenopausal endogenous ovarian hyperstimulation,” we can make sense of the chaotic physical and emotional changes of perimenopause.

© Dr. J.C. Prior, June 2003

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If you find the materials helpful, and if you are able, please consider making a donation to cover our costs and support the research and education objectives of the Centre for Menstrual Cycle and Ovulation Research.[size]

Wow! This seems to go against ALL types of estrogen replacement therapy.

You know, I always had a terrible reaction to estrogen when I was younger. I had a horrible reaction to the birth control pill. It made me sick, nauseous all the time, and it made me fat and bloated and tired! I've never felt physically better now that I am menopausal and my estrogen has diminished.

I've also heard that times when there is a naturally high level of estrogen in our bodies, it is called "estrogen poisoning" because it is causing us so many bad physical symptoms.

I think that we may just worsen this "estrogen poisoning" by taking it as a replacement.

It DOES seem to actually help SOME women though.

The pill actually has higher levels of progesterone than estrogen, especially the older ones.

Thank you for sharing this article Flushing. I am not at all surprised by the findings but I am surprised to see someone actually did the work to prove it!

I did 2 month long hormone tests and tracked my symptoms during those months. Both showed spikes of estrogen during 5 - 15 days of my cycle; exactly in sync with my worst symptoms. I stopped the estrogen and now use progesterone cream and herbs that help even the estrogen. It's not perfect but much better than suplementing with even more estrogen!

That's the thing--they haven't PROVED IT. It's not a FACT. It's just an hypothesis at this point. More data is needed in controlled studies with uniform results to back this up. I suspect it is true but as it is--not proven.

It sure does seem to add credence as to why so many peri women have good results with progesterone cream. I've often thought that it wasn't the amount of estrogen and progesterone we have--it's the ratio of estrogen to progesterone that makes us feel good or bad--since we are all so different--it doesn't make sense that we should all have exactly the same amount of estrogen and progesterone--but it seems to be the tendency of medicine these days to simplify everything by making the numbers the same for everyone--as far as weight, cholesterol, etc. The medical community doesn't want to deal with the uniqueness of us all.

I hope they gather enough evidence to prove this so women can be properly treated. Even then--it will be a while before the info is in the hands of practicing physicians.

Thanks for the article.

Miss Tibbs

Quote : "Average estrogen levels in perimenopausal women are higher than in younger women."



Hi
I read quite a lot about this in peri...... it's called "estrogen dominance" (alternative spelling oestrogen)
If you google you should find quite a few articles, also John R. Lee M D.has written some books:
What your doctor may not tell you about menopause
What your doctor may not tell you about premenopause
Hormone Balance Made Simple
He is a great advocate of natural progesterone (which I haven't taken), but I did take soya isoflavones in peri... I had very few hot flushes (flashes to you in the US!). The theory is that soya contains phytoestrogens which are similar in chemical structure to natural estrogen and compete with the spaces on the estrogen "receptors" therefore reducing the symptoms.
Love LindyD xxxxxxx

I've been on the birth control pill for 28 years now; for birth control and tonight is when I should be starting to take it again and I decided not to. I want to see what this effect will have on my body. I feel relief on some level as I believe that my estrogen levels are high and this should help. Who knows; I will wait and see. I am taking a saliva test in awhile to see where my hormones are at. My doctore gave me zero information; I only knew about the Saliva test by watching Dr.Phil; his wife Robin was talking about menopause and mentioned this. There is a motivational speaker called Jackie Harvey who teams up with a Doctor, etc and has a truly informative DVD out about perimenopause. You just type in Jackie Harvey in google and will find it.

It talks about the same thing you mention; balancing your estrogen levels with your progesterone levels. Talks about taking enough fiber or fiber supplements which will flush out the estrogen from your body. How nutrition plays a key role and she has many suggestions. I have it all written down and it's a lot to take in at once but I've been eating better; I never ate a lot of bad food but now, there's none.

Anyone else been on birth control for a long time and then went off? If so, let me know how it went for you? It's a bit scary in a way too. I felt anger because I've been on it for so long and never felt I had a choice to go off it but I do.

Jan

No wonder I felt so horrible during my pregnancies, when natural progesterone levels are high.

So now, I guess both estrogen AND progesterone make me sick, fat and nauseous!

Oh, well. Sure glad I'm post meno!!

I had stopped the birth control pill after 20 years and I believe doing that I entered Perimenopause.

I am new here, so if this is a duplicate, I apologize. I had stopped the birth control pill in November 2006 and doing that I believe started my perimenopausal symptoms that I have had.

Yes, LOL, we can't win can we. I've read that too much or too little of either estrogen or progesterone can have the same symptoms. Like the other women have posted, I guess it's finding the right balance, which is different for each one of us. Could be too much estrogen or progesterone. I personally haven't figured it out yet as I still feel lousy!! How's post meno for you, do you feel better?

Physically, I feel great.
Mentally, I feel unstable.

I have full blown psychiatric problems, diagnosed as OCD and severe neurosis.
I was always a bit neurotic and a bit of a perfectionist my whole life.

Menopause just put my poor brain into super high gear.
I think my mother was like this, so it's probably hereditary.
But back then, not many women sought psychiatric help.
My mother killed herself at age 54, one week after her mastectomy from breast cancer.
She couldn't bear the disfigurement.

I hope I don't end up as crazy as she was.
I'll be 54 in December.

Wow. So sorry about your Mom. Yes, these things are hereditary, but as you said, back then, people didn't have the options we have today. And you're already getting help and you have a good support system, so I think that will all help you through these times. I assume you're on meds, etc. I know what you mean about the age thing. My ex husband died of a heart attack at age 36, so I had high anxiety when I hit 36. Now 46 is scary because my grandmother died of breast cancer at age 46. But I think we'll be fine. You won't go crazy because you're already getting the help and I'm keeping up with mammograms, etc. So we'll still be writing here years from now, hopefully done with menopause giving hope to others coming here!!
God Bles!!
Faith

Wow, so this explains why my Estrogen levels came back high yet I still have all of the Peri symptoms. I guess I am not crazy after all! Thank you so much for posting this article!

Exactly, and this is why the pill made me sick when I tried it back in my 20s, same way Progesterone in HRT makes me sick. I also can add that I had my FSH and estradiol tested few times, and while FSH was still low ( 5-8 range) , my estradiol was 65, the highest, which is not even low normal. Once it was even lower, like 35. So I doubt they are right, I do get bloated and cramps when estrogen drops before ovulation, and again, feel better during the 2nd peak.
We all different, but I tend to think that it is low estrogen that give me night sweats and crazy anxiety before and during my period.
It could be just me, but it is a big stretch to say that we are poisoned by estrogen, otherwise, how come so many women feel marvelous taking estrogen and it seems to help with many symptoms. I just think it is fluxes that cause all the nasty symptoms, it is indeed every day PMS, that is linked to hormonal withdrawal. Since our E and P fluctuate daily, it feels like PMS that never ends.
JMHO.

I really think it's all about balance. I've had times like these last few weeks were my estrogen was low and it was a problem for me symptom wise. I've had times where I've felt good just on progesterone with little to no estrogen. I think it's a stretch to think one size fits all with the progesterone. We are all different and sometimes our levels are up and down with both hormones. Wish it was that easy.

So, how one balances something that changes hourly? Symptoms advertised as estrogen dominance for me happened to be estrogen deficient. I can feel when hormones change, certain times of the months I feel lousy, other days - pretty normal. I am an engineer and the term "balance" for me means - controlling feed back loop, and this is what our body does: it controls E and P via feedback mechanism of FSH and LH, and still even in our prime years we never balanced, we have E dominant part of the cycle and P dominant part of the cycle. Since our natural 'controller" is broken, we can only do one thing to maintain the setpoint (certain ratio of E to P than makes us feel good): MANUALLY OVERIDE THE CONTROLLER, i.e. flood body with higher level of both hormones that will completely shut down ovaries and fool brain (controller), so the setpoint is stabilized. So, unless you can use high enough level, adding a bit of this and a tad of that, will not do the trick unless you hit the rock bottom hormones wise. Then it is possible to reach balance, since ovarian production seized, or at least, stabilized at much lower level. This is just my understanding of "stability" and "balance" and speaking from experience, it requires daily "fine tuning" and tweaking based on symptoms, and it did not work for me. But I am sure it works for other women, I Just had bigger peaks and lower drops than before, and it totally drove me crazy. Dr. Reiss suggested actually tweaking E and P depending on symptoms, to avoid complains "hormones stopped working".
Once we start perimenopause, it all changes, no longer we have rigid "pattern" of the cycle, that we are used to and I actually never had much problems with PMS or heavy bleeding before this mess started. Was I balanced back then, like daily? May be, but certainly I was not E dominant based on symptoms.
During perimenopause, we have sporadic hormonal ups and downs, both E and P, and every time they drop suddenly, it creates prostaglandines, which are normally released premenstrually only and cause inflammatory response and symptoms like achy muscles, joints, cramps, head aches, and all other normally attributed to PMS. Is it safe to say that we have high level of prostaglandines daily now, hence, sore muscle, tight joints, head aches, nausea, cramps, etc. Here are the most common functions and effects of prostaglandines:


Sounds familiar, isn't it? Most of my issues started with digestion (no problems now), achy muscles and joints ( better now too)
and cramps around ovulation time ( another sign of estrogen drop related prostaglandines formation).
If you google natural remedies for prostaglandines, instead of recommended OTC NSAIDs, there are some that help to curb it and minimize discomfort.
But kudos to those doctors who really know how and helped women create complete hormonal balance by all means.
JMO.

Well said Iradan

I have also come to many of these conclusions finally after much trial and error and research. I think there has been too much hype with the so called miracle progesterone only treatment. I used to go between the thought maybe I was estrogen dominant or estrogen deficient and I'm fairly sure now that I would fit into the estrogen deficient category most of the time according to MY symptoms. If I had been estrogen dominant then the progesterone cream should have done me some good instead of making my life hell, all it did was make me progesterone dominant and further estrogen deficient. I've only had one blood test to test my estrogen levels on day 3 of my cycle and while it was not as low as yours, to me and to the lab averages it was on the low side of normal and that was while taking the dreaded progesterone (FSH and LH were fairly normal readings but I don't think I was ovulating during this time). I map my symptoms monthly and it is precisely during the ebbs and peaks of the fluctuating hormones that symptoms are at their worst.

Now that I nearly fully understand how the hormones fluctuate during the cycle I make the most of my good feeling times (which are the last 10-14 days of my cycle) and work social engagements and major work commitments during the FEEL GOOD times.

My aunt has had great results from using bio-identical progesterone cream but she is post meno and her estrogen was still good and her testosterone is high normal but her DHEA was non existant along with Progesterone so she supplements with these daily but tweaks the progest cream to suit her symptoms, she reads her body now and it works for her but it has taken a few years to get to that point.

From what I've observed with friends and family using Progesterone supplementation it seems to work best for the post meno ladies and not so well for the peri ladies so it must be to do with the ever fluctuating remaining hormones.

Hormones during this time are much like our blood pressure which can fluctuate hour by hour day by day depending on many internal and external factors.

Understanding how they work seems to be the key to me accepting things for what they are for the time being and getting on with living in the moment cos at this moment I'm feeling great but tomorrow may be another story lol

Rox

This is very true, Rox. What seems to be E dominance for one women can be E deficient for another. No one size fit all, some women love progesterone, those probably with enough estrogen, while it is poison for other women.
I don't believe that progesterone cream is cure-it-all remedy, I actually have read that it tends to accumulate and over time will create major issues, but it what do I know seriously. I just think it is a huge cash cow for companies that make OTC P-cream, and to some drs who endorse it. Those prefer Rx P-cream to OTC, I think there is no difference.

My tests on estrogen were done on day 3 of the cycle, but no lab reference range was provided, so I assume it was on the lower side of the range based on the web data, but then why I don't have hot flashes. Common and mostly recognized symptoms of low estrogen? May be because I have more estrone, I think my total estrogen was over 200, so estrogen is aromatized into 17-beta estradiol, and otherwise, again, not sure.
My progesterone was low, like 3-4 on days 19-21, but still not rock bottom.

Both testosterone and DHEA on the lower side of the range too, and yet, when I tried to supplement, I felt like a blood thirsty maniac, looking for someone to kill, LOL. I had so much aggression and anger, enough to scare myself. So, I had to stop the hormones and hormonal supplements. With my low testosterone I have enough libido and very muscular, go figure, and the dr told me that I need to supplement based on my test results.

So much for numbers being indicator of balance, based on my results I should be drenched in sweat and have hot flashes every 5 minutes, no libido, fatigue, and and yet, I have none of these.
But I have anxiety, tight and achy muscles, which hormones swing, during ovulation and premenstrually, otherwise, I am more or less "normal", LOL. 2 years back, when I used BHRT to "balance" my symptoms as I was promised by drs, I was in such a bad shape, I was a pile of mess, so to speak, that now I feel like almost normal .

I try to make the best those days that I feel better than the other, and when PMS hits, I just take it easy and go with flow knowing it will end as soon as my period starts. I exercise, eat well and fresh produce, and with a little help of Xanax, I am doing not too bad. May be if I give BHRT another try, I would feel better, but I am scared of all hormones now, no more trips to ER for me.
Hang in there, ladies, everything passes and this shall pass too.

Thanks so much for posting the article-I learned a lot!

Hi,

Thats a good article. About 4 years ago my symptoms started, I used "pro-gest" progesterone cream and it really helped, for about 3 years. Then last year I skipped my period for 2 months, (the first time I ever skipped). I felt really great during that time and stopped the progesterone. Then I started getting ovary pain and got my period, the symptoms were so bad. I started the progesterone cream again but it hasn't helped. This past year has been really bad. I went to an endocrinologist she gave me the vivelle patch(natural estrogen) to wear for 14 days, then I was suppose to add in progesterone for 14 days. I never got to the progesterone because, the estrogen made me really bad. Then I was given a combo HRT by my gyno, this made my symptoms worse. Right now I'am not taking anything but a beta blocker and xanax, I can manage with these two. I guess it's trial and error till we get thru this, and some things that work during some parts of peri don't help at other times. good luck

OMG Thank You! I printed out this article and read it carefully, and all I can say is thank you.

This article truly hit the nail on the head for me! I have experienced exactly the same physical charateristics of my period and ovulation as explained in this article. And what I thought was horrible clotting, is something totally different. This would also help explain why after a lifetime of not being regualr (every 2-4 months), to now every 27-28 days like clockwork. Also I did have one doctor tell me of that there was thought that woman high w/endometriosis, where actually estrogen dominate. Wow, this really made things come full circle for me, at the least I know I AM NOT CRAZY!

Wow, what I wouldn't do to find this doctor who wrote this article.

Thank you so much for posting this.....