How Science Got It Wrong About Progesterone

Progesterone is important for women's health.

Progesterone has been both ignored and mistakenly blamed for side effects it does not cause. How did that happen?

First, progesterone was discovered after estrogen, so, according to endocrinology professor Jerilynn Prior, missed being part of the tidy hormone dichotomy of “testosterone for men and estrogen for women.”

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Cyclic Progesterone Therapy for PCOS

Progesterone has anti-androgen benefits and can promote ovulation. That makes progesterone therapeutic for polycystic ovary syndrome, as described in my recent paper The central role of ovulatory disturbances in the etiology of androgenic polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)—Evidence for treatment with cyclic progesterone.

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Why Zinc Is One of My Favorite Supplements for Women’s Health

zinc for hormones

Want a simple solution for period and hormone problems?  Consider the humble mineral zinc.

According to the 2020 paper, The Role of Zinc in Selected Female Reproductive System Disorders, zinc can be an effective treatment for many women’s health conditions, including PCOS, period pain, endometriosis, and the vaginal dryness of menopause.

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Why I Prescribe Iodine for Breast Pain, Ovarian Cysts, and PMDD

iodine for women's health

Iodine can relieve breast pain, ovulation pain, premenstrual mood symptoms and help to prevent ovarian cysts. It works by promoting healthy estrogen metabolism, down-regulating estrogen receptors, and stabilizing estrogen-sensitive tissue in the breasts, uterus, ovaries, and brain.

Iodine’s anti-estrogen effect makes it one of the best treatments for estrogen excess or “estrogen dominance”— although I don’t use that term.

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