There are different types of progestogen available, and various dosages within each type, so there is a good chance you will eventually find a combination of oestrogen and a progestogen that will give the advantages without the side-effects. Faced with a woman who has undesirable symptoms at the first attempt, many doctors still say, ‘Well, [...]
This acts on the ovary and triggers the ripening of follicles that contain eggs, thus setting the stage for ovulation during the fertile years. FSH is not one substance but a group of more than twenty similar substances produced by the pituitary gland of the brain. Scientists are only just starting to study the multiple [...]
Vitamin A in tablet form is considered by many naturopaths to be useful in treating vaginal dryness and bladder irritability. The usual recommendation is to take it for six to eight weeks and then to have a two-week break. Alternatively they may recommend a vaginal ointment made from English marigolds (Calendula officinalis). This is credited [...]
A problem with much of the evidence about the benefits and risks of HRT is that the early research was into oestrogens alone, not the combination with progestogen. For women who don’t have a uterus, and who therefore do not take a progestogen, this is not important. But the concern for the much larger number [...]
Oestrogen-containing vaginal preparations are often used by women in whom vaginal dryness makes sex distressingly painful. You may also benefit from these preparations if you have urinary symptoms such as a need to urinate frequently, or you experience recurrent urinary tract infections. Severe symptoms of this kind may need more far-reaching hormone therapy. The oestrogen [...]