Articles - Health and Hormone Balance for Women

Here's an extensive list of articles by best-selling authors Dr. John Lee and Virginia Hopkins about women's health and hormone balance. Whether you're looking for information on PMS, PCOS, hot flashes or osteoporosis, you'll find down-to-earth, practical advice for creating optimal health.

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TEST HORMONE LEVELS
The blood spot test is a fast, easy, accurate way to test hormone levels: progesterone, estrogen, testosterone, thyroid and more.

Cortisol and the Stress Connection
In this article originally published in the John R. Lee, M.D. Medical Letter, Dr. John Lee and Virginia Hopkins explain how the adrenal hormone cortisol work in the body, and how too much or too little can affect your health.

Progesterone Cream FAQs
Dr. John Lee and Virginia Hopkins answer frequently asked questions about natural progesterone cream include: what is natural progesterone; how to use natural progesterone cream; what dosage to use; real progesterone vs. progestins; how safe is progesterone, and when to use progesterone cream.

Fibroids and Natural Progesterone
Dr. John Lee explains the connection between fibroids and hormones such as progesterone and estrogen.

How to Get Off HRT
Questions and Answers from Dr. Lee and Virginia Hopkins about how to get off HRT and onto natural hormones, also known as bioidentical hormone therapy (BHRT). How to have balanced hormones, and relief from menopausal symptoms, without using conventional HRT.

Hormone Balance and Nutrition
A few tips from Dr. John Lee and Virginia Hopkins about how nutrition can affect your hormone balance.

Depression and Hormones
An interview with Robert Gottesman, M.D. from the John R. Lee, M.D. Medical Letter about how hormone imbalance can cause depression.

How to Treat Fibroids Naturally
An interview with Carolyn DeMarco, M.D. on natural treatment for fibroids and heavy bleeding.

Infertility: Getting Pregnant and Staying Pregnant
Dr. John Lee shares stories from his practice about helping women get pregnant and explains what causes infertility, how fertility works and how to prevent a miscarriage.

Natural Progesterone Creams
A list of progesterone creams.

Your Ovaries and PCOS with Dr. Jerilyn Prior
An interview with Jerilyn Prior, M.D., one of the top researchers on the subject of women's hormones, and ovulation and PCOS in particular.

PMS and Stress
Stress can be a direct cause of premenstrual syndrome (PMS), and it can certainly make it worse. Stress creates high cortisol levels, which creates hormone imbalances. Excerpted from What Your Doctor May Not Tell You about PREmenopause by Dr. John Lee and Virginia Hopkins.

Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS)
No it's not all in your head! Here's where to find articles about PMS by Dr. John Lee and Virginia Hopkins.

Soy and Hormone Balance
Is soy really a health food, or does it have too many antinutrients to qualify? And does it really help menopause symptoms? Dr. John Lee and Virginia Hopkins weigh in on whether soy is really the health food it is advertised to be and whether it helps menopause symptoms.

Take the Hormone Balance Test Now
The Hormone Balance Test is a wonderfully easy and useful tool for helping you decide, based on your symptoms, which of your hormones may be out of balance. At the end of this quick test we'll give you recommendations to help you decide the next steps to take to achieve hormone balance.

What Your Dr. May Not Tell You about PCOS
A detailed article about PCOS by Dr. John Lee and Virginia Hopkins, gives women detailed answers to their questions about causes and treatment, including info on hormones, diet and exercise.

Estriol - the Safe Estrogen Hormone
Estriol is a safe estrogen hormone that has been used for decades in Europe to treat hot flashes and vaginal dryness.

Estrogen Advice from Dr. John Lee
Dr. John Lee gives straight answers to what women want to know about estrogen, including what kind of estrogen to take and how much.

Bioidentical (Natural) Hormones and Breast Cancer
Bioidentical (natural) hormones, used wisely, do not increase the risk of breast cancer in women, and there is plenty of evidence-based science to back this up.

Estriol: Congress Agrees We Have a Right to Use It
In response to the outpouring of protest from thousands of women across America whose right to use estriol has been taken away, members of the House of Representatives stepped up and introduced a bipartisan Sense of the Congress resolution.

Hysterectomy and Bioidentical Hormones
An explanation of why women with hysterectomies are so often told by their doctors that they don't need progesterone because they don't have a uterus. It's the difference between biodentical and synthetic.

Abnormal Pap Smears Revert to Normal with Simple Treatment
Dr. John Lee shares a simple treatment for an abnormal pap smear.

NEW! 10 Steps to Hormone Balance - the e-booklet!
A downloadable e-booklet designed especially to help women approach hormone balance one step at a time. Includes Hormone Balance Test and Symptoms Chart.

The Sex Drive Solution for Women!
The Sex Drive Solution for Women: Dr. Jen's Power Plan to Fire Up Your Libido, a book by Jennifer Landa M.D. and Virginia Hopkins.

DHEA Supplements and Hormone Levels
Taking a DHEA supplement has a direct effect on other hormone levels. This small but important study demonstrates how DHEA affects other hormones.

A Story about Depo-Provera
A fit and healthy young woman drops into a nightmare of pain and disability after getting Depo-Provera shots.

Breast Cancer News and Reviews
Here's where to find news about breast cancer research, and reviews of breast cancer studies by Dr. John Lee and Virginia Hopkins

Breast Cancer Research for Your Doubting Doctor
Beautifully done research from Italy shows how progesterone protects against breast cancer and looks at the underlying causes of breast cancer.

Buyer be Aware Report on Mirena
Become fully informed about this method of contraception before you consider using it.

Dietary Guidelines for Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is a multi-faceted problem and not just a calcium deficiency disease. Dr. john Lee explains how a bone building diet and overall good nutrition can make all the difference in keeping bones strong.

Dr. John Lee's 3 Rules for BHRT
A Dr. John Lee classic - clear, commonsense guidelines for when and how to use bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT), also called natural hormone replacement therapy (NHRT).

Fibroid Q&A with Dr. John Lee
Dr. John Lee answers a question about fibroids from a woman nearing menopause.

Introduction to Hormone Balance Made Simple
Virginia Hopkins' introduction to Hormone Balance Made Simple, which she co-authored with Dr. John Lee, about natural progesterone and how to get your hormones balanced.

How to Prevent Osteoporosis
Dr. John Lee and Virginia Hopkins give women helpful information on how to prevent osteoporosis by giving information on what to avoid as well as lifestyle tips.

HRT and Osteoporosis
Dr. John Lee and Virginia Hopkins explain why progesterone is as least as important as estrogen when it comes to building and maintaining bone density in women around the time of menopause.

Insomnia and Hormones
Some types of hormone imbalance can contribute to sleepless nights. Find out what might be causing your tossing and turning.

Intro: What Your Dr May Not Tell You About Breast Cancer
Here's where you can read the introduction to Dr. John Lee's informative and useful book, "What Your Doctor May Not Tell You about Breast Cancer."

More Drugs that Can Cause Osteoporosis
Add acid-blockers for heartburn and SSRIs such as Prozac to the list of drugs that can cause osteoporosis.

Natural Progesterone - What Women Say
What women say about how natural progesterone has helped them restore hormone balance and combat estrogen dominance, plus what natural progesterone is and its effects in the body.

PMS and the Stress Connection
Stress can be a direct cause of premenstrual syndrome (PMS), and it can certainly make it worse. Stress creates high cortisol levels, which creates hormone imbalances. Excerpted from What Your Doctor May Not Tell You about PREmenopause by Dr. John Lee and Virginia Hopkins.

Postpartum Depression, Stress and Nutrition
An article by Dr. Dean Raffelock about how stress and poor nutrition can contribute to postpartum depression.

Premenopause Book Chapter 1
Excerpts from Chapter One of What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About PREmenopause, by John R. Lee, M.D. and Virginia Hopkins, including why you might recognize your hormone imbalance symptoms in this book if you're between the ages of thirty and fifty, and why you can look forward to perimenopause and menopause.

Progesterone and Estrogen Effects
Progesterone and estrogen balance each other in the body. Here is a list of estrogen's effects on the body, and the complementary effects of progesterone. Both hormones have important effects throughout the body.

Progesterone and Osteoporosis
Dr. John Lee explains that osteoporosis diagnosis usually comes around the time of menopause, when hormones are often imbalance, and how both progesterone and estrogen can help maintain healthy bones.

Cancer Warning on Progesterone Cream Labels
Does the warning on progesterone cream labels that progesterone may cause cancer really mean anything? Not much, and here's why.

Soy Foods and Menopause
Soy is widely touted as a cure-all for menopausal symptoms, but does it really work, and do you really want to eat that much soy?

Symptoms of Estrogen Dominance
Estrogen dominance is a term coined by Dr. Lee, and this is his famous (and much copied) list of the symptoms and conditions associated with estrogen dominance.

Teens, Birth Control Pills and Hormone Balance
An interview with Dr. David Zava about teenage girls and hormone balance.

Do Hormones Prevent Alzheimer's Disease?
Hormones can help or hurt your brain fitness depending on whether they're balanced or imbalanced.

Using Progesterone with Birth Control
Is is OK to use progesterone cream if you're using chemical birth control such as pills and patches? Find out more in this interview with Dr. David Zava.

What Every Woman Should Know about Birth Control
Information from the Hopkins Health Watch about some of the risks and side effects of birth control.

What Your Dr May Not Tell You About Breast Cancer: Chapter 1
Here's where you can read the controversial Chapter 1 of John R. Lee M.D.'s courageous book, "What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Breast Cancer," and the politics of tamoxifen, mammograms, chemotherapy and more.

What Your Dr May Not Tell You About Iron and Anemia
Iron is an essential mineral, but too much or the wrong kind can be harmful. Find out which are the best foods to increase iron, how and when to test for iron, and how to determine the underlying cause of the deficiency if you have anemia.

What Your Dr. May Not Tell You About Stress
If you think stress might be affecting your health, you'll want to read this article about how tired adrenal glands can cause poor health and hormone imbalances.

What's a Woman to do about Birth Control?
With the side effects associated with chemical birth control pills and patches, what's a woman to do about birth control?

Why Breast Cancer Rates Dropped
Breast cancer rates dropped dramatically in 2002 and 2003 after years of rising. Why the drop and how can we maintain this trend?

Women - Take the Hormone Balance Test
Are your symptoms caused by a hormone imbalance? Take this test to find out if a hormone imbalance is the underlying cause of your symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, irregular periods; or PMS symptoms such as moodiness, irritability, menstrual cramps; or symptoms of ovarian cysts (PCOS) such as mid-cycle pain, menstrual cramps, excess hair and acne.

Xenohormones (Part II) in Your Environment
We are awash in a sea of xenohormones but with education and awareness you can avoid many of them. Find out how in this article by Dr. John Lee and Virginia Hopkins.

Xenohormones (Part I) and Your Health
Xenohormones are chemical hormone imposters that can cause hormone imbalance and cancer. Read this informative article by Dr. John Lee and Virginia Hopkins.