Healthcare Providers
Overview
The purpose of this health care provider section is to re-frame knowledge about women's reproduction to an approach that is life cycle based, ovulation-focused and woman-centered. Those providing medical services related to women’s reproduction have been trained largely by gynecologists and given a pelvis-based and surgically focused knowledge that may or may not be practical for and acceptable to women. In addition this section provides practical tools and handout materials for women’s reproductive care.
Because reproductive medical education, journals and textbooks continue to be dominated by a gynecological approach, some of the CeMCOR's research may not yet be published. Hence the information may vary from current standard recommendations and recommendations provided may or may not be supported by published Level 1 or 2 evidence. However, in each instance the physiology, epidemiology and, sometimes, randomized double blind controlled trial evidence for the approach will be provided with peer-reviewed references.
In addition, the CeMCOR website offers health care providers of all levels of training the opportunity to ask key questions and obtain detailed and practical answers from Dr. Prior.
Related Resources:
Use this diary if you are an adolescent or premenopausal woman.
You will need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader in order to read and print them. If you don't already have this program, you can download it for free.
Progesterone is one of two important hormones for women (estrogen is the one we usually hear about). Menstrual cycle hormone levels can be disturbed, even during regular cycles. The most common disturbance is of ovulation causing progesterone levels to become too low or absent.
Your doctor may prescribe progesterone to control heavy periods, severe menstrual cramps (dysmenorrhea) or to help with irregular periods, acne, unwanted hair, low bone density, or sore and lumpy breasts.
When a woman comes to you saying that her periods are "heavy" she's "flooding" or she's passing clots, what do you normally do to assess and treat her? The purpose of this paper is to define normal menstruation and how to clinically assess menstrual flow. In addition, you will learn how to make a diagnosis of menorrhagia some practical medical ways in which you can manage menorrhagia.
For perimenopausal women, including women with regular cycles who have hot flushes or night sweats
You will need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader in order to read and print them. If you don't already have this program, you can download it for free.
Perimenopause, although characterized as a time of dropping estradiol involves chaotic estrogen levels that average >20% higher and intermittently are extremely high and ovulatory disturbances with decreasing progesterone levels. Perimenopause begins and is most symptomatic when cycles remain regular. Perimenopause is highly symptomatic for more than 20% of women--symptoms typically included heavy menstrual flow, night sweats, infertility, breast tenderness and sleep disturbances. Progesterone, because it normally counterbalances estradiol's actions, is effective treatment for heavy flow, probably night sweats, infertility and breast tenderness and definitely decreased anxiety and improves sleep.
In July 2002, the largest randomized placebo-controlled study of “Hormone Replacement Therapy” for healthy menopausal women was stopped early because it showed that estrogen plus very low dose medroxyprogesterone therapy caused serious harm. Women, when they learned of these results, suddenly stopped their hormone therapy. Many found themselves dealing with severe night sweats and hot flushes.
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