Glamour Magazine: Find a better birth control

Found an article on birth control in a recent copy of Glamour magazine. It covers Barrier Methods, Hormonal Methods, and Long-Term Methods of birth control with reviews from women who use them.

I have not used hormonal methods of birth control for several years. Not using the pill may have made me more susceptible to developing uterine fibriods. Read: Risk Factors for Uterine Fibroids Same as Those For Endometrial Cancer, New Pill Study Finds. After my diagnosis of uterine fibriods I was put on the pill in the hopes that it would stop the bleeding. I asked and was told the the pill would not effect the size of my fibriods. I was on the pill for about six months and not only did the bleeding not stop it got worse. Also I could feel and see (as my abdomen area started to expand, like I was pregnant) my fibriods getting bigger! I have been off the pill for about 3 months now, doing my regimen, and I've seen marked improvement. I am not advocating any particular method. By not using hormonal birth control I am doing what I think is best for my body right now.

Here is another article on Birth Control Pills and Uterine Fibroids. It has a better list of hormanal birth control side effects however in regards to the pill promoting the growth of existing uterine fibriods it says this:

Birth control pills, also called oral contraceptives, control the body's estrogen and progesterone levels (progestin is a synthetic form of the body's progesterone). Even though estrogen and progestin have a role in uterine fibroid growth, birth control pills do not affect the size of fibroids. However, birth control pill use improves heavy menstrual bleeding, which can be caused by uterine fibroids.

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Estrogen dominance is it real?

I stumbled across this site Cure Zone, Educating Instead of Medicating while looking up info on Hormones in our foods. It seems to be a collection of blogs, articles and forums. There is some stuff there that I think is quack, but there is also some good information. I found these articles on Estrogen Dominance and on MILK - The hidden toxins that I thought was interesting.

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Bisphenol A: Something Else to Worry About

Bisphenol a came up during the lecture at the Herb Shoppe By Dr. Wylie. The next day I did a search and...WOW. Ok so the skinny on uterine fibroid growth (and some other abnormal growths) is that they feed on excess hormones, i.e that they are estrogen-dependant. The use of Progesterone to treat uterine fibroids is confounding, so I’m going to leave that alone for now. The bottom line is according to Life Extension’s book on Disease Prevention and Treatment

“That women with uterine fibroids should attempt to lessen the entry of exogenous estrogen substances into their systems.”

Life Extension goes on to say that

“Control of estrogen is difficult in our estrogen-laden environment...Various agricultural chemicals MIMIC the activity and structural description of estrogen, provoking heightened estrogen receptivity on estrogen receptor sites.”

So where does Bisphenol A (BPA) come in? Well if you do a google search you find a lot of information and a movement to have this stuff banned. According to an article on The Green Guide website written by Catherine Zandonella, M.P.H, BPA

“mimics naturally occurring estrogen, a hormone that is part of the
endocrine system, the body's finely tuned messaging service. "These hormones
control the development of the brain, the reproductive system and many other
systems in the developing fetus," says Frederick vom Saal, Ph.D., a
developmental biologist at the University of Missouri. Endocrine-disrupting
chemicals can duplicate, block or exaggerate hormonal responses. "The most harm is to the unborn or newborn child," vom Saal says.”

Trying to avoid BPA might be a little tricky, the article goes on to say

“Plastic water and baby bottles, food and beverage can linings and dental sealants are the most commonly encountered uses of this chemical. Unfortunately,it doesn't stay put. BPA has been found to leach from bottles into babies' milk or formula; it migrates from can liners into foods and soda and from epoxy resin-lined vats into wine; and it is found in the mouths of people who've
recently had their teeth sealed. Ninety-five percent of Americans were found to
have the chemical in their urine in a 2004 biomonitoring study by the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).”

Also

“BPA was thrust into the spotlight by a laboratory mishap. In August 1998,geneticist Patricia Hunt, Ph.D., now at Washington State University in Pullman,noticed that chromosomal errors in the mouse cells she was studying had shot
up—from 1 or 2 percent to 40 percent, as published in the April 2003 Current
Biology. Hunt traced the effect to polycarbonate cages and water bottles that
had been washed with a harsh detergent. When her team replaced all the caging
materials with non-polycarbonate plastics, the cell division returned to
normal.”

And

“Meanwhile, new studies continue to reveal the potential for harm. A January 2006 study indicates that BPA may enhance the risk of developing Type II diabetes. Angel Nadal, Ph.D., and his team at the University of Miguel Hernández de Elche in Alicante, Spain, found that BPA altered the function of mouse pancreatic cells, which produce insulin. Unhealthy diet, a lack of exercise and a genetic predisposition are the main factors in triggering diabetes, says Nadal. "However, our feeling is that these factors could be exacerbated by the presence of environmental pollutants such as bisphenol A."”

If you can deal read the rest of the article by clicking here.

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The girls who started going through puberty at THREE

13/01/08 Daily Mail
The girls who started going through puberty at THREE
by NATASHA COURTENAY-SMITH

At the age of three, the worries of most little girls rarely stretch beyond what outfit to dress their dolls in, and how to ride a bike.
But for Hayley Smith, her third year brought a set of problems most children her age wouldn't even have heard of, let alone been able to comprehend - puberty.
While her baby-sized friends enjoyed the simplest of life's pleasures, Hayley spent her time laid up on the sofa with period pains.
She also had to put up with other un-pleasantries of puberty, including body odour, greasy hair and mood swings.
Not surprisingly, her parents, Debbie, 41, a chemist and David, 45, a project manager from Nottingham, were left both distraught and baffled by the changes in their daughter's body, and behaviour.
"I first noticed Hayley had body odour shortly after she'd turned three," says Debbie, who also has a 12-year-old son, Carl.
"Around the same time, she suddenly gained a lot of weight, despite not eating any more than she usually did. I thought it was very odd, and I mentioned it to my mother.
"When she told me that you wouldn't expect body odour until a child was approaching their teens, I felt sick with worry. I knew something wasn't right. Then, a few months later, I noticed pubic hair growth, and her breasts were beginning to grow too.
"Hayley was still going to nursery, and didn't seem unwell. All she wanted to do was make cakes and do colouring in. But David and I were very upset, and worried sick.
"Until then, Hayley had been a textbook child, hitting every developmental milestone at exactly the right time. We couldn't work out what was happening to her."
A series of tests with an endocrinologist - a doctor specialising in hormone-related disorders - revealed that Hayley's bone age was advanced, but no firm diagnosis was reached.
Instead, her parents say they were made to feel as though they were over-reacting. However, by the time Hayley was approaching her fourth birthday, it was clear to Debbie that she was on the verge of menstruating.
"Hayley started suffering from terrible stomach cramps and mood swings," says Debbie, who in a bid to raise awareness of the condition is appearing on ITV's Tonight programme this evening.
"She'd lie on the sofa, and tell me she felt tired and miserable. I kept a record of when she was unwell in my diary, and I quickly realised that her symptoms were coming in a regular monthly cycle.
"The thought that my three-year-old girl was getting her period seemed incomprehensible, but at the same time, it was becoming obvious to me that her mood swings and stomach cramps were to do with her time of the month.
"The endocrinologist may have dismissed my worries, but I could just tell that my daughter was entering puberty."
And Debbie's instincts proved to be correct. After numerous examinations and tests over the following 18 months, Hayley, at age six, was finally diagnosed with precocious puberty, a condition in which puberty begins at an unusually early age often due to abnormal production of oestrogen, thought to affect as many as one in six children under ten.
Although her periods didn't start until she was eight, her monthly cycle of stomach cramps and bad moods had been a warning sign that her ovaries were maturing, and were a sign of the fluctuating hormones that define puberty.
Her breasts also grew and Hayley, now aged 12, wears a C cup bra.

To read the rest Click Here.

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Fibroids Are Cramping My Style

Aloha, The purpose of this blog is to chronicle my holistic fight against my uterine fibriods and commune with other people who are dealing with fibriods/tumors. Even before my diagnosis my quality of life had been compromised because of excessive bleeding and chronic anemia, which over time has gotten worse. However I can't just give up my reproductive organs without a fight. I just can’t accept my doctors recommendation to have a hysterectomy without trying other methods. My goal is to shrink my fribroids using natural medicine to the point where I can be a good candidate for a myomectomy or UFE. If at the end of my fight I have a hysterectomy I think I'll be better able to accept it knowing that I tried.
I am a single 37 year old black American woman, with no children, who recently moved from the Islands to the Pacific Northwest. Spring of 2007 my doctor told me I had fibroids. Later I will write more about my experiences but for right now I want to sum up.
During the summer of 2007 I had two ultra sounds. My doctor told me I had numerous fibroids which caused my uterus to enlarge to the size of someone who was 4 to 5 months pregnant. Also that I was chronic anemic and that I may have cysts on my ovaries. In Dec'07 I was referred to an OBGYN who recommended a hysterectomy. At the suggestion of the OBGYN I had an MRI. I met with a Interventional Radiologist at OHSU about uterine fibroid embolization (UFE)however I was not a good candidate. I went back to the OBGYN and she strongly recommended that I have a hysterectomy. The doctor also said that there were problems with my fallopian tubes and that she was going to remove them too. In regards to the possible cysts on my ovaries the Doctor would not know whether I would keep my ovaries until they opened me up.
I felt that I have reached a brick wall with conventional medicine. A few days a go I purchased a book Herbal Healing Secrets for Woman; Safe Natural remedies for 40+ Women. The book symbolizes the beginning of my non-conventional fight.
After reading the book, doing some research on the Internet and meeting with a naturopath (who I am going to have a consultation with on Tuesday, Jan 15th, 2008) I have come to believe that I have high levels of estrogen. I have decided to use natural remedies and supplements to balance my hormones and see if this has any effect on my fibriods. I am going to use this blog to share my experiences and hope that others will share with me.

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