Phyllis Bronson Ph.D.

   For women at midlife, the natural interplay between the two primary female hormones, estrogen and progesterone, takes on a new significance. As a woman approaches menopause, even as long as 10 to 15 years from menopause onset, hormone levels begin to shift. Understanding this shift and managing it with natural substances can mean the difference between health and illness, between peace of mind and inner misery.
   If a woman approaching menopause - perhaps around age 45 and on wards, a time called perimenopause, has estrogen levels that are too high and progesterone that is too low, she may be prone to anxiety, panic, and hyperactivity. If her estrogen is too low, she may be subject to depression.
   Imbalances of key amino acids (protein building blocks) are also associated with these two hormonal polarities, which we call estrogen-dominant (too much estrogen) and estrogen-deficient (too little).
    If the average American woman enters menopause around age 52, and if perimenopause can begin as early as age 35 when hormonal changes are first noticeable but ignored as far as treatment goes, then we're looking at a 10- to 17-year stretch in which a woman is considerably vulnerable to the effects of these changes. These might be irregular menstrual bleeding, severe mood swings, episodes of anxiety or depression.
    Nearly half the perimenopausal women we see are anxious and nearly the other half are depressed and lethargic, but only a very small percentage feel great naturally. The concepts of estrogen-dominance and estrogen-deficiency and the effects these conditions can produce on the female brain are the basis of this work.