Why HRT May Be Part of Your Fertility Toolkit (What You Need To Know About Synthetic Hormones) with Carol Petersen

We’re digging into hormone replacement therapy and when/if you need to use it during the fertility journey.

We get so many questions about hormone replacement therapy.

Especially if you’re dealing with low AMH and/or high FSH.

You may be experiencing hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia, low libido, painful sex or mood swings.

So, how do we know when to use hormone replacement therapy (HRT)?

What is the difference between synthetic and bioidentical hormones?

Plus, could topical hormone therapy be an option?

Today, we’re breaking down what you need to know about HRT and fertility.

I’m excited to welcome Carol Petersen to the podcast. Carol is an accomplished compounding pharmacist with decades of experience helping patients improve their quality of life through bio-identical hormone replacement therapy.

In this episode, you'll learn:

1. The difference between synthetic and bioidentical hormones
2. When to use hormones and how this can impact preconception health
3. The impact of progesterone on fertility and health
4. The controversy over hormone replacement therapy and potential health risks

Carol Petersen offers a FREE minute consult: https://thewellnessbydesignproject.com/free-15-minute-consultation/

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HIGHLIGHTS:

2:47 WELCOME CAROL PETERSEN

4:00 CAROL’S JOURNEY INTO BIOIDENTICAL HORMONES

• Carol’s accidental journey into the field of bioidentical hormone therapy
• Progesterone needs to be used in generous amounts to get the activity of progesterone you want.
• Our testing modalities are limited. The best tools we have is to understand what the hormones are capable of doing, and monitor the clinical results.
• Infertility, PCOS, PMS and more can often be improved with progesterone
• Case study of a patient with premature ovarian insufficiency who started to ovulate again after taking progesterone
• As younger women, if you can support your progesterone, there is an opportunity for things to reset correctly, and off you go on your own so you're not dependent on supplements anymore.

11:57 BIOIDENTICAL VS. SYNTHETIC HORMONES

• Critical issues with the Women’s Health Initiative study
• The dramatic difference between synthetic and bioidentical hormones
• Your natural hormone production is suppressed by synthetic hormones.
• With hormonal birth control, you get quite a few estrogen-like and progesterone-like activities, but not the full complement of what the real hormones can do.

16:57 HORMONE REPLACEMENT THERAPY (HRT)

• Progesterone is not only an ovarian hormone, it's made substantially by your adrenal glands.
• Progesterone replacement to reduce excessive bleeding
• Some of these women are childless because of this endless drug medley that they've been exposed to when, in fact, progesterone was the key for them

21:59 BIO-IDENTICAL HORMONE PROTOCOL WHEN TTC

• Carol’s recommendations for the fertility journey and during pregnancy
• At your endpoint, you would want all kinds of PMS symptoms to be totally eradicated.
• When there’s any cause to worry about the ability to carry a baby, extra progesterone would be beneficial.
• All the work we're doing ahead of time is positively impacting pregnancy outcomes
• It’s crucial to optimize your thyroid before you get pregnant

33:52 THE IMPORTANCE OF CORRECT DOSING

• If you under-use progesterone, you could intensify the estrogen effects
• Small doses produce an adverse effect; large doses produce the effect you want.
• For somebody who has a significant progesterone deficiency, the small amount of progesterone in over-the-counter creams is very easily going to cause a problem
• You already need progesterone as early as your late 20s/early 30s
• Progesterone is the first hormone to drop.
• Insulin resistance can induce a lot of the symptoms we associate with perimenopause and menopause like hot flashes

44:15 ACCESSING BIOIDENTICALS

• Alliance for Pharmacy Compounding Website
• When men or women aren’t thriving, you should check DHEA levels to see what's going on
• Low cholesterol levels are often associated with hormone deficiencies

49:44 FINAL THOUGHTS

• Progesterone is an extremely valuable hormone.
• Carol Petersen offers a FREE minute consult - https://thewellnessbydesignproject.com/free-15-minute-consultation/

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RESOURCES:

Fab Fertile Method - https://fabfertile.com/pages/what-we-do

Ultimate Guide to Getting Pregnant This Year If You Have Low AMH/High FSH

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I just put together a new guide “Reconnecting With Your Fertility: Preparing Your Body With Diet ” that I'm going to give you pro bono (aka, free 😂)

If you want it, reply here with "10 DAY".

It includes:

✅ Step by step 10 day plan to determine if you have a food sensitivity (a theme we see with low AMH and/or High FSH is food sensitivity)

✅ The final word on caffeine, alcohol and sugar and what you need to know as you prepare for pregnancy success

✅ What to expect when you begin to reintroduce the foods back into your diet (this is the most critical step and so many people get this part wrong)

✅ Why a generalized approach to diet wastes time and how to fast track pregnancy success with this proven 10 day plan

And a lot more.

Now, you may be asking...

WHY AM I DOING THIS?

#1) If you like it you'll prob buy my stuff later on

#2) I really like helping you and I enjoy getting all the "this free stuff is better than the last paid fertility course I took" messages in my inbox

If you want to claim the free guide, just email hello@fabfertile.ca and say "10 DAY".

You will be impressed.

Sarah ❤️

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Vitamin D deficiency may be linked to decreased ovarian reserve, as indicated by higher serum FSH, low AMH and low antral follicle count. In simpler terms, ensuring adequate vitamin D levels could potentially boost your fertility odds.

We see low vitamin D levels all the time with our clients.

Check out our Fab Vitamin D3/K2 supplement - https://fabfertile.com/products/vitamin-d3k2-supplement

Use code “GPN15” for 15% off your order at FFLNaturals.com

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