Constipation & Progesterone Supplementation

Looking After Our Colon

Many medical experts today agree that most illness begins in the colon and that the colon may be the single most critical organ in the body.

As the colon becomes a stagnant cesspool, failing to move the poisons from food waste out of out of the body on a regular basis, the toxins back up.

It is estimated that there are 36 different poisons that come from the colon, and as these accumulate in the bowel over a period of weeks, months or often years, they spread into your liver, gall bladder and other organs; into your blood; into your tissues and finally into your cells.

The colon is the starting place for most disease in the body, including cancer (and not just colon cancer, but many if not all cancers). The colon is the sewage system or “septic tank of the body” where, if it is not properly cared for, a large volume of toxins (or poisons) accumulate until it becomes a foul cesspool

Contributing Factors

Hormones can also affect bowel movements. For example, too little thyroid hormone, and too much parathyroid hormone (which raises calcium levels in the blood) can cause constipation.

At the time of a woman’s menstrual periods, estrogen and progesterone levels are high and may cause constipation (however, this is rarely a prolonged problem). Constipation tends to be more pronounced during pregnancy, and causes may include the pressure of the baby on the bowel, as well as the production of high levels of estrogen and progesterone.

Other causes may include:

• Not drinking enough water
• Not exercising regularly
• Hormonal disorders
• Colon diseases
• Suppressing the normal urge to go to the toilet

Levels of Progesterone

The levels of progesterone in a woman’s body rise and fall dramatically with her monthly cycles. At ovulation, the production of progesterone rapidly rises from 2-3mg per day to an average of 22mg per day, peaking as high as 30mg per day a week or so after ovulation.

After ten or twelve days, if fertilisation does not occur, ovarian production of progesterone falls significantly. It is this sudden decline in progesterone levels (as well as estrogen levels) that triggers a period (menstruation), and another menstrual cycle will begin.

If pregnancy occurs, progesterone production increases and the shedding of the lining of the uterus is prevented, preserving the developing embryo. As pregnancy progresses, progesterone production is taken over by the placenta and its secretion increases gradually to levels of 300-400mg per day during the third trimester.

One of the major effects of progesterone during pregnancy is to cause relaxation of ‘smooth muscles.’ Levels of progesterone in the last trimester can reach 350-400 mg per day. Organs that contain smooth muscle are the blood vessels, the uterus, and the bowel. Progesterone decreases the strength and the frequency of bowel contractions that are necessary to move food, fluids, and wastes through the bowel. The slower the motility of the bowel, the greater the opportunity for absorption of fluid and foods.

Unfortunately, by the end, if the remaining waste becomes very dehydrated, the stool becomes compact and hard, making it more uncomfortable to pass, sometimes getting to the point where a woman will not have a bowel movement for 5 or more days. This is constipation and it can be very uncomfortable.

More than 50% of all pregnant women suffer some degree of constipation. ‘Nature’s way’ of getting the mother to absorb the most food and fluid from her diet she possibly can to help nourish her baby and maintain the pregnancy.

Crinone 8% (bioidentical progesterone gel) is used in fertility treatment as part of Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) for women unable to get pregnant due to a lack of natural progesterone in the body. In women requiring progesterone replacement, the most frequently reported side effects were cramps, breast pain, breast enlargement, constipation, somnolence, nausea, and headache. This 8% progesterone gel delivers 80 mg per viginal application. Therefore two applications a day would equal 160 mg, as compared to a physioligcal dose of between 15-30 mg per day (produced during a normal menstrual cycle). High doses of supplemental bioidentical progesterone (similar to levels found during pregnancy) have the potential to cause constipation.

Twenty to ninety-five percent of women experience premenstrual syndrome, with 10-12% severely affected. Some of the more common symptoms associated with PMS include constipation. Many symptoms related to PMS can be attributed to “estrogen dominance,” a condition of relative excess estrogen activity in the body. This can be caused by too much estrogen, or by sub-normal levels of progesterone.

It’s all about finding and maintaining BALANCE!

Getting Enough Fiber In Your Diet

Dietary fibre is important, and the best source is from increasing the quantity of fresh fruits and vegetables you eat. When increasing amounts of fibre, it is important to drink large amounts of water to help prevent ‘hardening’ of the fibre and blockage of the intestine.

A good natural solution is Herbal Fiberblend. It’s a combination of psyllium fiber and herbs that gently but very effectively gets things going and cleanses your bowels and helps them get healthy. Just mix it in a small glass of water or juice twice a day. You’ll be thrilled with how much better you will feel. It is well worth the price. If you do take Herbal Fiberblend, don’t take it at the same time of day as your medications - wait about an hour between them.