FAQ about osteoporosis
What is a bone density test?
A bone mineral density (BMD) test measures the mineral density in the bone by bouncing a dual photon beam of light off the bone, measuring the difference in the density between bone and soft tissue. This shows how porous the bones have become and at what risk you are of having a fracture or degree of osteoporosis.
Many woman have started to lose bone after age 30 as they are having anovulatory periods and not producing progesterone. This is already detrimental to bone. It is a good idea to have a bone density test quite young, maybe 35, to have a base level to compare with later on.
Should I take progesterone if my bone mineral density test shows signs of osteoporosis but I’m not showing signs of estrogen dominance?
If you are showing a tendency towards osteoporosis, then at least you have the ability to take some measures towards correcting this early onset of osteoporosis that can be correlated with hormone imbalance without symptoms, especially if it is influenced by a history of early menopause, tubal ligation, poor diet, or use of steroids.
Even if you may not show signs of estrogen dominance or progesterone deficiency, the usage of a minimal amount of supplementation of progesterone, correction of diet and lifestyle could make all the difference in rebuilding bone and preventing further deterioration and, consequently, severe osteoporotic problems later on in life.
I?ve got a good bone mineral density. Should I take progesterone?
If you?ve got really good bones, taking progesterone isn?t going to make better bones. Progesterone seems to be more effective for women who have osteoporosis mild to moderate, according to John Lee?s work over a fifteen to twenty year period with his patients.
If you are taking progesterone to prevent osteoporosis, that is a fifty million dollar question that no one can answer at this point in time. Many women take progesterone for other factors and also it is peace of mind. It won?t hurt you but certainly won?t add extra bone on to bone if you have good bones.
My doctor wants me to take Fosamax but I don?t want to. I want to improve my bones naturally. What is the best plan of attack?
We suggest to women to do their homework and research the drugs that have been suggested to them so that they can make an informed decision based on that information. There are a lot of other alternatives and options to rebuilding bone and they say that osteoporosis doesn’t happen at menopause, it happens well and truly before the menopausal years and it is more reflective on the formative years, lifestyle, diet and hormonal and mineral imbalances that may have occurred earlier on.
We know that at menopause bone loss is accelerated for a few years because of the estrogen drop which means that acceleration and resorption of bone occurs. After a few years this will plateau out again, things settle, and bone loss may not exceed bone building.
If correctional measures have been adopted, this, in time, with additional support factors, will stop the acceleration and maybe prevent further bone loss. We suggest you read John Lee?s books ‘What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Menopause’, Chapter 12, and ‘What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Premenopause‘, p.197, if you want to look at the options of using progesterone for osteoporosis, and also to research the bone building drugs, their use and contraindications. Again, its up to the person and their own individual choices.
Be aware that bone building drugs can be very harsh on the gastrointestinal tract, so if you have any sensitivity or problems that may aggravate your situation, we suggest you think twice about using such drugs without proper research.
Progesterone supplementation to improve bone mineral density takes time. Rebuilding new bone will take a committed program incorporating progesterone, perhaps some testosterone, phytoestrogens, a premium bone, joint & cartilage formulation, additional magnesium, correct eating, attention to liver detox, stress management, and weight-bearing exercise.
I’ve been on progesterone now for 2 years and my bone mineral density is worse. Help!
As we mentioned before, when the estrogen drops there can be an acceleration in bone loss mass in those years. This is because bone loss exceeds bone building. We suggest women take 3 consecutive bone mineral density tests with the same machine for 3 years and then make a decision based on those results. We also suggest that they take other precautionary factors such as good diet, progesterone supplementation, and avoid the risk factors that contribute to osteoporosis.
Why we suggest 3 bone mineral density on the same machine is because there can be slight errors on the machine and if there is a plus or a minus either side, the third one usually shows an average result of the bone mineral density outcome. It also takes more than three years to rebuild bone. If we are basing our information on John Lee?s work, we are talking fifteen to twenty years with his patients, not two or three years and the studies are only early days at this point in time.
The Natural-Progesterone-Advisory-Network.com website has observed over a few years women who have reported bone building of up to 15% over 3 years, two cases reported this increase within 18 months. But this hasn’t happened with everyone. Perhaps, based on this observation, progesterone works better on some women than others in building new bone. And it’s up to the individual to conduct her own investigation as to why this might be. (See Risk Factors of Osteoporosis below).
Other aspects that create a massive bone loss in this millennium is a diet of refined carbohydrates and sugars, fizzy drinks, high sugar, lack of exercise, lack of minerals like magnesium due to soil depletion, and so on. Interference by drugs can create bone loss, there are certain drugs that have the ability to destroy bone mass. There are so many aspects that it would be foolish to put all your hope on progesterone as being the answer to rebuild bone, especially if damage has already been done.
I have been on progesterone for a couple of years and my bone density has not improved.
If the bone density hasn?t improved with a woman on progesterone one would have to ask why. Have drugs and other factors inter played in the relationship. Antacids for example can interfere with reabsorption of calcium into the bone, because hydrochloric acid is required to do this.
Other drugs that can interfere with bone building are cortisone (as well as interfere with many other benefits of progesterone). We will talk about cortisone separately. You cannot use cortisone and progesterone at the same time. One negates the other. Cortisone actually suppresses and negates all progesterone effects as it competes for the same receptor, unless of course it is bioidentical cortisone.
We’d like to make mention of a case involving a lady who was prescribed cortisone, long term, in the treatment of lupus, and subsequently developed severe osteoporosis. When she was in remission, she ceased cortisone and resorted to Calcitriol (form of vitamin D) and the principles of bone building with no remarkable outcome. However, twelve months on progesterone in conjunction with Calcitriol and the same principles saw her with a 15% bone improvement.
My doctor insists that I take HRT to prevent further osteoporosis. Is this not the same as progesterone?
No it is not. Your doctor may offer you the conventional form of HRT in the form of combinations of estrogens and progestagens, or even estrogen alone. We suggest that you seek out drug information and look into this because the forms of treatment are very different.
Progestins are not progesterone and do not do the same work in bone building as we have already discussed. Estrogen will retard and slow down the osteoporosis to a certain degree but not reverse it.
Synthetic progestagens, to our knowledge, do not build new bone. In fact, progestagens would prevent any natural progesterone (produced by the adrenals and ovaries if ovulating) that may be circulating in the body from occupying bone-building receptors (osteoblasts). Therefore, any bone-building benefits from real progesterone would be denied to the body while you are using synthetic progestagens, both of which would be competing for the same receptor site.
Progestagens are not prescribed as a form of treatment for bone building. They are prescribed to protect a woman (with an intact uterus) against the side effects of estrogen which, incidently, IS administered to help delay bone loss.
Progesterone has been shown to stimulate new bone formation, and is a vital link in a chain of multiple factors which together are necessary for good bone building. We suggest, if you want to have the rebuilding aspect, that you use it in a combination that includes natural progesterone, if this is what your doctor insists. Be very clear to him what you wish. And don’t be tricked into adopting those ‘natural’ combination patches now available because while these patches do contain ‘natural’ estrogen they contain ’synthetic’ progestagens. This needs to be understood.
Can I take my bone building drugs such as Fosamax and Raloxifine with progesterone?
Yes, you can. Fosamax will not effect progesterone benefits for other uses in the body, however, if you are using progesterone for bone building it will be severely compromised, if not rendered ineffective for this purpose. We suggest you consider why you are taking the bone building drugs in the first place and decide for yourself whether it is bone delay that you are seeking or bone building. Because the bone building drugs are not forming new bone, they are actually stopping and delaying the resorption of old bone.
Blocking off the action of absorbing old, brittle bone, prevents progesterone moving in to build new bone in place of the old. On X-ray, bone building drugs look fantastic as the bone appears dense, but in actual fact may be quite weak and brittle because the X-ray is depicting ‘old’ bone that should have been removed and replaced with new. Slowing bone resorption doesn’t necessarily make your bones stronger. As explained above, there are two different actions involved in bone formation, that is taking away old bone and rebuilding new bone.
We cannot make the decision for you but we strongly urge you to seek out options, information, and do drug research. Ask your doctor for full disclosure of side effects, benefits, and the test trials, then look at these seriously because at the end of the day, it is your health, your decision, and your body. You might like to visit Dr John Lee’s website to learn his view on bone builders.
What are some of the substances and factors that disrupt bone formation?
Processed food, smoking, crash dieting, anovulatory periods, salt and sugar, high fat and high protein diet, antibiotics, mineral deficiency, soft drinks, coffee, steroids, antacids, gastrointestinal problems interfering with absorption, stress, lack of exercise, kidney problems, inability to simulate or manufacture vitamin D, lack of sunlight, inadequate omega oils, essential fatty acids, lack of hydrochloric acid, excessive use of diuretics and diet tablets such as laxatives (not natural fibre).
Other bone destroyers and factors that contribute to osteoporosis : lack of weight bearing exercises; abuse during formative years with bad diets, anorexia, bingeing, crash diets, long term use of antibiotics, steroids; poor lifestyle - diet, environment, alcoholism, liver problems.
Will the Contraceptive Pill interfere with my bones? Can I take The Pill if I have osteoporosis?
There is no evidence that the Pill interferes with, or contributes to osteoporosis but we do know that the Contraceptive Pill stops the ovaries from ovulating. So it stands to reason that there might be a shortage, or lack of progesterone in the body and, therefore, lack of bone building because of insufficient progesterone levels. So one would have to be cautious in using progestogens (which The Pill contains) if there is a family history of osteoporosis, or you fall into a high risk category.
Does taking in too much protein cause osteoporosis
Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco showed that elderly women who eat lots of meat have much greater loss of hip bone density and more hip fractures than those who eat primarily vegetable protein. This does not mean that vegetable protein is better; it is just very hard to get too much protein from vegetable sources because meat is a much more dense source of protein.
Taking in more animal protein than you need causes your body to convert extra protein building blocks called amino acids into organic acids that acidify the bloodstream. The kidneys neutralize the acidity by pushing large amounts of calcium into the urine. On the other hand, the Framingham Osteoporosis Study showed that women who didn’t meet their needs for protein have severe bone loss over several years. So both eating too much protein and too little protein cause osteoporosis.
The average person needs 60-75 grams of protein a day (one gram per kilogram of body weight.) There are no exact numbers, but too much protein is probably defined as more than three or four times this amount.
