Hormone Health Hub: Expert Insights on Testing, Balance & Better Living — progesterone balance

Eating well and reducing stress but still can’t shift the weight? You’re not alone — and hormones are very likely involved. In this Q&A, Hormone Health Educator Candace Burch of ZRT Laboratory answers the most common questions from women struggling with hormone-related weight gain: from persistently high cortisol and adrenal fatigue, to BHRT monitoring, how long results take, and why testing is essential for getting the dose just right.

The Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) trial cast a long shadow over hormone replacement therapy — but it enrolled women well over a decade past menopause. Two newer trials, ELITE and KEEPS, specifically studied HRT started early in the postmenopausal period. Their findings on cardiovascular health, sexual function, sleep, mood and cognition paint a more nuanced and encouraging picture. Here is what the latest research shows.

The latest research confirms what Dr. John Lee and Dr. David Zava argued decades ago: maintaining healthy progesterone levels in proper balance with oestrogen is one of the most powerful tools women have for preventing and recovering from breast cancer. This article outlines seven practical steps to restore hormone balance and reduce breast cancer risk.