Sue:
Much has been made of PMS and the symptoms that women experience.  Some have cited too much estrogen as the root of these troubles while others cite too much progesterone during the luteal phase of a woman’s menstrual cycle as the culprit.  Do you have any thoughts about this?

Dr. Goldstein
My thoughts about premenstrual symptoms and the culprits are as follows: I believe that it is withdrawal of both estrogen and progesterone at the time right before the menses that probably contributes the most to the symptoms. This is totally compatible with my answer in question #1 about the change in estrogen levels throughout an irregular noncyclic cycle (how's that for an oxymoron) that causes many of the symptoms often cited.

Selecting Over-the-Counter Products
Dr Carolle Jean-Murat, author of Menopause Made Easy comments on selecting over-the-counter medications and supplements and says, "There are many brands of herbal medications on the market. Because they are classified as a food, they are not regulated. Over-the-counter herbs and supplements lack quality control of content. There is usually a batch-to-batch variation."
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