Posted on 04/22/2008 9:57:42 AM PDT by Mrs. Don-o
We’re all more betterly clinging to our guns and religion here in small town PA.
2. What about all the older women taking estrogen supplements? (This number is lower now.) Does the author want to ban this too?
3. There are now a number of products for both men and women that involve hormones applied to the skin. In this case the hormone can be washed directly into the sewer system without even being processed through the body.
Morning-after abortion pills aren’t pollutants. They are safe and effective. Carbon dioxide is the real pollutant. The government told me so.
“I think this is something more than genderqueer guppies.....”
Yeah, probably genderqueer journalism just to start with....
Yes, estrogen is a naturally occurring part of the ecosystem. And I’d really like to see reliable data on historic concentrations adjusted for the increasing sensitivity of measurement techniques. When a buffalo or caribou goes by the concentrations is local streams must increase some, even a few centuries back.
Endocrine disruptor claims have been going on for years. Might be true. Might not. Case hasn’t been made.
One possible distinction --- here I'm just musing or speculating --- would be between women's naturally-occurring estrogens on the one hand, and estrogenic chemicals used in oral contraceptives and hormone-replacement therapies on the other. Women's naturally-occuring estrogens are at a level normal for the body and quite complexly in-sync with other hormones, metabolic products and catalysts. The healthy body knows how to use or metabolize them effectively.
On the other hand, HRT estrogen can put women's bodies seriously out-if-whack. Females my age have been really whiplashed by the controversies over the past 20 years: women who faithfully and conscientiously "treated" menopause on their doctor's advice, found themselves at elevated risk for pulmonary embolism, coronary heart disease and stroke, even greater risk of osteoporosis (which it was supposed to prevent or cure). And then they kept re-jiggering the dosages and tweaking the formulations to add varying amounts of progesterone and even testosterone, etc.
One's evaluation of it depends on what one considers to be "optimal, normal" menopause, which has never been adequately defined ---or even whether menopause itself is considered a healthy phase or a regrettabke and reversible symptom of aging and decline.
It's even more striking with OC's, where the purpose of the hormone is to thwart what are clearly healthy and natural physiological processes. My hypothesis is that deliberately disrupting normal cycles interferes with the body's ability to regulate levels; hence the body just tries to excrete the excess.
That's just my guess.
I believe cross-species estrogens and hormones can also be a problem. The drug Premarin has warnings about taking it during pregnancy. However, Premarin is completely natural,coming from pregnant mares. One estrogen in particular, is not found in the human metabolic pathway, that estrogen being estrone. Estrone is a very potent estrogen.
The reason, estrone and some of the other estrogens, in Premarin may be a problem for the fetus, is they do not bind to the human alpha fetal proteins. The fetal alpha proteins do bind to the maternal estrogens, preventing them from having deleterious effects on the fetus. I believe the exogenous hormones may well suppress the development of the pituitary and the hypothalamus, during gestationl. That would explain atypical sexual development.
This would apply to both natural (cross-species) and synthetic estrogens. Other chemicals that are of concern are progesterones, some of them will act as potent androgen blockers. Example: Cyproterone acetate, which is used as treatment for female hirsutism in europe. It is known to cause deformities in genital development in the fetus. It is also known to influence the sexual behavior of rats, when administered at the right period during gestation in rats. Presumably, it would also affect the sexual behavior in human males, making their behavior more feminine.
Other androgen blockers of concer would be finasteride, and similar drugs used to treat male pattern baldness.
Now, testosterone exposure to the fetus will tend to masculinize girl fetuses. Sometimes, the testoterone comes from the fetus itself. In the condition,known as Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia, there is a metabolic error that does not allow the adrenal gland to convert testosterone into cortisol. The end result is testosterone accumulates in the fetus, producing masculinization of the genitals and masculinizaiton of behavior patterns.
Correction regarding estrogens in Premarin. After I posted, I remembered the estrogen unique to horses is equilin, instead of estrone.
It seems to me (a non-expert) that the prenatal development of normal sexual anatomy and physiology is a multiplex and delicate process, and affects, of course, the whole prenatal person, including brain development as well as sexual morphology.
If I were pregnant, I almost think I'd want to grow my own veggies and rise my own chickens in the backyard, drink distilled water, and generally avoid all the hormone disruptors, xenoestrogens and related crap.
I do wish people would "turn the clock forward," stop using contraceptives that were deliberately designed to disrupt normal hormonal physiology, and practice state-of-the-art, 21st Century birth control as the best way to do NFP.
Thanks neverdem.
But what if the fish prefer intersex? With humans it’s just an “alternative lifestyle.” And we shouldn’t impose our morality on others, right?
Thank you for your kind words. I will agree that caution, concerning diet, is really important during pregnancy. My feelings are, women should be avoiding taking hormonal preparations, both natural and synthetic, during pregnancy.
Gills and thrills. :’)
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