Dr. JOHN LEE
Medical Letter
Insights, Opinions, News and Reviews from John Lee and Friends
February 2002

Dear Reader,

The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Centre released study results in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (July 2001) showing that women taking tamoxifen for treatment of first breast cancer are more likely to develop oestrogen receptornegative tumours in the other breast. These tumours are particularly aggressive and difficult to treat with conventional medicine.

 
 
by John R. Lee, M.D. and Virginia Hopkins

Q: What is progesterone?
A: Progesterone is a steroid hormone made by the corpus luteum of the ovary at ovulation, and in smaller amounts by the adrenal glands. Progesterone is manufactured in the body from the steroid hormone pregnenolone, and is a precursor to most of the other steroid hormones, including cortisol, androstenedione, the estrogens and testosterone.

In a normally cycling female, the corpus luteum produces 20 to 30 mg of progesterone daily during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle.

Click "Read More" for more questions and answers