Frequently Asked Questions
Quick Links to FAQ's:
1. What does Women to Women recommend to HRT (hormone replacement therapy) users?
For over a decade, Women to Women has been cautioning women about the risks of synthetic
HRT. We believe it should be a last resort, not a first choice. In general, we recommend
that everyone first try a natural approach such as the Personal Program. Weaning
off HRT should be gradual, however — NOT "cold turkey." We include
detailed instructions in your New Member package. You may also be interested in
our article on what to expect when you're
stopping HRT. (For more FAQ’s on hormones and bioidentical HRT,
click here.)
2. What are the symptoms of perimenopause?
The most common symptoms of perimenopause are hot flashes, insomnia, fatigue, irritability
or mood swings, unusual weight gain, irregular periods, anxiety, feelings of depression,
fuzzy thinking, bloating or gas, headaches, joint pain or stiffness, vaginal dryness,
diminished sexual desire, and leaking of urine. Click here for further
information on your symptoms. (For more FAQ’s on menopause and perimenopause,
click here.)
3. Why are Women to Women’s products better than what I get at my local health
food store?
There are several key differences. First, our products are made to pharmaceutical
standards. Second, we use only the finest, most bioavailable nutrient forms, including
six patented nutrients, to ensure adequate nutrients actually reach your bloodstream.
Third, every production batch is assayed in a laboratory to ensure its purity and
potency. In fact, even our essential fatty acids, which are derived from cold water
fish, are tested to ensure they contain no mercury. And of course, the Essential
Nutrients are completely natural, with no artificial anything. Click here for more
information on Essential Nutrients.
4. How concerned should I be about the NIH study of HRT risks?
Women to Women has a long history of recommending a natural approach to hormonal
balance. We believe that synthetic hormones commonly used in hormone replacement
therapy should be a last resort, not a first choice. However, this is a matter of
personal choice.
We suggest you read our Library article,
Perspective on the risks of HRT. You might also visit the website of the
Women’s Health Initiative.
5. Will the Personal Program help me even if I’ve had a hysterectomy?
Yes, the Personal Program will benefit your general health and your hormonal balance,
even if you’ve had a hysterectomy, and whether or not you also had your ovaries
removed. (Over half the women who keep their ovaries nevertheless suffer loss of
ovarian function.) In fact, the Personal Program is especially relevant to women
like you, given the heightened risks from long-term use of synthetic HRT (hormone
replacement therapy). Note that we generally recommend that women under 40 who have
had a hysterectomy consider natural hormone replacement therapy to mimic the body’s
natural progression into perimenopause. (For more FAQ’s on hysterectomy and
alternatives, click here.)
6. If I am on the Personal Program, do I need to take other supplements, such as
calcium–magnesium?
In general, the Essential Nutrients
in the Personal Program is a complete multivitamin, multimineral, fatty acid supplement,
and you should not need any other supplements. We recommend you stop all other supplements
at the time you start your Personal Program. However, if you are taking other supplements
on your practitioner's advice, we urge you to discuss the Personal Program with
your practitioner and let him or her adjust your other supplements accordingly.
7. I’m on a prescription drug. Will the Personal Program interact with my prescription?
The simple answer is no. The Personal Program is an all-natural, preventative program
with no known drug interactions. However, you should always disclose your participation
in the Program to your primary health care provider, who needs to be aware of any
supplements you are taking.
8. I notice the dosages in the Essential Nutrients exceed the Recommended Daily Allowances.
Why is that?
The Recommended Daily Allowances (RDA’s), were set decades ago based on the
science of the time. The government has been reviewing the RDA’s for many
years and is expected to issue new standards at some future point. In the meantime,
nutritionists agree that our true dietary requirements are much higher than the
original RDA standards. The dosages in the
Essential Nutrients are based on the latest science.
9. I’ve had breast cancer. Does the Personal Program affect my risk of a recurrence?
Our Personal Program was co-developed by breast specialist/surgeon Dr. Dixie Mills.
The Essential Nutrients and dietary program are entirely safe for women with breast
cancer or a history of breast cancer, and when used as directed they will not increase
your risk of recurrence. We also offer gentle endocrine support in our Personal
Program, which we would advise you to discuss with your oncologist or breast specialist
before using. In the meantime, you may wish to consider our Personal Program without
use of endocrine support, with optional consultation with our Nurse–Educators.
10. I have PMS, and I’m in my 20’s. Will the Personal Program help me?
PMS is a form of hormonal imbalance just like the symptoms of perimenopause. (In
fact, women who have suffered from PMS are more likely to have a difficult perimenopause.)
The Personal Program should be effective in helping to mitigate your symptoms.
11. I’m only 31. Can my symptoms really be perimenopause?
Your symptoms may well be the result of the hormonal imbalances of perimenopause,
which can precede menopause by 15 years or more. In fact, if you’re in your
early 30’s and experiencing hormonal imbalance, it’s that much more
important that you focus on establishing a good foundation of support. The good
news is that the fundamentals for creating overall health and hormonal balance are
the same at any age, and if you give your body the support it needs now, you can
still have a symptom-free menopause.
12. I’ve been diagnosed with depression. Is it possible that my problems are
hormonal?
You should discuss this with your practitioner. It’s common now for physicians
to prescribe antidepressants for PMS or perimenopause. Discuss your progress in
the Personal Program with your practitioner, and whether you can make adjustments
in your medication. In no case is the Personal Program a substitute for antidepressants
for depression. It may be possible that your depression is hormonally based, and
some women have reported good results on the Program. Your results may vary.
13. When is the best time to take my Essential Nutrients?
For the same reason it’s a good idea to eat breakfast, we recommend you take
your first packet with breakfast. Your body burns fuel during the day when you are
busy and stressed, so that’s the best time to give it the nutrients it needs.
Take the second packet with your midday meal or snack. We also recommend you eat
or drink something nutritious when taking your nutrients to aid absorption, and
be sure to drink at least one big glass of water with your Essential Nutrients or
shortly thereafter. This approach will help prevent the stomach upset some women
experience with nutritional supplements.
14. I’m concerned about high levels of vitamin A. Is the amount in Essential
Nutrients safe?
There are several forms of vitamin A, and they have different effects in the body.
The Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL) of vitamin A is ~10,000 IU/day, and applies
to retinoid forms of vitamin A, which are preformed and used immediately
in the body. Essential Nutrients provides 1500 IU retinyl palmitate per day, well
below the toxic threshold.
The remaining 8500 IU of vitamin A supplied by Essential Nutrients is in the form
of beta-carotene, which is a carotenoid or precursor of vitamin A that
must be converted in the body before it is used. Beta-carotene is considered safe
and nontoxic. However, you should avoid extremely high levels of beta-carotene (25,000
IU or greater per day) if you smoke, as some studies have shown an increased risk
of lung cancer in smokers who supplement with excessive levels of beta-carotene.
For non-smokers and smokers who avoid individual vitamin A supplements, Essential
Nutrients is a safe choice for optimal vitamin A levels.
15. I recently heard about a study linking folic acid and vitamin B12 to cancer incidence.
What can you tell me about this study?
The recent study quoted by news sources as suggesting that there’s
a link between vitamin B and cancer is being questioned by nutrition scientists
and industry leaders for validity, protocol, and its results. It is important to
note that all of the participants in the study had congestive heart failure due
to coronary artery disease, and many were current or former smokers.
Women to Women’s Essential Nutrients
offer a much lower dose than those in the study:
- Folic Acid — Subjects in the study were given 50% more folic acid than the
amount of folic acid in our Essential Nutrients
- Vitamin B12 — Subjects in the study were given 488% more B12 than the amount
in our Essential Nutrients
Well-respected industry leaders who commented on this study, including Dr. Andrew
Shao, PhD, Vice President of Scientific and Regulatory Affairs for the Council for
Responsible Nutrition, view the linkage between folic acid and cancer as an inaccurate
interpretation of the data. Dr. Shao observed:
“The real headline of this study should read be that smoking increases the
risk of lung cancer — the study found that a total of 94 percent of the subjects
who developed lung cancer were either current or former smokers. For years, the
vast body of scientific evidence has shown that individuals who have smoked at any
point in their lives are at a significantly increased risk of developing lung cancer.
Most health experts would agree that the number one way to prevent lung cancer is
to abstain from smoking.”
You can read the complete text of Dr. Shao’s response to the Vitamin B study,
at http://www.crnusa.org/prpdfs/CRNPR09_Responds_to_B_Vitamin_Study_111709.pdf
We recommend that women taking our Essential Nutrients do not use additional supplements,
particularly additional B vitamins, as the Essential Nutrients already offers safe,
optimal levels of these vitamins.
16. I was wondering why I always have bright-yellow urine after taking your multivitamins.
My friend said I was just wasting my money when I mentioned it, so then I asked
my doctor about it, and he told me I am just peeing out the vitamins! Should I be
concerned?
We’re glad you asked, because it's wise of you to take note of any dramatic changes
in how your body responds to nutritional supplements. But in this case, no, you
need not be concerned. Despite any misinformation you may have heard to the contrary,
it’s perfectly normal to have bright-yellow urine after taking nutritional supplements
containing riboflavin (vitamin B2), and it does not mean you’re just peeing
out riboflavin and other vitamins — it means you’re metabolizing them just fine.
Here’s a brief explanation of the science behind this interesting effect — which
you may even want to share with your friends or your healthcare practitioner if
you think they’d be interested.
Riboflavin is an integral precursor in the body to coenzymes that are critical for
metabolizing carbs, fats, and proteins. It also plays a big role in detoxification
pathways. And as if that weren’t enough, it’s essential for cellular energy production.
But while riboflavin performs a big job in your body as a B vitamin, one could also
describe it as a water-soluble, fluorescent yellowish-orange pigment that
gets turned into other molecules that carry and donate electrons along the way,
then get excreted, almost exclusively in your urine.
As its name suggests, riboflavin contains a submolecular component called flavin.
Flavins are very important ring-shaped organic compounds that are photoreducible,
meaning they are able to be reduced by light — which is where they get their ability
to “fluoresce.” The word flavin comes from the Latin word flavus, which
means yellow.
The pharmaceutical-grade riboflavin we select for inclusion in our multivitamins
is a highly bioavailable form, meaning it is rapidly absorbed in your GI tract (about
95% complete within 4½ hours or so), and utilized by your body. Over the next few
hours it saturates your tissues and gets metabolized into multiple other flavins
with great long names, like 7-hydroxyriboflavin, 8-sulfonylriboflavin,
lumiflavin, and 10-hydroxyethylflavin. The names of these riboflavin
metabolites aren’t especially important — except you will note that each one carries
along with it those special flavin rings that turn pee neon-yellow!
Indeed, riboflavin is the only vitamin known to change the color of our urine. When
taking high-grade vitamins containing riboflavin, your body will absorb and metabolize
what it needs, while any extra water-soluble derivatives or metabolites will be
excreted in your urine, turning it the fluorescent-yellow color you have noticed.
So there may be some riboflavin in your urine, too, but rest assured it is not a
wasteful amount but a normal and desirable effect. Our multivitamins are carefully
formulated to contain optimal amounts of each and every ingredient therein — levels
that are based in peer-reviewed scientific research showing maximal absorption and
utilization rates — while recognizing the fact that women’s bodies are not all alike
in how they function and respond.
So thanks for asking about that sunny yellow glow to your urine — it’s is a healthy
thing— it means your tissues are nutrient-replete, and that your multivitamins are
doing for you exactly what we designed them for!
17. What are the benefits of joining the Personal Program?
Purchasing the Personal Program makes you much more than a customer to us – it makes
you a Member. Because you’re unique, we invest a lot in personalizing your Program
to your needs. You give back as part of our community, supporting our website and
publications.
As a Member of the Personal Program, you get many benefits, including:
- Personalized support: Delivered as you want – by phone, by e-mail,
or on-line via My Personal Program, our Members-only
section of the website.
- You’re in control: Want to adjust when or how often you’ll get
your automatic resupply? You can make changes on-line to suit your needs at
My Personal Program. Want to reorder a supplement? You can do that on-line,
too!
- Ironclad guarantee: Did the Program not give you the results you
expected? Our money-back guarantee has you covered – no questions asked.
- Easy for you: We’ve designed the Program so that you can start
wherever you’re most comfortable – with nutrition, exercise, detox, or stress reduction.
Start big or start small – the point is to start.
- Supplemental formulas: The Program is designed to meet your body’s
unique needs. You can modify your Program at any time with our special product formulations
designed to work synergistically with your Program.
- My Personal Program: Our Members-only section of the website features
a collection of tools Members have requested to enhance their Program experience.
Learn more about these tools.
- Convenient resupply so you never run out: We know how busy our
Members are, and that you don’t need another chore on your to-do list – like remembering
to re-order your supplements. That’s why we make it convenient for you. Each month,
or according to the schedule you design, you’ll receive your supplements automatically,
ensuring that you never run out. There’s never any purchase obligation, you can
cancel at any time, and you can modify your shipment schedule – it’s simple, convenient,
and easy for you.
To learn more about Personal Program membership benefits,
click here.
Ready to start feeling better now?
Try the Personal Program,
risk free. It’s a natural, at-home solution to hormonal imbalance that comes
with personalized support and a money-back guarantee.
Not sure which plan is right for you? Start by taking our free
Hormonal Health Profile. You’ll see what we recommend, plus you’ll
get information about your specific symptoms.
Last Modified:
12/05/2011