Leslie Carol Botha Presentation

1. Environmental Endocrine
Disruption – A Crisis of
Epidemic Proportions
Presented by Leslie Carol Botha, WHE
AutismOne 2017
Colorado Springs, CO
Presentation link

2. Bio
 Graduate of the National Institute of Whole Health
 Educational Certificate from NeuroScience Inc.,
“Neurology, Endocrinology and Immunology, The New Medical
Paradigm”
 Internationally Recognized Expert on Women’s Hormones and
Behaviors
 Member of the Society for Menstrual Cycle Research
 Author, Publisher, and Broadcast Journalist
 Co-Author of Understanding Your Mind, Mood, and Hormone
Cycle
Botha’s work is featured in three other publications:
 The World According to Cycles How Recurring Forces Can
Predict the Future and Change Your Life
 Teenage Girls – The Guide to Health, Wellness and Self-Esteem
 She Rises – Why Goddess Feminism, Activism and Spirituality?
2

3. Synopsis
We have failed to consider the impact of under-diagnosis, misdiagnosis, early-onset
disease, and the potential for an increase in the incidence of illness in the context of an
increasingly toxic environment and its effect on the endocrine system. In fact, most
women and men have very little knowledge about the endocrine glands; their role and
function and the myriad of diseases that ensue once the vital system breaks down. The
degradation has even caused a growing number of women to experience an abnormal
response to their normal cyclic hormonal changes. How will that affect their quality of
life and the lives of their partners and children? How can we change the course of
environmental damage known as endocrine disruption?
3

4. Comment on blog post on toxic chemicals
and transgenderism
I can tell you right now that being a former environmental and regulatory agent for a
company that made and distributed plastic resins…. it is 100% ACCURATE that the
chemicals mentioned can and do affect our DNA. Not only are these found in food
since so many goods are packaged in plastic and metals, they are found in things we
use every single day of our entire lives.
They cause defects over a long period of time – think using make-up or drinking water
out of bottles/jugs everyday for 20 years….or more. It is scientifically proven that these
types of chemicals are hormone inhibitors, and I truly (based on science and fact)
believe that this transgender shift is the effect of a very serious environmental cause.
4

5. I do not or would not ever pass judgement on a trans person – or any person especially for their
gender/age/race/orientation, etc. But, there is something very seriously wrong when small children
are ‘unsure’ of what they are – it is both an environmental and domestic (home) issue that needs
to be addressed, with facts and very seriously with an open mind.
Nina Po
5

6. Exposure to BPA potentially induces permanent
reprogramming of painted turtles’ brains
6
Turtles are known as an "indicator species" because
they can be used as a barometer for the health of
the entire ecosystem. By understanding the possible
effects endocrine disrupting chemicals have on
turtles, researchers might be able to understand the
possible effects such compounds have on other
species.
Source: Science Magazine – May 17, 2017

7. Researchers examined whether BPA and ethinyl estradiol (EE), a hormone found in
birth control pills, affect the global regulatory pathways of the brain. The same turtles
from earlier behavioral testing were subjected to a gene expression analysis and 235
genes were identified as being altered in turtles exposed to BPA. The gene expression
changes identified in the BPA group were found to significantly alter mitochondrial
and ribosomal pathways.
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8. Rosenfeld notes that this is the first study to show a correlation between changes in
gene expression patterns and behavioral changes in turtles exposed to endocrine
disrupting chemicals. "Correlation of altered gene expression patterns with the
behavioral changes of the animals almost a year after the original exposure indicates
that developmental exposure to BPA can lead to long-lasting and likely permanent
effects on neurobehavioral responses," Rosenfeld said.
8

9. World Health Organization
State of the Science of
Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals - 2012
An assessment of the state of the science of endocrine disruptors prepared by a group
of experts for the United Nations Environment Programme and
World Health Organization.
9

10.  We live in a world in which man-made chemicals have become a part of everyday
life. It is clear that some of these chemical pollutants can affect the endocrine
(hormonal) system, and certain of these endocrine disruptors may also interfere
with the developmental processes of humans and wildlife species.
 EDCs represent a challenge, as their effects depend on both the level and timing of
exposure, being especially critical when exposure occurs during development.
 They have diverse applications, such as pesticides, flame retardants in different
products, plastic additives and cosmetics, which may result in residues or
contaminants in food and other products. Therefore, EDCs may be released from
the products that contain them.
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11. Key Concerns
Human and wildlife health depends on the ability to reproduce and develop
normally. This is not possible without a healthy endocrine system. Three strands
of evidence fuel concerns over endocrine disruptors:
 the high incidence and the increasing trends of many endocrine-related disorders
in humans
 observations of endocrine-related effects in wildlife populations;
 the identification of chemicals with endocrine disrupting properties linked to
disease outcomes in laboratory studies.
11

12. Endocrine-related diseases and disorders
are on the rise
The speed with which the increases in disease incidence have occurred in recent
decades rules out genetic factors as the sole plausible explanation. Environmental and
other non-genetic factors, including nutrition, age of mother, viral diseases and
chemical exposures, are also at play, but are difficult to identify. Despite these
difficulties, some associations have become apparent…
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13.  Large proportions (up to 40%) of young men in some countries have low semen quality,
which reduces their ability to father children.
 The incidence of genital malformations, such as non-descending testes
(cryptorchidism's) and penile malformations (hypospadias), in baby boys has
 increased over time or levelled off at unfavorably high rates.
 The incidence of adverse pregnancy outcomes, such as preterm birth and low birth
weight, has increased in many countries.
 Neurobehavioral disorders associated with thyroid disruption affect a high proportion
of children in some countries and have increased over past decades.
 Global rates of endocrine-related cancers (breast, endometrial, ovarian, prostate,
testicular and thyroid) have been increasing over the past 40–50 years.
 There is a trend towards earlier onset of breast development in young girls in all
countries where this has been studied. This is a risk factor for breast cancer.
 The prevalence of obesity and type 2 diabetes has dramatically increased worldwide
over the last 40 years. WHO estimates that 1.5 billion adults worldwide are overweight
or obese and that the number with type 2 diabetes increased from 153 million to 347
million between 1980 and 2008.
 The vast majority of chemicals in current commercial use have not been tested at all.
 This lack of data introduces significant uncertainties about the true extent of risks from
chemicals that potentially could disrupt the endocrine system.
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14.  Non-descended testes in young boys are linked with exposure to diethylstilbestrol
(DES) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and with occupational pesticide
exposure during pregnancy.
 High exposures to polychlorinated dioxins and certain PCBs (in women who lack
some detoxifying enzymes) are risk factors in breast cancer. Although exposure to
natural and synthetic estrogens is associated with breast cancer, similar evidence
linking estrogenic environmental chemicals with the disease is not available.
 Prostate cancer risks are related to occupational exposures to pesticides (of an
unidentified nature), to some PCBs and to arsenic. Cadmium exposure has been
linked with prostate cancer in some, but not all, epidemiological studies, although
the associations are weak.
 Developmental neurotoxicity with negative impacts on brain development is linked
with PCBs. Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is overrepresented in
populations with elevated exposure to organophosphate pesticides. Other
chemicals have not been investigated.
 An excess risk of thyroid cancer was observed among pesticide applicators and
their wives, though the nature of the pesticides involved was not defined.
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15.  Developmental exposures can cause changes that, while not evident as birth
defects, can induce permanent changes that lead to increased incidence of
diseases throughout life.
 These insights from endocrine disruptor research in animals have an impact on
current practice in toxicological testing and screening. Instead of solely studying
effects of exposures in adulthood, the effects of exposures during sensitive
windows in fetal development, perinatal life, childhood and puberty require careful
scrutiny.
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16. Numerous laboratory studies support the idea that chemical
exposures contribute to endocrine disorders in humans and wildlife.
The most sensitive window of exposure to EDCs is during critical
periods of development, such as during fetal development and
puberty.
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17. DES – Super Vitamins
 DES contained 50,000 times more
estrogen than birth control pills
 Sons of DES mothers- transgender
 Largest medical disaster in modern
medicine until the ”Vioxx scandal”
and now Gardasil – the HPV vaccine
and perhaps synthetic hormone
contraception
 DES has not only been linked to
transgenderism but also an
increased risk for cervical and
vaginal cancer, autoimmune
diseases and infertility
17
WTSP News May 26, 2017

18. DES Sons
Among "DES sons", there seem to be 3 main types of commonly experienced
problems:
 Intersex-related genital abnormalities (DES was often started in the first trimester,
early enough to affect genital development)
 Damage to the hormone regulating regions of the brain (the hypothalamus and
pituitary), leading to problems such as impaired spermatogenesis and abnormally
low testosterone production later in life
 Psychological effects, including gender dysphoria, as well as seemingly non gender
related problems such as depression, ADHD and autism spectrum disorders.
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19. Sexual differentiation of the human brain:
relation to gender identity, sexual orientation
and neuropsychiatric disorders
US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, Frontiers in
neuroendocrinology, NCBI PubMed, PMID: 21334362, 2011 Apr.
Abstract
 During the intrauterine period a testosterone surge masculinizes the fetal brain,
whereas the absence of such a surge results in a feminine brain.
 As sexual differentiation of the brain takes place at a much later stage in
development than sexual differentiation of the genitals, these two processes can be
influenced independently of each other.
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20.  Sex differences in cognition, gender identity (an individual’s perception of their
own sexual identity), sexual orientation (heterosexuality, homosexuality or
bisexuality), and the risks of developing neuropsychiatric disorders are
programmed into our brain during early development.
 There is no evidence that one’s postnatal social environment plays a crucial role in
gender identity or sexual orientation.
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21. When Being a Tall Girl was a Medical Condition:
DES and the Tall Girls
DES had been used in obstetrics to prevent miscarriage, in farm animals to bulk up
livestock before slaughter and to caponise (castrate) chickens from the 1940s through
1970s. Early on, the drug was found to be ineffective in preventing miscarriage and
serious side effects including cancer were noted. Indeed, cancer in farm hands caring
for animals treated with DES and concern about the effect DES infused meat might
have on human health caused the FDA to ban its use in poultry farming in 1958, well
before banning its use in human women. Despite the risks associated with this drug,
clinicians and researchers in Victoria Australia, funded by governmental agencies and
throughout the US, Norway, and elsewhere, thought stunting the growth of tall girls,
for purely psychosocial reasons, was a good idea.
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22. “The ability of synthetic chemicals to alter reproductive function and health in females
has been demonstrated clearly by the consequences of diethylstilbestrol (DES) use by
pregnant women…. The daughters of women given treatment with DES were shown to
have rare cervicovaginal cancers. Since the initial 1971 publication linking treatment
of women with DES and genital tract cancers in offspring, other abnormalities have
been observed as the daughters have aged, including decreased fertility and increased
rates of ectopic pregnancy, increased breast cancer, and early menopause. Many of
these disorders have been replicated in laboratory animals treated developmentally
with DES.”
22

23. Save the Pap Smear! A DES Daughter’s
Perspective on Cervical Cancer and the HPV
Vaccine
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Source: Hormones Matter – Marian Vickers May 1, 2017

24. 24
The lessons learned from 40 years of DES research are that the female fetus is
susceptible to environmentally induced reproductive abnormalities, that gonadal
organogenesis is sensitive to synthetic hormones during a critical fetal exposure
window, that reproductive diseases may not appear until decades after exposures, and
that many female reproductive disorders may co-occur.

25. As explained in Barbara Seaman’s highly recommended book The Greatest Experiment
Ever Performed on Women: Exploding the Estrogen Myth (2003), Dodds was aware of
what a powerful and potentially carcinogenic drug he had synthesised. In the months
following the discovery Dodds became increasingly concerned about the
carcinogenicity of the newly synthesised drug. In his laboratory he noticed that men
on his staff who handled the stilboestrol powder were growing breasts, suggesting to
him stilboestrol might cause breast cancer in men. He suggested that animal studies
be carried out looking at the carcinogenicity of stilboestrol in male rodents. In 1940 a
paper was published showing that stilboestrol caused mammary cancers in both male
and female mice.
25

26. 26

27. DES Daughters and the HPV Vaccine
Why would you bother having a part-HPV vaccine when we knew through
experience that even high-grade squamous-cell abnormalities usually resolved
spontaneously without any intervention?
The vaccine was designed to prevent the very abnormalities that empirical evidence
of the National Cervical Screening Program (NCSP) showed would resolve anyway –
crazy. We looked on in bemusement at the HPV hysteria that erupted in 2006. It was
an extraordinary example of manipulating the media for commercial gain when the
drug manufacturer orchestrated the listing of Gardasil on the Pharmaceutical
Benefits Scheme and the National Immunisaton Program.
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28. This is a public health crisis in the making. There are two type of cervical cancer and
the proposed policy is focused on just one. It is modeled exclusively on squamous
cancer and ignores empirical evidence from the NCSP that glandular cancer now
represents approximately 30% of cervical cancers diagnosed in Australia today.
This will put the lives of women, particularly young women, at risk.
28

29. Exposure to Diethylstilbestrol during Sensitive Life
Stages: A legacy of heritable health effects
Diethylstilbestrol (DES) is a potent estrogen mimic that was predominantly used from the 1940s to
1970s in hopes of preventing miscarriage in pregnant women. Decades later, DES is known to
enhance breast cancer risk in exposed women, and cause a variety of birth related adverse
outcomes in their daughters such as spontaneous abortion, second trimester pregnancy loss,
preterm delivery, stillbirth, and neonatal death. Additionally, children exposed to DES in utero suffer
from sub/infertility and cancer of reproductive tissues. DES is a pinnacle compound which
demonstrates the fetal basis of adult disease. The mechanisms of cancer and endocrine disruption
induced by DES are not fully understood. Future studies should focus on common target tissue
pathways affected and the health of the DES grandchildren.
29
Birth Defects Res C Embryo Today. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2013 Nov 5.

30. The Presence of Gender Dysphoria,
Transsexualism, and Disorders of Sexual
Differentiation in Males Prenatally Exposed to
DES: Initial Evidence from a 5-Year Study
2004 - It is estimated that as many as five to ten million Americans received DES
during pregnancy or were exposed to the drug in utero between the late 1940s and
early 1970s (Giusti, Iwamoto, and Hatch, 1995). The numbers of male offspring
exposed in utero to DES (“DES sons”) have been estimated at between one and
three million in the U.S. (Laitman, Jonler, and Messing, 1997) and similar estimates
exist for the numbers of American females exposed in utero (Edelman, 1986).
Hundreds of thousands of DES sons and daughters were also born in Canada, Europe
and Australia during a similar period.
30

31. Lupron, Estradiol and the Mitochondria: A
Pathway to Adverse Reactions
Leuprolide, more commonly known as Lupron, is the GnRH agonist prescribed for
endometriosis, uterine fibroids, cysts, undiagnosed pelvic pain, precocious puberty,
during infertility treatments, to treat some cancers, and a host of other off-label uses.
It induces a chemical castration in both women and men. In women, Lupron stops
menstruation and ovulation and crashes endogenous estradiol synthesis rapidly and
completely, inducing menopause and menopause-associated symptoms like hot
flashes, sweats and osteoporosis, to name but a few. In men, where it is used as a
treatment for prostate cancer, it prevents the synthesis of testosterone,
pharmacologically castrating its users and evoking a similar constellation of symptoms.
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32. Hormone Receptors are Ubiquitous
Hormones mediate these reactions via hormone receptors. Estrogen and androgen
receptors are located throughout the brain and the nervous system, on the heart,
system, in fat cells, in immune cells, in muscle, the pancreas, the gallbladder,
the liver, everywhere. When hormones bind to these receptors, whether they are
membrane bound, nuclear, or other types, the hormone-receptor complex activates
deactivates what are called signal transduction pathways, essentially message lines.
Those messaging lines tell the cell to do something. Too much or too little of any
type of hormone, sends mixed messages, skewing cell behavior just slightly at first
when there are only small changes in hormone concentration, but with more chronic
or more severe hormone changes, the signals become increasingly more deranged
and the compensatory reactions, meant only for short term, become more
exaggerated and self-perpetuating.
32

33. Environmental factors, epigenetics, and
developmental origin of reproductive disorders
 US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, Reproductive
toxicology, 2016
33

34. Highlights
 Epidemiological and model system studies support an early origin of
dysfunction.
 Estrogenic/anti-androgenic chemicals as endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs)
have vast developmental influences on adult reproductive outcomes.
 Gestational, perinatal, neonatal, and pubertal periods are “windows of
susceptibility” for epigenetic programming.
 EDCs induce exposure-specific epigenetic modifications in regulatory genes in
organs of the reproductive system.
 Germline epigenetic disruption is a mechanism underlying transgenerational
inheritance of reproductive disorders.
34

35.  Animal data indicate that ovarian reserve, female cycling, adult uterine
abnormalities, sperm quality, prostate disease, and mating behavior are susceptible
to DOHaD (developmental origins of health and disease) effects induced by EDCs
such as bisphenol A, genistein, (phytoestrogen) diethylstilbestrol, p,p’-
dichlorodiphenyl-dichloroethylene (pesticide), phthalates, and polyaromatic
hydrocarbons.
 Mechanisms underlying these EDC effects include direct mimicry of sex steroids or
morphogens and interference with epigenomic sculpting during cell and tissue
differentiation.
 Exposure to EDCs is associated with abnormal DNA methylation and other
epigenetic modifications, as well as altered expression of genes important for
development and function of reproductive tissues.
35

36. A novel embryological theory of autism
causation involving endogenous biochemicals
capable of initiating cellular gene transcription: a
possible link between twelve autism risk factors
and the autism 'epidemic'.
 King CR. Med Hypotheses. 2011
Prenatal/maternal factors linked to increased autism risk include valproic acid,
thalidomide, alcohol, rubella, cytomegalovirus, depression, schizophrenia, obsessive-
compulsive disorder, autoimmune disease, stress, allergic reaction, and
hypothyroidism.
Thalidomide 'caused up to 10,000 miscarriages and infant deaths in UK'
36

37. “Maternal Immune Activation” can cause autism
“As we learn more about the connections between the brain and the immune system,
we find that these seemingly independent networks of cells are, in fact, continually
talking to each other. As an adult, the activation of your immune system causes many
striking changes in your behavior—increased sleep, loss of appetite, less social
interaction—and, of course, headaches. Conversely, stress in your life (as perceived by
your brain) can influence immune function—the brain regulates immune organs, such
as the spleen, via the autonomic nervous system.”
Did Chinese scientists find autism’s missing puzzle piece?
BY J.B. HANDLEY February 22, 2017
37

38. Recent evidence shows that this brain-immune conversation actually starts during the
development of the embryo, where the state of the mother’s immune system can alter
the growth of cells in the fetal brain. As we shall see, such alterations can lead to an
increased risk of schizophrenia or autism in the offspring.”
38

39. Birth Control in Drinking Water: A Fertility
Catastrophe in the Making?
WASHINGTON — A recent report from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) found that birth-
control hormones excreted by women, flushed into waterways and eventually into drinking
water can also impact fish fertility up to three generations after exposure — raising
questions about their effects on humans, who are consuming the drugs without even
knowing it in each glass of water they drink.
“This study shows that even though endocrine disruptors may not affect the life of the
exposed fish, it may negatively affect future generations,” said lead author of the study
Ramji Bhandari, a USGS visiting scientist and University of Missouri assistant research
professor. “If similar trends were observed in subsequent generations, a severe decline in
overall population numbers might be expected by the F4 generation.”
Source: National Catholic Register June 2015
39

40. IN THE EFFORT TO MAKE ‘THE PILL’ OVER-THE-
COUNTER, TEEN GIRLS ARE BEING USED AS
PAWNS
What’s even more frightening about giving young girls hormonal birth control is that it
literally affects their brain development. In a 2015 study on the long-term effects of
the hormonal birth control pill, it was discovered that the use of HBC “was associated
with significantly lower cortical thickness measurements in the lateral
orbitofrontal cortex and the posterior cingulate cortex.” Translation: the
orbitofrontal cortex is the part of the brain that sits just above your eyes and is
responsible for rational thought and reasoning as well as the expression of our
personalities. So, the thinner this part of the brain is the less able one is to think
rationally, to reason logically, or to express one’s complete personality, and HBC use
thins this part of the brain. Let that sink in for a minute.
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41. Oral contraceptive pill use is associated with
localized decreases in cortical thickness
 Abstract
Oral contraceptive pills (OCs), which are used to prevent pregnancy by the majority of
women in the United States, contain steroid hormones that may affect the brain's
structure and function. In this investigation, we tested the hypothesis that OC use is
associated with differences in brain structure using a hypothesis-driven, surface-based
approach. In 90 women, (44 OC users, 46 naturally-cycling women), we compared the
cortical thickness of brain regions that participate in the salience network and the
default mode network, as well as the volume of subcortical regions in these networks.
 Hum Brain Mapp. 2015 Jul;36(7):2644-54. doi: 10.1002/hbm.22797. Epub 2015 Apr 2.
41

42. We found that OC use was associated with significantly lower cortical thickness
measurements in the lateral orbitofrontal cortex and the posterior cingulate cortex.
These regions are believed to be important for responding to rewards and evaluating
internal states/incoming stimuli, respectively. Further investigations are needed to
determine if cortical thinning in these regions are associated with behavioral changes,
and also to identify whether OC use is causally or only indirectly related to these
changes in brain morphology.
Hum Brain Mapp. 2015 Jul;36(7):2644-54. doi: 10.1002/hbm.22797. Epub 2015 Apr 2.
42

43. Dysfunction of orbitofrontal and dorsolateral
prefrontal cortices in children and adolescents
with high-functioning pervasive developmental
disorders
 Abstract
Several lines of evidence suggest that dysfunction of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex
(DLPFC) and orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) contributes to the pathophysiology of
pervasive developmental disorders (PDD). The purpose of this study was to investigate
neuropsychological dysfunctions in both the DLPFC and OFC of children and
adolescents with high-functioning PDD.
Annals of General Psychiatry 2013 12:31
DOI: 10.1186/1744-859X-12-31
© Sawa et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. 2013
43

44. 44

45. Hydroxyprogesterone Caproate
Brand Names: U.S.
 Makena
Pharmacologic Category
 Progestin
Pharmacology
 Hydroxyprogesterone is a synthetic progestin. The mechanism by which
hydroxyprogesterone reduces the risk of recurrent preterm birth is not known.
45

46. Exposure to the Synthetic Progestin, 17α-
Hydroxyprogesterone Caproate During Development
Impairs Cognitive Flexibility in Adulthood
The synthetic progestin, 17α-hydroxyprogesterone caproate, is increasingly used for the prevention
of premature birth in at-risk women, despite little understanding of the potential effects on the
developing brain.
In the present study, exposure to 17α-hydroxyprogesterone caproate 17-OHPC during
development of the mesocortical dopamine pathway in rats altered dopaminergic innervation of
the prelimbic prefrontal cortex and impaired cognitive flexibility with increased perseveration later
in life, perhaps to a greater extent in males.
Endocrinology (2016) 157 (1): 77-82. 01 January 2016
46

47. Receiving Food and Drug Administration approval in 2011, the administration of the
synthetic progestin, 17α-hydroxyprogesterone caproate (17-OHPC), to women
considered at risk for premature delivery is increasing dramatically (1, 2), despite little
information regarding the potential effects on fetal development. 17-OHPC is
prescribed during the late second and early third trimesters and can be detected in
maternal and fetal plasma more than a month after the last injection (3), suggesting
that fetuses may be exposed to 17-OHPC during critical periods of cortical
development, particularly during the maturation of the mesocortical dopamine
pathway (4, 5), a neural circuit important for executive function.
47

48. In humans, 17-OHPC can be transferred from maternal to fetal circuits of the human
placenta (17), and fetuses may be exposed to 17-OHPC well past the last treatment
and longer than originally thought (2). The present findings reporting neurocognitive
effects reminiscent of those often associated with developmental disorders such as
attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism (18–20) should highlight the need
for additional research on the potential effects in children and contribute to the
assessment of the benefits vs the potential risks of synthetic progestin administration
in pregnant women.
Oxford Academic Endocrinology (2016) 157 (1): 77-82.
48

49. To our knowledge, the results from this study provide the first documentation of long-
term consequences of 17-OHPC exposure during development on cognitive behavior
and offer more insight into the potential role of progestins in neural development.
49

50. An Overview of No-Estrogen Contraception
 Progestin-only birth control are contraceptive methods that only contain the
hormone progestin. This means that they do not have any estrogen. These
methods are a good alternative if you want to use a hormonal birth control
method, but you can not use a combination contraceptive. Progestin-only methods
tend to be safer options if you:
 Are over the age of 35 and smoke.
 Have a history of blood clots.
 Have high blood pressure.
verywell – April 2017
50

51.  Progestin-only birth control can be used by most women without any problems.
These methods are also a good option for:
 Breastfeeding mothers who have been breastfeeding for at least a month. The
progestin will not affect your milk production or harm your baby during nursing.
 Non-breastfeeding women who have just given birth.
 Women who can't use combination birth control pills due to estrogen-related side
effects, like headaches, severe nausea, or high blood pressure.
 Obese and overweight women.
 Nulliparous women—women who have never given birth.
 Teenagers, though Depo Provera is not recommended for teens because it has
a black box warning about possible bone loss.
51

52. Progestin-Only Birth Control Pills
 Progestin-only birth control pills (also known as
the mini-pill or POPs) are a type of birth control
pill that does not contain any estrogen.
Progestin-only pills are only come in 28-day
packs, so you have to take one of these pills
every day for each four week cycle. All 28 pills
contain progestin—there are no placebo pills.
The mini-pill only comes in one progestin
formulation, but is sold under different names.
In the United States, it is
called norethindrone (.35 mg).
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53. Depo Provera (Pfizer)
(also known as the birth control vaccine)
 Depo Provera is a birth control shot. Each
depo injection slowly releases the progestin
medroxyprogesterone acetate and will give
you pregnancy protection for 11 to 14 weeks.
So, if you use Depo Provera, you will receive
four injections each year.
 Depo Provera injections also offer the
added non-contraceptive benefit of being
able to help lower the pain associated with
endometriosis.
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54. Mirena IUD (Bayer)
 The Mirena IUD is a small, T-shaped flexible device. After it
has been inserted, it continuously releases a small amount
of progestin over a five year period. Because Mirena has
progestin, it is a little more effective than the ParaGard
IUD.
 The Mirena IUD has strings that hang down through
your cervix into your vagina. The strings can allow for you
to check that the IUD is still in place. Your doctor can also
use the strings to remove your Mirena, which needs to
happen after five years or any time before you have
reached the five year time limit. The Mirena IUD has also
been FDA-approved to help treat heavy periods.
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55. Nexplanon (Merck & Co)
 Nexplanon is an implant—it is the newer version of Implanon. This
is a progestin-only birth control implant that contains 68mg of the
progestin etonogestrel. It consists of a thin, flexible plastic implant
about the size of a matchstick. Nexplanon is inserted under the
skin in the arm. Once inserted, it provides you with pregnancy
protection for up to three years.
 Nexplanon is radiopaque, meaning that it can be seen in an x-ray,
so your doctor can make sure it has been properly placed.
Insertion requires a local anesthetic and only takes a few minutes.
The progestin-only implant should be removed after three years or
anytime before you reach the three year limit.
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56. Skyla Progestin-Only IUD (Bayer)
 Skyla is another IUD option. It is a little
bit smaller than Mirena and ParaGard, so it
may be easier to insert. The Skyla IUD must be
inserted by a qualified doctor.
 It slowly releases the progestin—
levonorgestrel—over a three year period as a
way to prevent pregnancy. Like IUDs and
Nexplanon, Skyla is considered to be an
effective long-term reversible contraceptive.
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57. Noristerat Injection (Bayer)
The noristerat injection is a reversible method of prescription
birth control. It is not available in the United States, but is
common in the United Kingdom, Europe, Africa, and Central
America. This progestin-only birth control injection contains the
synthetic progestin norethisterone enantate.
The noristerat injection is designed to be a short-term birth
control method. Women usually choose this option when being
immunized against rubella or while waiting for their
partner's vasectomy to become effective. The noristerat injection
will continuously release progestin into your bloodstream over a
period of eight weeks, so it provides pregnancy protection for up
to two months.
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58. Depression and Mood Disorders: Trivialized Side
Effects of Birth Control
Trivializing changes in the brain’s chemistry, or for that matter, any of the body’s
chemistry is a dangerous game of roulette. It’s akin to the early days of The Pill when
doctors recognized that synthetic hormones altered the chemistry in a woman’s
breasts. Rather than be concerned about what these changes might mean in the long
run, they turned it into a marketing point. It makes your breasts fuller! Only after it was
undeniably linked to breast cancer did they acknowledge the changes could be a
cause for concern.
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Hormones Matter March 20, 2017

59. Sex hormone-sensitive gene complex linked to
premenstrual mood disorder
 National Institutes of Health
January 2017
Dysregulated cellular response to estrogen and progesterone suspected.
(NIH) researchers have discovered molecular mechanisms that may underlie a
woman’s susceptibility to disabling irritability, sadness, and anxiety in the days leading
up to her menstrual period. Such premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) affects 2 to
5 percent of women of reproductive age, whereas less severe premenstrual syndrome
(PMS) is much more common.
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60.  Progestin-only birth control can be used by most women without any problems.
These methods are also a good option for:
 Breastfeeding mothers who have been breastfeeding for at least a month. The
progestin will not affect your milk production or harm your baby during nursing.
 Non-breastfeeding women who have just given birth.
 Women who can't use combination birth control pills due to estrogen-related side
effects, like headaches, severe nausea, or high blood pressure.
 Obese and overweight women.
 Nulliparous women—women who have never given birth.
 Teenagers, though Depo Provera is not recommended for teens because it has
a black box warning about possible bone loss.
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61. Association of Hormonal Contraception With
Depression
 JAMA Network
November 2016
Abstract
Importance Millions of women worldwide use hormonal contraception. Despite the
clinical evidence of an influence of hormonal contraception on some women’s mood,
associations between the use of hormonal contraception and mood disturbances
remain inadequately addressed.
Conclusions and Relevance Use of hormonal contraception, especially among
adolescents, was associated with subsequent use of antidepressants and a first
diagnosis of depression, suggesting depression as a potential adverse effect of
hormonal contraceptive use.
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62. “We found dysregulated expression in a suspect gene complex which adds to evidence
that PMDD is a disorder of cellular response to estrogen and progesterone,”
explained Peter Schmidt, M.D. of the NIH’s National Institute of Mental Health,
Behavioral Endocrinology Branch. “Learning more about the role of this gene complex
holds hope for improved treatment of such prevalent reproductive endocrine-related
mood disorders.”
Schmidt, David Goldman, M.D., of the NIH’s National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and
Alcoholism, and colleagues, report on their findings January 3, 2017 in the journal
Molecular Psychiatry.
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63. Children with autism have elevated levels of
steroid hormones in the womb
June 3, 2014
University of Cambridge
Scientists have discovered that children who later develop autism are exposed to elevated
levels of steroid hormones (for example testosterone, progesterone and cortisol) in the
womb. The finding may help explain why autism is more common in males than females,
but should not be used to screen for the condition.
Steroid hormones help control metabolism, inflammation, immune functions, salt and water
balance, development of sexual characteristics, and the ability to withstand illness and
injury. The term steroid describes both hormones produced by the body and artificially
produced medications that duplicate the action for the naturally occurring steroids.*
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64. The team, led by Professor Simon Baron-Cohen and Dr Michael Lombardo in
Cambridge and Professor Bent Nørgaard-Pedersen in Denmark, utilized approximately
19,500 amniotic fluid samples stored in a Danish biobank from individuals born
between 1993-1999. Amniotic fluid surrounds the baby in the womb during pregnancy
and is collected when some women choose to have an amniocentesis around 15-16
weeks of pregnancy. This coincides with a critical period for early brain development
and sexual differentiation, and thus allows scientists access into this important window
in fetal development. The researchers identified amniotic fluid samples from 128 males
later diagnosed with an autism spectrum condition and matched these up with
information from a central register of all psychiatric diagnoses in Denmark.
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65. There is also the potential for some EDCs to produce effects that can cross
generations, meaning that exposure may affect not only the development of the first
offspring but also their offspring over generations. This means that effects of EDCs
could increase over generations due to both transgenerational transmission of the
modified epigenetic programming, and the continued exposure across generations
possibly imparting disease sensitivity later in time. Thus, the ability of ancestral
exposures to promote disease susceptibility greatly complicates the possible threat to
the health of subsequent generations, through exposure to EDCs such as EE2.
65

66. Exploring the Nexus Between Estrogen, Autism,
and Vaccine Injury
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Hormones Matter, May 25, 2017

67. If some estrogen-sensitive brain growth is necessary for a human brain to become
masculine, then there should be a point where this growth becomes excessive and
atypical. Male fetuses would logically be more susceptible than females to this
excessive growth, due to their relatively higher baseline level of estrogen-sensitive
brain development. And if neurodevelopmental autism results after a specific
threshold of estrogen-sensitive brain growth is achieved, it would stand to reason than
males would be at greater risk than females for developing this form of autism.
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68. The Complications of Multiple Avenues of
Causation
In closing, it is important to note that the estrogen theory suggests that autism might be a
naturally occurring human condition, which has increased in incidence only because (a)
widespread folic acid supplementation has magnified the chances of developing it, and (b)
the number of estrogenic chemicals in our environment has been, and still is, on an ever-
increasing trajectory. It is also important to note that the estrogen theory contemplates
genetic susceptibility to autism coming from what might be an entire universe of genetic
mutation combinations that compose, affect, or depend upon the methylation cycle, in
addition to genes that affect hormone production. Research will never uncover a
consistent genetic liability if this is true.
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69. In addition, if a multitude of estrogenic substances and conditions are the underlying
cause of neurodevelopmental autistic traits, and if vaccines are the underlying cause of
regressive encephalopathy and associated medical co-morbidities, then
epidemiological studies of prenatal folic acid consumption will likely result in as much
uncertainty as genetic studies have.
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70. A critical assessment of the “sterile womb” and “in
utero colonization” hypotheses: implications for
research on the pioneer infant microbiome
 Abstract
After more than a century of active research, the notion that the human fetal environment is sterile
and that the neonate’s microbiome is acquired during and after birth was an accepted dogma.
However, recent studies using molecular techniques suggest bacterial communities in the placenta,
amniotic fluid, and meconium from healthy pregnancies. These findings have led many scientists to
challenge the “sterile womb paradigm” and propose that microbiome acquisition instead begins in
utero, an idea that would fundamentally change our understanding of gut microbiota acquisition
and its role in human development.
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Microbiome20175:48 Published: 28 April 2017

71.  I would be extremely interested to get your advice in relation to my 17 year old
daughter.
She has Asperger's (high functioning autism).
Suffers anxiety and depression to a high level.
Is currently is a self harm / suicidal phase.
Has heavy periods.
Has severe PMS and mood swings.
Her school and ambitions of obtaining a good enough entry for medicine is being
severely affected by her current illnesses.
She also suffers recurrent migraines.
Dr, has recommended Implanon.
From my research this does not in any way appear to be a solution for my girl.
What are your thoughts before I take our dr to task for what I believe is a
monumental mistake.
I look forward to hearing back from you as I'm at my wits end and I don't want to
see my daughter suffering like this anymore.
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72. Do We Really Understand Oral Contraceptives?
While researching my hypothesis linking oral contraceptive use to the development of
autism in children, I wondered about why so many women are still using a drug that
has dangerous side-effect and could cause neurodevelopmental disorders in offspring.
The simple answer seems to be lack of accurate medical information. Not only do
individual women lack critical information about the pill, but the support systems
women depend on for advice and help with decision-making also seem to lack
information about the pill.
 Source: Hormones Matter Kim Strifert, MA April 2017
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73. Points to Ponder
 January study on PMDD
 Chemically induced PMDD
 Timing of exposure to environmental estrogens and other exogenous chemicals
 Epigenetic affects of xenoestrogens on future generations
 Exposure to progestins via birth control and pregnancy
 Thinning of the orbital frontal cortex and ASD
 Affect on the fetal neurodevelopment
 Fallacy of the HPV vaccine program
 Birth Control – the largest uncontrolled medical experiment in medical history
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