Design: A review of a woman's life. This can be conveniently divided into three phases (a) birth to puberty (The prepubertal phase birth to onset of her menstrual cycle 0-11 years in the U.K, in the USA 0-11.4 years); (b) The phase between puberty and the menopause (arguably her child bearing years 11-51 years and in the USA upto 52), and (c) the menopause (period between the cessation of her menstrual cycle and death 51- 82.6 in the U.K and in the USA 52-80.2). that is for 31.6 years of a woman's life in the UK she is in the menopause, that is for longer than a third of her life. Results: The woman's ovaries produce three hormones: oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone. Of these three hormones, progesterone is the only one not considered to be present is the female during the menopause more interestingly it's levels fluctuate even during the fertile years. Oestrogen in various forms are present through-out a woman's life, Testosterone is also present but progesterone presence is limited to specific times and almost completely disappears in the menopausal woman.  We are advised to add progesterone to HRT in patients requiring HRT with their uterus insitu, as protection for the endometrium. This seemingly innocent act affects among other organs the breast, circulatory system and the brain. Conclusion: The far-reaching effects of Progesterone to protect an organ that has gone passed it's used by date, cannot be considered as best practice.

Dr Phillip studied Chemistry and Biochemistry at the Prairie View A& M university as well as the Texas A&M university. He holds both a BSc (summa cum laude) and an MSc degree and spent a year in the Ph.D. program at Texas A&M university before going into medical school. He studied medicine at the University of the West Indies, Jamaica where he obtained both his MBBS and his Doctor of Medicine degrees (DM). In the U.K, he has been a consultant Obstetrician and Gynecologist for almost two decades. He has authored more than 10 books and is widely published in medical journals.