the calcium conundrum - CONTROVERSIAL

[lindi]

From wikipedia:
Acrosome reaction: During fertilization, a sperm must first fuse with and then penetrate the female egg in order to fertilize it. Fusing to the egg usually causes little problem, whereas penetrating through the egg's hard shell can present more of a problem to the sperm. Therefore sperm cells go through a process known as the acrosome reaction which is the reaction that occurs in the acrosome of the sperm as it approaches the egg. The acrosome is a cap-like structure over the anterior half of the sperm's head.
As the sperm approaches the zona pellucida of the egg, which is necessary for initiating the acrosome reaction, the membrane surrounding the acrosome fuses with the plasma membrane of the sperm, exposing the contents of the acrosome. The contents include surface antigens and numerous enzymes which are responsible for breaking through the egg's tough coating and allowing fertilization to occur.

so with that in mind this is from some ion research website:

"Progesterone elicits a rapid, transient calcium influx in sperm that is a prerequisite for the progesterone-induced acrosome reaction."

Maybe there is something about Y sperm being able to permeate an egg better given a calcium/progesterone deficiency? I thought progesterone was all about supporting pregnancy, but if its effects are on the process of sperm meeting egg this is very interesting, since we know high progesterone sways girl, calcium helps increase progesterone, and calcium is needed to charge sperm to permeate an egg. Its also needed FROM the egg- since the Zona Pellucida is responsible for initiating the acrosome reaction. Evidnce that calcium primes an egg for a certain KIND of sperm somehow?

[nuthinbutpink]

apparently calcium helps produce progesterone, which helps oppose excess estrogen. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1158122/ (would love to read the whole study) all swaying girl factors. Dairy adds vit d to the equation and messes this up. In fact, I just read cheese decreases progesterone production.
Atomic0 maybe it was the DAIRY not the calcium that meddled with your girtl sway?

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...00380-0107.pdf

[lindi]

you rock!

[lindi]

This was interesting from the article: Complete omission of Mg2+ also suppressed
progesterone production significantly (P <0.01)
(Table 2). However, the effects of Ca2+ omission
could not be superseded by the addition of physiological
concentrations of Mg2+. Maximal progesterone
production required the presence of both
bivalent cations.

calcium + magnesium needed for progesterone within ovary. Progesterone is conversely needed for the sperm to be charged ionically (calcium again) to fertilize the egg. Progesterone sways girl, but does anybody know HOW progesterone sways?

[nuthinbutpink]

I am not aware of progesterone swaying pink. An additional source of progesterone is milk products. They contain much progesterone because on dairy farms cows are milked during pregnancy, when the progesterone content of the milk is high. After consumption of milk products the level of bioavailable progesterone goes up. That brings you back to Vitamin D though and an increase in testosterone.

[lindi]

except if you consume raw plain milk from a grass-fed cow? Thats what I give my son- it had no added vit d. I read on the *other* site that progesterone sways girl?

[nuthinbutpink]

except if you consume raw plain milk from a grass-fed cow? Thats what I give my son- it had no added vit d. I read on the *other* site that progesterone sways girl?

I cannot find anything scientific to back that claim up. The funny thing is between age 35 and 50, there is a 35% drop in estrogen, and a 75% reduction in progesterone occurring simultaneously. I do know that it is a fact that "older" women have more girls, so it would seem that the opposite would be the case.

[atomic sagebrush]

Yes, the "other site" claims high estrogen/high testosterone sways blue, high prog. sways pink. I've read pretty compelling evidence for testosterone, some less compelling evidence for estrogen, and very little evidence for progesterone. The interesting thing is that they're all manufactured from the same materials in your body so to me it seems more likely that your body is "deciding" how much of them to make based on cues from the environment, rather than that you're making your body have higher or lower levels. (hope that makes sense???)

[atomic sagebrush]

Anyway, the second part of this essay is posted here http://genderdreaming.com/forum/show...nundrum-part-2

[lindi]

Ok, haven't read the rest of your essay- But if estrogen creates CM, that sways pink. So that makes sense with high estrogen. testosterone makes sense too. progesterone helps oppose excess estrogen- that was the basis of me being prescribed progesterone birth control pills to "balance" my unbalanced hormones- the basis of why BCPs work for PCOS. If you could increase progesterone, it would help oppose estrogen, lowering CM which would sway girl.

Nuthinbutpink- hmm...but maybe those drops in prog and estrogen don't matter with the simultaneous drop in testosterone?

I find it interesting that calcium produces progesterone, and the high calcium diet was shown in studies to sway girl. Those women MUST have had higher progesterone than before the diet then, right?

This is all so complicated! The best evidence is about the testosterone, right? I am making this my focus right now since it takes the longest to change anyways!