Dr. John R. Lee, known by millions as a pioneer in the field of female hormones, passed away unexpectedly on October 17, 2003. I have great respect and admiration for what he has done for bringing natural hormones, particularly progesterone, to our attention.

Dr. Lee had the courage to stand up against the dangerous and misguided hormone replacement therapy (HRT) treatments, while leading the way in the use of transdermal progesterone cream and bio-identical hormones.

As anyone who has read his best-selling books, What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Premenopause and What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Menopause, can attest, Dr. Lee had a powerful impact on the development of alternative methods for addressing women’s health.

After retiring from his 30-year family practice in Northern California a few years ago, Dr. Lee continued to dedicate himself to spreading the word about progesterone through writing and traveling around the world to speaking to doctors, scientists and the public.

I had the great privilege of lecturing with Dr. Lee in Chicago in 1996, and his valuable insights helped to shape my views of the use of natural progesterone. He will be greatly missed.