Product Prices:
Research Links:
Health Bulletins By
Marie Thomas:
Other Links:
Answers to
A Woman’s Questions
About Natural Progesterone
How Do I Know If I Should Use Natural Progesterone?
-
If you have PMS symptoms consistently 7 to 10 days before your period which stop with it, or shortly thereafter.
-
If you have Estrogen Dominance Symptoms of water retention, breast swelling, fibrocystic breasts, uterine fibroids, loss of libido, mood swings, depression, cravings for sweets, and weight gain with fat deposited at the hips and thighs.
-
If You Have Menopausal Symptoms. Hot flashes and vaginal dryness are the most prominent symptoms of menopause and coincide with the drop in estrogen levels. Estrogen continues to be produced by fat in cells even after menopause; however, progesterone production normally ends completely.
-
If you are over 45. Women over 45 (perimenopause) should use natural progesterone cream to prevent osteoporosis.
Where Should I Apply Natural Progesterone Cream?
Natural progesterone (derived from the Mexican wild yam root and/or soy) in a rich cream is applied to fatty tissue on the face, hands, breasts, neck, inner arms, inner thighs, abdomen, and soles of the feet. In the case of osteoporosis, it should be applied to the entire trabecular spine. To prevent receptors in an area from tuning down, use in different areas over 4 days, before repeating application again in the same area.
The cream is readily absorbed and leaves no trace after a few minutes. During absorption, the cream bypasses the liver and goes to the specific progesterone receptor sites where it is needed. When action is completed, residue is excreted from the body by the liver with no toxic effects. Relative need for progesterone and the absorption rate vary by individual.
Note: Natural progesterone cream for women MUST contain at least 480 mg. of progesterone per oz. to be effective. HPMS cream is more potent, containing 600 mg. per oz, so slightly less is required.
If you are still menstruating, use 1/2 tspn of cream (or slightly less HPMS) twice daily after ovulation (normally days 12-14 from the first day of menstrual flow) until day 26. Do not use natural progesterone while menstruating; however, if you experience menstrual cramps, rub cream on lower abdomen. Use the cream on your temples for hormone headaches, or on the nape of the neck.
If you have menopausal symptoms and are still menstruating, use 1/2 tspn of cream twice daily (or slightly less HPMS) beginning with day 10-12 (from day 1 of menstruation) until day 26. Menstruation should occur 24 to 36 hours after stopping. [After 3 months, start using the cream 12-14 days monthly, from day 12 until day 26.]
If you have menopausal symptoms and are NOT menstruating, have osteoporosis, or want to prevent osteoporosis, use the cream based on the calendar month. Start using 1/2 tspn (slightly less HPMS) twice daily starting day 5-7 of each month and continue to the end of the month. It is important to stop using the cream at least 5 days each month.
Please Note: Everyone Is Different.
Some women require more progesterone cream to help alleviate symptoms. Others can use less. For the first 3 months, use one 2 oz. jar per month. Then cut back the amount of cream to 1/4 tspn twice daily, or 1/2 tspn once daily. If symptoms return, then resume previous usage.
Can Natural Progesterone Be Used During Pregnancy?
In his book Premenstrual Syndrome & You, Niels H. Lauersen , M.D., from Mt Sinai Medical Center in New York, states that natural progesterone may be helpful to maintain pregnancy, and that the cream is not only safe for use during pregnancy but is recommended. Use for entire month without stopping.
From conception to delivery, apply primarily to the abdomen, breasts, low back, and upper thighs (where it will tend to prevent the skin from stretching).
For the first six months of pregnancy, use an average of 1/2 to 3/4 tspns 2 to 3 times daily. Discontinue at delivery and resume again at a level of twice daily starting one month after delivery. The cream is also useful for post partum depression, which many women experience after childbirth.
Can Young Girls Use Natural Progesterone Cream?
Yes. Low estrogen levels can adversely affect the general health of girls between the ages of 9 and 13. For a year of more before the onset of menstruation, blood calcium levels can be so low that young girls often develop symptoms associated with menarche, which are usually accepted as normal behavior; emotional outbursts, irritable and temperamental behavior, migraine headaches, and compulsive consumption of sweets.
During puberty, the maturing ovaries require calcium to produce estrogen, thus diverting calcium from metabolic requirements. Introducing natural progesterone at this time will alleviate most of the symptoms mentioned above and stave off debilitating hormone migraines. Continued use of natural progesterone through the teenage years will maintain a high level of wellness with few or no PMS complaints.
How Does Natural Progesterone Differ From Synthetic?
Progesterone is manufactured in the body from cholesterol. Natural progesterone is derived in the laboratory from Diosgenin, the cholesterol-equivalent found in Mexican Yams or Soybeans. It exactly matches the chemical formulation of human progesterone and thus causes no side effects.
Manufacturers who wish to patent their formulas of synthetic progesterone have to alter the chemical construction of progesterone in order to create progestins, so that they can assure company profits. Progestins, in their altered molecular structure, can cause numerous side effects, including birth defects or abortion, fluid retention, epilepsy, migraine headaches, asthma, cardiac or kidney dysfunction, and depression.
Can Natural Progesterone Help With Endometriosis or Fibrocystic Breasts?
One common factor in both of these conditions is a higher level of circulating estrogen, indicating a hormonal imbalance. Progesterone - which aids in normalizing all other endocrine and hormonal activity in the body - can help to clear these conditions by balancing body estrogen.
Do Natural Hormones Alleviate Vaginal Dryness?
Vaginal dryness, which can occur in women of all ages for various reasons, affects primarily postmenopausal women. Natural hormones in a cream base, used intravaginally, have been successful in treating vaginal dryness and vulvar atrophy associated with aging.
If I Am Already Taking Prescription Hormones From My Doctor,
Why Should I Switch To Natural Hormones?
Natural hormones are a safe alternative to synthetic (pharmaceutical) hormone replacement therapy (synthetic HRT). Both synthetic estrogen and synthetic progesterone (progestins, progestagins) have numerous side effects and can endanger your health. Synthetic estrogens should never be used without the balancing protection of natural progesterone.
If you are using both synthetic estrogen and progestins, a next step would be to substitute natural progesterone cream for the progestins and reduce synthetic estrogen use by one half. After 3 months, again try to reduce the estrogen by one half. Continue this reduction process by 50% monthly until you have discontinued the synthetic estrogen completely. (For details, refer to Dr. John Lee's Web Site)
Should Estrogen Be Used Without Progesterone?
Definitely NOT. It is important that natural progesterone be used with any form of supplemental estrogen. Estrogen without progesterone can cause endometrial and vaginal carcinomas.
Estrogen also blocks thyroid activity and causes water retention and weight gain, and can cause fibrocystic breast disease, and even fibroid tumors and ovarian cysts.
Can I Take Natural Progesterone While I Am On Synthetic Hormones, like Birth Control Pills or Prescription Hormone Replacement Therapy?
Progesterone receptors are used by the synthetic progestins (progesterone mimics) in both HRT and birth control pills. They are stronger and last infinitely longer in the body (up to four months) than natural hormones (about 12-24 hours). This explains their greater tendency to cause side effects, particularly cancer.
Using natural progesterone in the presence of the stronger progestins may have little effect. If using only estrogen (ERT), natural progesterone is highly protective and virtually mandatory to balance the potential adverse side effects of taking estrogen alone.
Do I Need A Prescription For Natural Hormones?
No. Natural hormones in a cream or oil base come from Mexican Yams and/or soybeans. They are technically food products.
If I Use Natural Hormones After Menopause, Will I Start Menstruating Again?
Occasionally, upon beginning the use of any hormone supplement, a postmenopausal woman could experience some breakthrough bleeding, or a period. This is a perfectly normal (and temporary) response with natural progesterone and should not cause alarm. The progesterone simply causes the body to rid itself of excess stored estrogen, and this can sometimes stimulate a uterine shedding. Bleeding for more than one month is not typical. If it should persist for several months, a woman should consult with her nutritionally oriented doctor.
How Does Natural Progesterone Affect Facial Hair Growth?
Excess growth of facial hair and body hair (hirsutism), indicates a hormonal imbalance among estrogen, testosterone (the dominate male hormone) and progesterone. Progesterone acts as a regulator for the entire endocrine system.
A women with this problem probably has PMS, too. Both menopausal and menstruating women have reported that excess facial and body hair decreased or completely or disappeared after 3-6 months of regular application of progesterone cream twice daily. Natural progesterone is needed for proper hormonal balance.
Is Natural Progesterone Useful After Hysterectomy, Oophorectomy, Or Menopause?
Yes. Many women experience hot flashes following premenopausal hysterectomy (removal of the uterus) or oophorectomy (complete removal of ovaries), as well as at the natural onset of menopause. The cream, which contains natural progesterone, is reported to be effective for relieving hot flashes. Most women have reported a complete cessation of flushing within 3 to 8 weeks.
Is Natural Progesterone Indicated For Osteoporosis?
Many medical “authorities” tell postmenopausal patients that osteoporosis is inevitable if they live long enough. A physician in Mill Valley, California, Dr. John R. Lee, has proven that this statement is simply untrue. The results of his ongoing clinical study with 100 women is note worthy. Women who used natural progesterone cream for 6 to 48 months all experienced new bone density ranging from 5 to 40 percent.
His results also show that therapy is successful even several decades after menopause. One of his patients, age 82, who has been using natural progesterone cream for four years, gained more than 40% new bone density, as proven by dual photon absorptiometry. Dr Lee has proven that osteoporosis not only is preventable, but is also reversible.
Can I Use Natural Progesterone If My Family Has A History Of Breast Or Uterine Cancer?
Yes. In fact, it is recommended. Breast cancer and endometrial cancer occur in tissues sensitive to gonadal hormones. Unopposed estrogen is the ONLY known cause of endometrial cancer, though other factors may be involved. Estrogen, or at least one or more of the various estrogens, may contribute to breast cancer. Progesterone balances the estrogen levels in the body, thus lessening the risk.
Can Men Use Natural Progesterone?
Men over 45 can use natural progesterone. One benefit is an increase in the libido. Progesterone is the precursor of testosterone.
Testosterone can stimulate new bone formation, increasing bone density; a lack of it can cause osteoporosis. Older men with rheumatoid arthritis have reported relief from pain and swelling after rubbing natural progesterone in a cream base on their joints.
To Obtain A Salivary Hormone Test Kit, contact the laboratories listed below.
ZRT Laboratory, 1815 NW 169th Pl.
Suite 5050,
Beaverton, Oregon 97006
Phone: 503 466-2445, Fax: 503 466-1636,
e-mail: info@zrtlab.com
Diagnos-Techs, Inc, 6620 192nd Place,
Suite J-104
Kent, WA 98032,
Phone: 1-800-878-3787, 1-206-251-0637
Apinol IndiumEase Skin Eternal SlimSweet Xlear