Progesterone cream

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Just started using progesterone cream...anyone else tried it? What do you think? X

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  • Posted

    hi there i have used both menogest and wellsprings. The wellsprings 1 give me heart palpitations. The menogest is more balanced with oestrogen boosting properties as well and overall much better. It worked brilliantly for me for about 6 months and then stopped working. This seems to be a general consensus of people on here. I seem to recover quite quickly when i came off it but it's not very popular with some people. i don't think it's necessarily good in the long run but it depends what are your worst symptoms and what you're trying to address. I'm reading a good book at the moment called listening to your hormones by gillian ford. Maybe that would be helpful to you. I tried many different things and the ladies on here will tell you about the supplements etc. hope it helps you anyway.
    • Posted

      Hi rcharris...I'm rattling with supplements :P

      its the flushes that are doing me in !

      i will check the book out..thx for your input smile

    • Posted

      Hi BxB

      Have you tried a Lady care magnet?

      It has reduced my flushes and other people on here have had some good results too, might be worth a try

      Lou

    • Posted

      Hi again

      There was a post from melanie09308 about 3 weeks ago on the magnet, hope you feel better soon

      Lou

       

  • Posted

    Ps  I'm using biovea
  • Posted

    I started on Wellspring progesterone ,until I was told it may cause breast lumps ,so I stopped ,I did contact Wellspring in regards to this. They said it first they heard of this.

     I'm reluctant to go back to using it ,Jay on meno site has the gen on progesterone,hope she looks at your post ,and pass on her findings BxB ,I'd had a lump removed back in the 70's so I'm wary of anything .just check it out I'd say always .

    • Posted

      Hi Marlene

      the Biovea is the one i used in 2011 and it gave me a breast lump and restarted my periods..

      dangerous .. like i said in my findings..

      read the dangers of natural progesterone cream .. how it stores up in the body fat and coverts into dangerous levels and over load.

      Gyno also said dangerous, messes women up Big NO NO.

      Gyno said nothing natural about it .. 

      its commercial money making rubbish.. in my opinion .with dangers

      as it says in the report i posted on here.. 

      but each to their own ay . .. find out for themselves months down the line 

      jay x

    • Posted

      incase other ladies care to know the dangers 

      heres more info.. ( not written by me )

      Natural Progesterone Cream Dangers

      Creating an unhealthy balance!

      The use of progesterone creams has skyrocketed in the last decade. The cause was mostly due to the writings of Dr. John Lee, M.D. who wrote “What your doctor did not tell you about menopause” and “What your doctor did not tell you about pre-menopause.” Many reading this will be familiar with his writings, but for those who are not, here is a short synopsis.

      Dr. Lee essentially had the insight to identify the risks associated with estrogen replacement therapy well before the bubble burst in 2002 when a study was halted due to the negative effects of estrogen. Before 2002 the evidence showing the risks of using estrogen replacement was ignored by many in the medical establishment.

      Dr. Lee not only recognized the risks, but also came up with a solution. He rationalized that since progesterone was the antagonist to estrogen (the balancing hormone for estrogen) that using progesterone creams could balance the so-called estrogen dominance that was plaguing our population.

      The term “estrogen dominance” was coined to describe the relative increase in the amount of estrogens that our bodies were being exposed to from prescriptions, hormone treated animal products and other estrogen-like molecules (pesticides, chemicals). The concept was that these estrogens and weak estrogen-like molecules were wreaking havoc on our systems by increasing the influence of a powerful hormone that stimulates growth and cell activities. This estrogen dominant state was then blamed for a staggering list of symptoms as outlined in Chart 1: Estrogen Dominance Symptoms.

      Whether estrogen dominance actually exists is a subject of debate. Most alternative health professionals have accepted the arguments for the condition and readily endorse the concept. Many traditional doctors do not accept the concept and readily dismiss it.

      I can tell you that I rarely find levels of estrogen that out of the normal range in my patients. This observation alone would seem to argue against the presence of estrogen dominance. But just like everything related to health, the story is not so simple and/or straight-forward.

      The theory of estrogen dominance encompasses more than just measured estrogen levels. It also suggests that there are unwanted estrogen influences from synthetic, chemical estrogen-like molecules to which we are abundantly exposed. It also suggests that the receptors which relay the estrogen signal might be amplified under certain vitamin deficiency states. In addition, the problem may be due to lower than normal progesterone levels. Thus, even a normal amount of estrogens would create a situation of estrogen dominance.

      Those who believe in the estrogen dominance theory simply point to the benefits that some women have claimed from using progesterone creams. After reading Dr. Lee’s books you would certainly think that progesterone cream was the next great cure for most female ailments. Since the actions of estrogen could be rationalized as being the cause of so many female problems and since so many women supposedly found relief in using progesterone (the balancer of estrogen), the acceptance of the estrogen dominance theory was quick and widespread.

      So what should we believe? Is estrogen dominance real or is it an inaccurate fabrication? Unfortunately, I cannot give you the answer to these questions although I do believe in the concept. The good thing is that for the sake of this article it really makes no difference as to which side of the fence you sit when it comes to this issue.

      The reason is that whether or not a person actually has estrogen dominance makes no difference when we consider the dangers of the prolonged use of progesterone creams.

      Creating a Dangerous Imbalance

      Because of the acceptance of the estrogen dominance theory the use of progesterone creams spread like a weed. Although I was definitely a part of this movement at the beginning, I was disturbed by how progesterone creams were being promoted.

      I got call after call from multi-level marketing skin care company representatives trying to get me signed up to use their company’s progesterone cream product. I realized that the people who were promoting the use of these creams had training that went something like this:

      “Hey, you can make a bunch of money by selling our products and getting people to sign up under you. And, our products are the very best ever as you will learn by reading the materials provided by our company.” Followed by, “I was having X, Y, and Z problems that were changed by using our Super Pure progesterone cream. My life has been changed and you can now go out and help change other people’s lives for the better. And, did I mention that you could make a lot of money?”

      I challenged these people by letting them know that I thought they had no business telling people to take hormones without proper training and without testing a patient’s baseline hormone levels. The bottom line was that they simply didn’t care and women all over the U.S. were convinced that they needed progesterone cream.

      So, why is any of this a problem? What is wrong with using progesterone creams in this manner?

      Those who know me well are familiar with my belief that one of the keys to finding good health lies within finding proper balance. Notice that I said proper balance. Believe it or not, the body can become balanced in a suboptimal way. In other words, your body may become stable (balanced) even though it is not healthy. For example, a person may have an elevated blood pressure of 140/86 that has become stable. Although their blood pressure has become stable (balanced) at this higher number, it is not at a healthy level. A proper balance for this person may be 126/78. We should work for a proper balance.

      This concept of creating a proper balance is where the danger comes from using progesterone creams. I have now found that women who use progesterone creams have unnatural and completely imbalanced levels of progesterone throughout their cycle. The best way to illustrate this is to show you a month-long test from an actual patient.

      Figure 1: Estradiol and Progesterone Test 1

      Look at Figure 1: Estradiol and Progesterone Test 1. As you can see from the legend of this test, found on the bottom left side, that the (circles ●) represent progesterone. The Blue area represents the expected normal ranges for progesterone. At the beginning of the cycle there is typically little progesterone being produced. Thus, the Blue area is towards the bottom. Right after ovulation progesterone is produced in significant amounts. You can see how the Blue area goes way up after this time. If the female egg is not fertilized progesterone levels fall drastically and menstruation begins. All of the (circles ●) should fall somewhere within the Blue area. You can see that the progesterone levels (circles ●) are buried across the top indicating super high levels of progesterone throughout this patient’s cycle.

      The (squares ■) represent estrogen levels and the Green shows the expected levels of estrogen for the female cycle. At this point estrogen was not high and was basically at normal expected levels. Notice, however, at the very bottom of this test that her testosterone levels were off the chart high.

      Figure 2: Estradiol and Progesterone Test 2

      This patient started taking progesterone cream about 1 year prior to this test after hearing about it from one of these multi-level marketing representatives. Notice the complete imbalance she has created in her body. Her progesterone and testosterone levels were abnormally very high. We then waited 7 months to see if her level of progesterone would come back down to normal. The results of this follow-up test are shown in Figure 2: Estradiol and Progesterone Test 2. You can see that even after 7 months her levels of progesterone (circles ●) were still grossly elevated throughout her cycle. But now her levels of estrogen (squares ■) had also increased significantly. Her testosterone continued to be off the chart high.

      Explaining What Happened…

      I think that it is important to evaluate how this patient got herself into this mess.

      Figure 3: Hormone Synthesis

      This patient started taking progesterone cream after being convinced that it would help her many symptoms. She used the smallest recommended dose for the two weeks before the start of her period as directed in Dr. Lee’s book. In the beginning (first couple of months) she really felt as if the cream had made a significant difference in her symptoms. The fact was that a number of months later she realized that she continued to have her symptoms, but was reluctant to stop using the cream for fear of making them worse. And, since progesterone cream was completely safe she saw no reason to stop its use.

      ****Progesterone cream dissolves in fat and canthus be stored in your fatty tissue. The levels of progesterone steadily increase within fat tissue with prolonged use. After a while, the amount being added every month, along with the amount being released from the fatty stores, causes elevated progesterone levels throughout the female cycle.

      So, instead of supplementing a little progesterone during a short period of time the body becomes subjected to elevated levels throughout the female cycle The body can then take the extra progesterone and make it into either testosterone or extra estrogen. Excess testosterone can also be made into estrogen. (See Figure 3: Hormone Synthesis below)Thus, the body is thrown into a dangerous hormonal imbalance that does not serve to promote proper health.

      The ironic part of this is that Dr. Lee, himself, had this to say about hormone balance:

      “There’s no doubt that it’s not a good idea for most women to take large doses of progesterone in any form over a long period of time. That’s just not good medicine, it’s not balanced, it’s not common sense, and it’s bound to cause trouble sooner or later.”

      So, the founder of the progesterone cream movement himself acknowledged that creating an imbalanced state is not good medicine and is bound to cause trouble sooner or later.

      The problem is that I currently do not see how anyone could use progesterone creams for any prolonged period of time without creating this dangerous imbalance. My patient highlighted in this article only used the minimum dose of the cream for less than two weeks a month. It has taken 7 months at the writing of this article and she is still grossly imbalanced thanks to progesterone cream. However, now her testosterone and estrogen have also been driven to unnaturally high levels.

      The disturbing aspect of this story is that there is very little information that I can find on the internet to warn people about this danger of using progesterone cream. The only warning I found was weak at best. This is not a “safe as water” hormone and the cavalier attitude towards its use has to be changed or there will be negative ramifications.

      As a clinician, I cannot envision how progesterone cream can be used for more than maybe a couple of months, due to this fat tissue saturation problem. My very strong suggestion is that any women who has taken or continues to take progesterone cream should immediately get their hormone levels checked with a month-long salivary test like the one shown in this article. 

      This info is from zimmer nutrition web ... charts are shown on this site 

       

    • Posted

      Hi Jay ,I'm one of those ,I'd rather know ,than not .these sites are a good form of info,to what maybe risky to take ,forewarned is forearmed .who needs more worry .

        Each to there own ,I agree .I for one are glad you do put stuff up I know that much ,and I know other meno women on here would agree with me .

        All this meno stuff is scary,you take stuff,without checking up .i did on progesterone . Me leave well alone,thanks for putting it up again .xx Mar 

    • Posted

      Hi Marlene

      yes i agree, ladies make their own choices, the natural progesterone is known to make you feel good for a few weeks then all hell lets loose ..

      at least knowing what may happen then they will know why..

      hope your well Marlene..

      I am fine and dandy, had a busy day.. 😃

      jay x

  • Posted

    I have seen a few reviews on here, I think it was where a few were not happy with it, but in reality I have many friends that swear by it and no negatives at all....everyone is different so I guess its a personal choice I bought some called Pro-G-Yam-500 wild yam and progesterone by "natures sunshine", I tried it for about 2/3 days and decided I would wait because I was waiting on some other results to come through, and never went back on it, I was Vit D deficiante and that seemed to clear up once I started to pump VIt D into me.
  • Posted

    Thank you all for your replies smile
  • Posted

    Hi,

    I am new to these discussion and currently going through peri at 51.  I am intrigued by this debate re. levels of oestrogen.  I note that during blood tests taken in 2013 oestrogen levels were high, a note was included that progesterone levels were not included as likely to be unhelpful.  

    Prior to blood tests I noted that my hair was shedding really badly and i put this down to levels of oestrogen.

    Apparently oestrogen levels can increase dramatically prior to menopause and then fall rapdily (Time was not mentioned for this to happen).

    I have previously tried progesterone cream; this helped with mood, I felt balanced, my hair also thickened up, however downside was persistent cystic acne across top of nose.

    I am guesing that the progesterone cream also increased levels of testosterone after 1 month of use.  I stopped applying it a few months later.

    I do feel that equal importance should be placed on levels of progesterone and oestrogen; it is said that progesterone levels start to decline long before oestrogen levels do hence oestrogen dominance, and while a women may be low in oestrogen there maybe little progesterone to balance out the higher levels of oestrogen.

    It is a complex picture and I confess I am baffled by how it is all simplifed i.e. down to levels of oestrogen, that it is all about levels of oestrogen and little else.

    I just wanted to add my experience with progesterone cream and my thoughts too, as battling through really awful peri phase.

    One thing I will say BXB is that it is very important not to apply progesterone cream to fatty areas of the body as recommended.  I applied just a small amount to bony areas such as wrists. 

    Actually it did help, bloating subsided, inflamation ceased it seemed and hair thickend up.  All bar the blessed acne

    It is a minefield.  

    Lastly I just feel that more than levels of oestrogen should be monitored around peri stage and before.  

    Good luck with progesterone cream.

     

  • Posted

     I am going to use the cream short term as I have started on ground linseed but apparently it takes a while to kick in

    i have started exercising regularly and i don't know wether it's because of that or the cream but my flushes have halved thx for your post highlands

  • Posted

    Question: How do you know that you need progesterone cream and not estrogen?

    Years ago a homeopath suggested I could try (a little) estrogen cream after I told him how I felt. This was in Canada but I was not able to get it over the counter and never tried it. Later I researched it online, hence my question. I never used either.

    I almost didn't live to tell the tale cry, but here I am, 56 and finally in menopause. I've always eaten healthily and exercised daily but my emotions got the better of me, which is no surprise because I was also hormonally pregnant. I would have consulted the same homeopath but I emigrated and was no longer in touch with him - I would only ever go that route, though, if I would take anything.

    I think one needs to bravely weather the storms and be kind to yourself. It will get better! biggrin

    • Posted

      Hi Kim

      women buy natural progesterone online and self prescribe.

      companies sell this stuff and makes mega money from it. 

      its dangerous and only a Gyno should explain what a women needs. 

      As this cream stores up in fatty tissue no matter where its placed.  After time it sends hormones mad,, and i can speak from experience. 

      Gyno even said nothing natural about natural progesterone,big no no. 

      Messes women up.

      I can only warn about it, as it will cause women problems in the long run. 

      I only used it for a few months and it was terrible, it wont be noticed by women at first but will be later down the line.

      But we are all free to choose what we want to try, and at least some ladies will be aware of what it can do to them.

      Even HRT from doc is monitored. This cream is still HRT and sold to anyone un monitored, 'says it all ' really. 

      Jay x

    • Posted

      I agree Jay,who monitors this off,of the internet ,each female it's different how they react to anything hormone related ,Me I'm okay with the Vit 12 ,but not the Vit 6 ,but lots are okay on both ,your running the gauntlet all the time ,but I'm happier with a Vit .A hormone cream I'd be wary .

       Like again with Benzo meds ,lots in meno get put on them. That shouldn't have been in first place ,they can open up another whole can of worms .

         Mistakes I've made ,wish I could go back ,the different choices I would have made ,I'm better educated now .

         Benzo yes can help some ,but not to get stuck on them long term as lots end up doing .minefield for women to walk through .Do I . Don't I .

    • Posted

      I do agree that you really should take care with everything!  I could tell a few tales regarding my visit and encounters with medical herbalists, I have been a real fool!

      So yes have to say that care must be taken with progesterone/oestrogen, self medicating can be so dangerous.

      Yet I totally sympathise with women who do, sometimes you can feel so totally desperate.

      As Jaynee rightly  mentions, never use progesterone cream on fatty areas of the body as it can be absorbed into these areas and remain, possibly causing havoc with adrenals.  and less is more, just a tiny amount.  This is what I have read.

      I hope you will be ok BxB, see how you go and also with Flaxseed.  Hope this helps you feel better, just take a little at a time. Good luck.

       

    • Posted

      This one does it for you the balance of the Estrogen and Progestrone.

      I was a bit concerned after reading on here about the dangers and went back to the store a few days ago where I bought it, the lady told me it's a best seller for her, so I spoke to my Doctor and she said that it is also on prescription but cheaper to buy without, and she also had heard rave reviews!!......I think as we all said make your own mind up..after all Google tells us, what we won't and don't want to hear if you look hard enough, even has in some write ups that Neil Armstrong never landed on the moon, don't believe everything you read rolleyes xx

      I am on this and the sweats have gone I am a happy bunny ....Activa Naturals Menopause Support formula, best thing I ever found amazing.

       

    • Posted

      Sorry the creme is this Pro-G-Yam-500 

      Activa are pills.

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