progesterone cream, anyone?

[Spryte]

Anyone try it?  What kind of results, if any, did you see?  Any drawbacks, side effects?

 

Thanks for any info!

[PrincessMommy]

I did.  It sent me into a suicidal depression.  Perhaps it was coincidental, but I'm not trying that again...and I haven't had any other thoughts of suicide after stopping.

[Spryte]

I did.  It sent me into a suicidal depression.  Perhaps it was coincidental, but I'm not trying that again...and I haven't had any other thoughts of suicide after stopping.

 

Yikes!  Glad you stopped, and haven't had issues since.

 

Was your progesterone low, or were you just trying it?  

 

My doc Rx'd it from a compounding pharmacy.  We are hopeful it will help some issues, but I'm glad to be aware of watching for those issues.  Eek.

 

ETA:  Needless to say, that was a sympathetic like, not that that I liked what you must have experienced.  Thank you for sharing your experience with me.

[redsquirrel]

I love it, I lurve it, I luff it

 

I am technically not per-menipausal? I am in my late 40s, but I have never missed a period and my schedule is quite regular. I feel like my periods are more difficult etc, but the doc said while there are hormonal changes, well, your entire life really, true per-menipause isn't started until you start missing periods.

 

But, I have been having insomnia issues around my cycles and it was horrible. Also my breasts ached for 2 weeks (!!!) before my period started. I was wearing my most industrial sports bra 24-7. 

 

So, I had a few other issues, and I think I am 'estrogen dominant', meaning NOT that I have too much estrogen, but that my progesterone is very low and it is all out of balance. I should also add that I have had many miscarriages and after a LOT of testing of everything imaginable, they decided my progesterone was low. They gave me a simple progesterone supplement and I stayed pregnant. I remember asking them if having low progesterone was something I should address when not pregnant and they were all 'meh' about it, so I sort of forgot about it. Now I think they did me a disservice. Progesterone is sort of important and not making enough is going to have repercussions, kwim? 

 

I use Emereta. I have got it off Amazon for a decent price but the seller was always changing and sometimes it was not available. So, now I just buy it at my grocery store. It might cost 2$ more, but it is always there. If the day my period starts is day 1 of my cycle, I don't use it for days 1-8. Then from days 9-14 I use 1/8th of a tsp twice a day for a total of 1/4 of a tsp. Then from day 15-28 I use 1/4 of a tsp twice a day for a total of 1/2 a tsp per day. I have a small measuring spoon I use for just this purpose so I know exactly how much I am using

 

I also take Nature's Way "Dim-plus" with is an extract from cruciferous vegetables that helps with estrogen metabolism, and with meals I take milk thistle extract.  Estrogen is metabolized through the liver and milk thistle keeps the liver healthy and supported.

 

I sleep better, I am not fuzzy brained, my breasts don't ache at all, I retain a bit less water and have less weight gain when I get my period. My period is more like it was when I was younger, which was always super easy.

[Spryte]

Thanks, redsquirrel!  I'm hoping to have results like yours.  :)  Fingers crossed.

 

Just started a few days ago.  I postponed starting, was feeling nervous about it for some reason, but after a ton of reading it seems like a great option.  I've got hormonal issues, for sure.  I'm 44, and have no idea what my ovaries are doing as I'm also post-hysterectomy, but they are definitely up to something.  Insomnia, weight gain despite serious dieting and exercise, mood swings, fuzzy headed, hot flashes, and ooooh, the list goes on.  I've also got PCOS, and a ton of other issues that look like might benefit from this as well.  There's a cortisol connection to progesterone, and my body doesn't produce cortisol at all - thinking there must be some connection to low progesterone there, too.  

 

Feeling like I'm undergoing a major tune up here.  :D  I just switched to Armour Thyroid a month or so ago, and that's been helpful, but not enough.

 

Do you switch the locations where you apply the cream periodically?  And do you do it once per day or twice?  

[shawthorne44]

I love love love it too.  

i wouldn't mind having another baby, so I use it after ovulation until the next period.  When I am forgetful I often don't ovulate, and the cramping when I get my period is ghastly.  When I am good about using it, the cramps are lighter than they have ever been.   I didn't really notice any other problems with low progesterone before I started it.  I do know it was a little on the low side because I'd had a bunch of lab work done shortly before I got pregnant.  

[ozarkmom]

Thanks, redsquirrel!  I'm hoping to have results like yours.   :)  Fingers crossed.

 

Just started a few days ago.  I postponed starting, was feeling nervous about it for some reason, but after a ton of reading it seems like a great option.  I've got hormonal issues, for sure.  I'm 44, and have no idea what my ovaries are doing as I'm also post-hysterectomy, but they are definitely up to something.  Insomnia, weight gain despite serious dieting and exercise, mood swings, fuzzy headed, hot flashes, and ooooh, the list goes on.  I've also got PCOS, and a ton of other issues that look like might benefit from this as well.  There's a cortisol connection to progesterone, and my body doesn't produce cortisol at all - thinking there must be some connection to low progesterone there, too.  

 

Feeling like I'm undergoing a major tune up here.   :D  I just switched to Armour Thyroid a month or so ago, and that's been helpful, but not enough.

 

Do you switch the locations where you apply the cream periodically?  And do you do it once per day or twice?  

 

My dd is PCOS...according to the late Dr. John R. Lee ("What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About...." books), progesterone is very helpful for PCOS.  http://virginiahopkinstestkits.com/pcos.html   (scroll down to the bottom).

 

Also, read the books ...Stop the Thyroid Madness by Janie Bowthorpe.... her website has good articles, too, for taking dessicated thyroid (Armour)... http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/

 

This might help, too-> progesterone/hysterectomy http://progesterone.com/hysterectomy/

[Spryte]

My dd is PCOS...according to the late Dr. John R. Lee ("What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About...." books), progesterone is very helpful for PCOS. http://virginiahopkinstestkits.com/pcos.html (scroll down to the bottom).

 

Also, read the books ...Stop the Thyroid Madness by Janie Bowthorpe.... her website has good articles, too, for taking dessicated thyroid (Armour)... http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/

 

This might help, too-> progesterone/hysterectomy http://progesterone.com/hysterectomy/

Thank you!

[Suzanne in ABQ]

It has been wonderful for me in the past.  I was having terrible PMS (severe mood swings -- one minute I'd be fine, then I'd feel like a pop and a surge if "fire" through my veins, and I'd be seething within seconds -- weird.  I also had terrible breast tenderness, and severe cramps).  The progesterone cream was wonderful.

 

Interestingly, I got pregnant, and after the baby came (almost 10 years ago), I never had those problems again.  She cured me!

 

I have tried the progesterone cream again for various things (spotting, hot flashes) but it doesn't seem to do much.  

 

If you are progesterone deficient, it will help.  If you're not, you'll need to keep looking.

[redsquirrel]

Thanks, redsquirrel!  I'm hoping to have results like yours.   :)  Fingers crossed.

 

Just started a few days ago.  I postponed starting, was feeling nervous about it for some reason, but after a ton of reading it seems like a great option.  I've got hormonal issues, for sure.  I'm 44, and have no idea what my ovaries are doing as I'm also post-hysterectomy, but they are definitely up to something.  Insomnia, weight gain despite serious dieting and exercise, mood swings, fuzzy headed, hot flashes, and ooooh, the list goes on.  I've also got PCOS, and a ton of other issues that look like might benefit from this as well.  There's a cortisol connection to progesterone, and my body doesn't produce cortisol at all - thinking there must be some connection to low progesterone there, too.  

 

Feeling like I'm undergoing a major tune up here.   :D  I just switched to Armour Thyroid a month or so ago, and that's been helpful, but not enough.

 

Do you switch the locations where you apply the cream periodically?  And do you do it once per day or twice?  

 

So you are dealing with PCOS and you have been diagnosed with Addington's disease AND low thyroid?  Jeepers!

 

I apply twice per day, ones in the morning and once before bedtime. It takes about 3 mins of my entire day, lol.

 

Yes, I switch the locations, but not a whole lot. I give each area at least a 24 hour break.  During mid cycle, when I am only applying 1/8th of a tsp it's such a small amount that it doesn't cover much skin. I might put in on my face before I go to bed (over a very clean face, no other skin treatments etc) or on my chest. I always try to put some on a spot with body fat, like my rear end or my abdomen so that it will get absorbed and released over time, and some on a spot where the skin is thin with not much fat underneath, like my chest or my face or a wrist etc. 

 

Now that I am post ovulation and I am using more, I might put it on my rear end in the morning and on my calves in the evening, with a little on my face. Then back on my rear tomorrow morning etc. I've got acreage back there, so it's a great place for the cream. 

 

I have heard that some women find it makes them too sleepy to use during the day so they break it up into 1/3-2/3 dosage, but it hasn't been an issue at all for me.  And it doesn't make me sleepy per se at night. I just fall asleep easier and am less likely to wake up too early.

 

[Spryte]

So you are dealing with PCOS and you have been diagnosed with Addington's disease AND low thyroid?  Jeepers!

 

I apply twice per day, ones in the morning and once before bedtime. It takes about 3 mins of my entire day, lol.

 

Yes, I switch the locations, but not a whole lot. I give each area at least a 24 hour break.  During mid cycle, when I am only applying 1/8th of a tsp it's such a small amount that it doesn't cover much skin. I might put in on my face before I go to bed (over a very clean face, no other skin treatments etc) or on my chest. I always try to put some on a spot with body fat, like my rear end or my abdomen so that it will get absorbed and released over time, and some on a spot where the skin is thin with not much fat underneath, like my chest or my face or a wrist etc. 

 

Now that I am post ovulation and I am using more, I might put it on my rear end in the morning and on my calves in the evening, with a little on my face. Then back on my rear tomorrow morning etc. I've got acreage back there, so it's a great place for the cream. 

 

I have heard that some women find it makes them too sleepy to use during the day so they break it up into 1/3-2/3 dosage, but it hasn't been an issue at all for me.  And it doesn't make me sleepy per se at night. I just fall asleep easier and am less likely to wake up too early.

 

 

To the bolded:  No kidding!  Jeepers says it all.  :)  I hit my saturation limit for becoming a medical "semi-expert" a few years ago, and a few conditions ago.  We think the Hashimoto's and Addison's are end results of having had undiagnosed chronic infections for 20+ years.  They are my souvenirs.  But the PCOS and endometriosis and other stuff, I've always had those.  Hmmmm, actually the could be "souvenirs" too, I guess.  It's like hitting the medical jackpot.  UGH!

 

Thanks for sharing your application strategy.  I'm reading and reading, and it's good to hear how you've applied everything Dr Google says to do.  The compounding pharmacist just said to put it on inner arms, but I read that we should change locations.  I didn't even think to ask about am and pm, or just pm.  She suggested pm, but am and pm looks like one would get more consistent coverage, with the half-life.  

[Spryte]

Gaaaah!  I think I read somewhere that progesterone uses the same receptor sites as cortisol?  Does that ring a bell for anyone?  I could have that wrong.  If that's the case, I might need to take it in the pm only, as I take cortisol in the am and at noon... 

 

Craziness.  

[ozarkmom]

Anyone try it?  What kind of results, if any, did you see?  Any drawbacks, side effects?

 

Thanks for any info!

 

I began using natural progesterone cream (Emerita Pro-Gest and then switched to Life Flo ProgestaCare-OTC at a local health food store) after my last pregnancy at age 39. I had two pregnancies in my late 30's, but I had never experienced post-partum depression with my other babies (in my 20's) like I did with these "late-in-life" babies. My husband said it was night and day difference after I began using the natural cream. Gone where the mood swings, foggy thinking, bloating and a host of other symptoms common with premenopause.

 

It's been a few years since I've used the OTC cream, but I remember rubbing it on (changing places morning and night) after I ovulated and then stopping once my period began.

 

One thing I found out is that the women on my side were "estrogen dominant" and many had had problems with cysts on their breasts and fibroid tumors in their uteruses. At one point in time, I grew tired of the routine and so I quit using the cream for over 6 months and my mammogram showed a cyst that was surgically removed.

 

I didn't slack off from the routine again, but 3 yrs ago, I knew I was going through menopause and noticed HUGE changes again. I had a panic attack, cysts showed up in my mammogram, foggy brain, MAJOR night sweats that soaked my jammies and bedding, hot flashes on the hour every hour, incontinence (thought I'd have to have the same surgery as my mom) and my butt felt like it was dragging my tracks out.

 

I sought a doctor who was into bio-identical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT). After many labs, my doctor said my estrogen was low and because of that my progesterone was really, really low. So, now I'm on a compounded cream with estradiol, progesterone, and testosterone (asked if he could bump this up, too). It took me 2 yrs to find the right compounded combo, but I haven't had a change for almost a year. I have 2 more months to reach being "period free" and then I'll be officially post-menopausal. :hurray:

 

I've changed my diet, exercising more.... btw, bumping up the estradiol caused the incontinence to go away--doctor said it would....and now, I've lost 30 lbs. since February. The foggy brain has gone away, too...although I do get distracted easily and forget things...dr. said he couldn't fix everything. :lol:

 

Suzanne Somers has books to read about BHRT. I read some from the library and bought "I'm Too Young For This:..." Her lastest "Tox-Sick" looks like it could have some good info in it.

 

Hope I haven't bored the life out of you, but this is my journey with natural progesterone cream. I'll use the compound cream as long as I can.

[Hwin]

I self prescribed because my mw would not prescribe it. I took too much and had bad anxiety, lactated (years after weaning), and felt like I had hot spots on my body.

 

Once I started using less, I felt normal.

[shawthorne44]

Gaaaah!  I think I read somewhere that progesterone uses the same receptor sites as cortisol?  Does that ring a bell for anyone?  I could have that wrong.  If that's the case, I might need to take it in the pm only, as I take cortisol in the am and at noon... 

 

Craziness.  

 

I try to do mine at night.  I read that it does something to help you sleep.  It helps just a tish.  

[*lifeoftheparty*]

Anyone try it? What kind of results, if any, did you see? Any drawbacks, side effects?

 

Thanks for any info!

It got me pregnant! After 6 years of not using any kind of birth control, and not conceiving- I started that cream to help my PCOS and BLAM! Pregnant.

[Soror]

The first I tried progesterone cream it made me feel depressed. After weaning I tried it again and it helped with my mood and my sleep (greatly- it was my happy cream). However, last cycle that I used it my period was delayed a week(even after I stopped), which I took as a sign that my cycles have likely regulated out themselves and I was getting too much. This last cycle without any cream at all I still had a touch of insomnia but nowhere near what it was before.

[lewber]

I use it. I have done the saliva tests and had normal estrogen but very low progesterone, making me estrogen dominant. The symptoms matched up. Looking back it was probably the reason I probably had a hard time getting pregnant and only had one child. Wish I would have figured it out earlier.

I haven't used it for awhile. Maybe that's why I've been feeling crummier than usual. Thanks for the reminder! I do remember reading it was tied to hypothyroid as well as in sometimes normal levels of one will help the other.

[Spryte]

It got me pregnant! After 6 years of not using any kind of birth control, and not conceiving- I started that cream to help my PCOS and BLAM! Pregnant.

 

Congrats!  (belatedly)  What a happy side effect! for you!

 

Did it help with any other symptoms?  Getting pregnant's not going to happen here, as I lack the necessary parts.  :)  

[Spryte]

I began using natural progesterone cream (Emerita Pro-Gest and then switched to Life Flo ProgestaCare-OTC at a local health food store) after my last pregnancy at age 39. I had two pregnancies in my late 30's, but I had never experienced post-partum depression with my other babies (in my 20's) like I did with these "late-in-life" babies. My husband said it was night and day difference after I began using the natural cream. Gone where the mood swings, foggy thinking, bloating and a host of other symptoms common with premenopause.

 

It's been a few years since I've used the OTC cream, but I remember rubbing it on (changing places morning and night) after I ovulated and then stopping once my period began.

 

One thing I found out is that the women on my side were "estrogen dominant" and many had had problems with cysts on their breasts and fibroid tumors in their uteruses. At one point in time, I grew tired of the routine and so I quit using the cream for over 6 months and my mammogram showed a cyst that was surgically removed.

 

I didn't slack off from the routine again, but 3 yrs ago, I knew I was going through menopause and noticed HUGE changes again. I had a panic attack, cysts showed up in my mammogram, foggy brain, MAJOR night sweats that soaked my jammies and bedding, hot flashes on the hour every hour, incontinence (thought I'd have to have the same surgery as my mom) and my butt felt like it was dragging my tracks out.

 

I sought a doctor who was into bio-identical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT). After many labs, my doctor said my estrogen was low and because of that my progesterone was really, really low. So, now I'm on a compounded cream with estradiol, progesterone, and testosterone (asked if he could bump this up, too). It took me 2 yrs to find the right compounded combo, but I haven't had a change for almost a year. I have 2 more months to reach being "period free" and then I'll be officially post-menopausal. :hurray:

 

I've changed my diet, exercising more.... btw, bumping up the estradiol caused the incontinence to go away--doctor said it would....and now, I've lost 30 lbs. since February. The foggy brain has gone away, too...although I do get distracted easily and forget things...dr. said he couldn't fix everything. :lol:

 

Suzanne Somers has books to read about BHRT. I read some from the library and bought "I'm Too Young For This:..." Her lastest "Tox-Sick" looks like it could have some good info in it.

 

Hope I haven't bored the life out of you, but this is my journey with natural progesterone cream. I'll use the compound cream as long as I can.

 

Thanks for sharing all of this!  And congrats on being officially post-menopausal!  

 

I think this is a good start.  I'm using a compounded progesterone only cream, but I see the doc in a few weeks and she'll do more testing to see where we are.  It's been... not quite a week since I started the cream.  I didn't see any results, really, till yesterday.  I'm not sure how to articulate it, but there was a difference overall in my mood.  More steady, stable.  I'm hopeful this is a good choice.

 

Going to check out your links and books today, too.  :)

[Spryte]

I can't seem to get multiquote working today, but wanted to say a big thank you to everyone who's responded!  It's so helpful to read about your experiences.  

[redsquirrel]

I am about to end my second full cycle since starting and I feel like I am just starting to see what it feel like to have better hormonal balance. So, maybe give it some time to see it goes?

 

When I first started to use it I was sleeping VERY deeply and falling asleep about an hour earlier (which means midnight). I am not having that effect any longer, but that is ok. I am sleeping better over all, and falling asleep maybe 30 mins earlier. My sleep is still vastly better. I think what happened in those first two weeks was that I was so, so underslept that I was catching up or something. However, I still need melatonin at night. That hasn't changed.

 

Another change I have noticed these past 10 days or so is that for years I have functioned on very little sleep and would say I felt fine. Well, this past week I woke up very early due to some anxiety I was having about ds1. It wasn't free floating anxiety, I had a very specific and valid reason for this anxiety (he has to take a huge test today and I was super worried about it)  Well, for the first time that I could remember, I was dragging my butt on 4 hours sleep. I felt horrible. I have always insisted that even though I wasn't sleeping it didn't matter. Well, after almost 10 weeks on progesterone it seems to matter. I think this is a good thing! I always thought it was a little weird, tbh. I think something has shifted in my hormonal balance and I am having a more normal response to lack of sleep.

 

 

[VeteranMom]

I used a bio-identical gel progesterone cream (compounded for me).  It helped with sleep and I didn't seem to have night sweats as much when taking it.  I did try an over the counter cream at one point.  That seemed to induce sudden hot flashes and anxiety.  I would never try the over the counter stuff again.  

I have PCOS and didn't know it when I started bio-identicals a few years back.  The testosterone gel really messed me up.  My advice concerning the bio-identicals is to really start slow.  Yes, it's all natural stuff, but it's going to have potential side effects and needs to be treated just like any medication.  I played with my dosing and wasn't rigid with it.  Just a small amount around the time of my period is really all I needed.