Progesterone Provides Many Health Benefits

Progesterone is one of the two main hormones made by the ovaries in menstruating women.  Progesterone is made from cholesterol and is the precursor of the sex hormones, such as estrogens, but also the corticosteroids, which are essential for stress response, sugar and electrolyte balance, and blood pressure. 

In non-industrialized cultures, where diets are rich in plant sterols, progesterone deficiency is actually rare.  However, Western diets, with many processed foods and fewer fresh vegetables, offer fewer vitamins and plant sterols, which support healthy levels of progesterone. 

Progesterone provides the body many benefits, including protection against fibrocystic breasts and breast cancer, conversion of fat to energy, normalization of blood sugar levels, protection against osteoporosis, effective blood clotting, and maintenance of sex drive, to mention a few important benefits.

Progesterone is important to the central nervous system (the brain and the spinal cord) as demonstrated by the fact that progesterone is concentrated in brain cells at levels 20 times higher than that found in the blood. 

Progesterone has long been known to have a calming or mildly-sedating effect, which can promote normal sleep and a sense of calm.  Progesterone appears to have a beneficial effect on recovery from brain injuries.  Interestingly, natural progesterone is used when migraine headaches, caused by estrogen dominance, occur in premenstrual women.  Natural progesterone helps restore normal vascular tone, counteracting the blood vessel dilation that causes migraine headaches. 

Progesterone & Sex Drive

Progesterone deficiencies can cause women to lose interest in sex; dry, wrinkling skin; water retention; depression; and fibrocystic breasts.  In studies with menopausal women, estrogen replacement or estrogen dominance tends to dampen sex drive.  Menopausal women using progesterone cream supplementation, however, often have reported improved sex drive and improved skin texture. 

Progesterone & Connection to Strong Bones

Preliminary evidence suggests that progesterone plays a role in bone metabolism, which could help reduce the risk of osteoporosis.  Studies, however, have used a combination of diet and exercise, vitamin and calcium supplementation, and progesterone cream together. 

Progesterone Creams -- Gradual Release & No Known Side Effects

Progesterone that is applied to the skin passes through skin and into the layer of fat that lies beneath the skin, known as subcutaneous fat.  The more progesterone deficient a woman is, the more readily it is absorbed. 

Although topical progesterone (from creams applied to skin) shows up immediately in saliva tests, it may take three months to show up in blood tests.  The gradual release of progesterone via a cream formulation is the only dosing method that approximates the natural physiologic release of the hormone from the ovaries. 

There are some problems with oral progesterone, which results in substantial losses through the liver; alternatively, large doses can create a surge of progesterone that peaks in one or two hours, followed by a rapid decline and low levels for the rest of the day.  In contrast, progesterone creams, which deliver progesterone topically, maintain stable levels of progesterone for 8 hours or more after application, so two small doses maintain levels throughout a 24-hour period.

Physicians often believe that synthetic progestins are the same as natural progesterone, which is a big mistake.  Synthetic progestins have side effects, such as raising the bad cholesterol (LDL) and decreasing the good cholesterol (HDL).  Natural progesterone, in contrast, has no known side effects when taken in appropriate doses.

According to Dr. John Lee, who wrote What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Menopause, recommends products containing 400-600mg of progesterone per ounce.

Our Health Co-op's Progesterone Plus has 500 mg per ounce or 1000 mg of pharmaceutical-grade micronized progesterone per 2 ounce jar.

Suggested Use

Women who experience water retention, fatigue, breast swelling, premenstrual mood swings, loss of sex drive, heavy or irregular menses, uterine fibroids, craving for sweets, weight gain/fat depostion at the hips and thighs, or symptoms of low thyroid such as cold hands and feet may want to use the following regimen:

• Use 1/8 of a teaspoon per day, depending on your needs.  The larger the area of skin the dose is spread on, the greater the absorption. Apply to areas of thin skin. It is always best to work with a health practitioner to determine your optimum serving.
• Pre-menopausal women - Use progesterone for approximately two weeks per month.  Recommend using 1/8 of a measuring teaspoon per day for two weeks (from ovulation to menstruation). Ovulation generally begins 12 to 14 days after the first day of menstruation. Apply to areas of thin skin.

• Post-menopausal women - Use 1/8 of a measuring teaspoon per day for two to three weeks. Recommend using on the first day of the month and stopping after two to three weeks, depending on your needs. Apply to areas of thin skin.

• Premenstrual women - If you use progesterone for premenstrual migraines, try using progesterone during the ten days before your period. If you notice a headache coming on, you may apply 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon every three to four hours until your symptoms subside.  This commonly requires only one to two additional applications.  Apply to areas of thin skin.

Notes:

1. Menopausal women taking an estrogen and progestin combination should stop the progestin immediately when progesterone cream is added.
2. Progesterone delivered in cream usually takes effect within an hour or so after application.