Natural Progesterone (Info Needed)

[Lilli]

Hi there,

I am curious to know about Natural Progesterone! Is this the same as provera? My SHBG levels have always been low and would like to increase them naturally. I have been taking Spironolactone for the last 3 months and it has made my AF late or stop. (It's now over 35 days) Can Natural Progesterone be purchased OTC? or do I need a prescription? How is it used? Sorry for all the questions.. :)

Thanks,

Lilli

[wife and mommy]

Lilli,

Check out http://www.womhoo.com/index.asp?PageAction=Custom&ID=3. It not only answers your question about natural progesterone being the same as Provera(it is NOT) but it gives you alot of info on Provera.

"Natural Progesterone cannot be patented because it is found in nature." That is a quote from that site.

"You may take a prescription Natural Oral Progesterone (Prometrium) instead." That is a quote from the site as well. Sounds confusing I know! But I have taken Prometrium and it has always worked for me.

Hope all of that helped!!

[snapper]

I would highly recommend reading What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Premenopause by John Lee, MD. Don't let the word premenopause turn you away. This book is all about natural progesterone and is an excellent resource and very informational and at an easy to understand level. Natural progesterone is not the same as Provera. After reading this book I have recently gone off my BCP and am starting the natural progesterone cream tonight and will see if it works...I'm hoping for the best of course! Dr. John Lee also has a good website and some other good books and he will for sure answer all your questions about natural progesterone.
________
Cl90 (http://www.cyclechaos.com/wiki/Honda_CL90)

[snapper]

Natural progesterone cream can be purchased OTC, however you want to be careful that it does not include any yam extract in it. Often yam extract is sold in forms of progesterone cream or claim to be like progesterone cream but from what I've read it is not and does not do the same thing. I ordered mine from Arbonne because they sell it in a metered pump so the dosing is easy instead of guessing how much to give yourself. Some people only take 1 dose a day, but my progesterone is probably so low due to the estrogen in BCP's that I am doing 2 doses/day which 1 dose is 20mg. I am doing the 2 doses for at least the first month to give my body a boost and then eventually try and get it down to the lowest possible dose but control the symptoms and hopefully ovulate on my own. That book I referenced answered everything for me about progesterone cream (dosing, how, when, what to buy, where to buy, etc.).
________
Magic flight (http://mflbvaporizer.com)

[melissarou]

I just bought Arbonne progesterone cream to try (it's called "Prolief"). I am experimenting a bit since I really don't like the idea of being on Metformin for such an extended period of time. I just started it today and will use 2 pumps days 12-26 of my cycle the first month, then decrease to 1 pump per day on those same days for the following months.
I was interested to find out that Arbonne actually based the formuation and the dosage on Dr. Lee's book "What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Premenopause" that Snapper referenced above! I've heard wonderful things about it but haven't yet read it.

[wildflower]

As already stated, Provera is a synthetic form of progesterone. Prometrium is a natural progesterone prescription. My doc also prescribed micronized progesterone supplements which are a natural form as well. Be careful with the OTC progesterone creams. You want to purchase one that is from a reliable source. I've also heard that since it is difficult to tell the dosage, you may not always be getting a consistent amount. Possibly the dosing with the metered pump helps with this.

[melissarou]

Thank you, wildflower, for the quick response! Do you know of any side effects/dangers of "overdosing" on progesterone? We're currently TTC baby #2... with my first PG my doctor had me do 7 weeks of progesterone suppositories (that was fun) so I'm pretty sure I'm progesterone deficient. Of course I'm a bit cavalier here and haven't talked to my doctor yet about all of this- I was going to try it for a month first to see what happened.

[wildflower]

melissa - http://www.lifetoolsforwomen.com/w/NaturalProgesterone.htm

Here's a link to some info about s/e's of excess progesterone.

Sorry, I hadn't actually read your post and was responding to the OP. You'll want to chart your cycles (BBT and/or CM) and take the progesterone supplements 3dpo - 12 dpo. If you do get a BFP, you'll want to continue the supplementation until your doc is able to test you or put you on a prescription progesterone supplement. It could be harmful to your cycle if you take the progesterone prior to Oing. If you choose to supplement, it is important to do it in accordance with YOUR cycle...not assuming that you O on CD14. Progesterone won't help you O, but it can help to sustain the pg should it happen. It also beneficial in balancing your cycles if you have low progesterone in your LP, estrogen dominance or anovulatory cycles.

If you typically have brown bleeding at the start or end of AF or have spotting in your LP, it is suggestive that you have low progesterone levels.

Not sure how long you've been taking Met, but Cinnamon has actually shown positive results in sensitizing your cells to insulin and can have similar results as Met. Check out the FAQ's at the top of the board for more info.

As for the book - I've heard good things about it, but have also heard that he touts progesterone as the answer to every woman's problems and although it is beneficial to many and certainly a link to the solution, it is not the only answer for women with PCOS.