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Q:
What is Progesterone? |
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A: Progesterone is one of the
2 main hormones (the other being estrogen) produced each month by the
ovaries of menstruating women (and is produced in smaller amounts by
the adrenals). It is the major female reproductive hormone during the
latter 2 weeks of the menstrual cycle, made by the corpus luteum of
the ovary. It is normal for the levels of progesterone to rise and
fall during the monthly cycle. Progesterone production starts just
before ovulation each month and increases rapidly after ovulation. It
is what enables the fertilized egg to survive. |
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Q:
What is Progesterone's relationship to Estrogen? |
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A: Progesterone is one of the
2 main hormones (the other being estrogen) produced each month by the
ovaries of menstruating women (and is produced in smaller amounts by
the adrenals). It is the major female reproductive hormone during the
latter 2 weeks of the menstrual cycle, made by the corpus luteum of
the ovary. It is normal for the levels of progesterone to rise and
fall during the monthly cycle. Progesterone production starts just
before ovulation each month and increases rapidly after ovulation. It
is what enables the fertilized egg to survive. |
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Q:
Where should I put the natural progesterone cream? |
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A: Because progesterone is very fat-soluble, it is easily
absorbed through the skin. From subcutaneous fat, progesterone
is absorbed into capillary blood. Thus absorption is best at all the
skin sites where people blush: face, neck, chest, breasts, inner arms
and palms of the hands. |
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Q: What is the recommended dosage of progesterone? |
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A: For premenopausal women the usual dose is 15-24 mg/day
for 14 days before expected menses, stopping the day or so before
menses. For postmenopausal women, the dose that often works
well is 15 mg/day for 25 days of the calendar month. |
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Q: What amount of progesterone do you recommend in a cream? |
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A: Dr. Lee recommends the creams that contain 450-500 mg of
progesterone per ounce, which is 1.6% by weight or 3% by volume. This
means that about ¼ teaspoon daily would provide about 20 mg/day. |
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Q:
How safe is natural progesterone cream? |
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A: During the third trimester of pregnancy, the placenta produces
about 300 mg of progesterone daily, so we know that a one-time
overdose of the cream is virtually impossible. If you used a whole jar
at once it might make you sleepy. However, Dr. Lee recommends that
women avoid using higher than the recommended dosage to avoid hormone
imbalances. More is not better when it comes to hormone balance. |
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Q: Wouldn't it be easier to just take a progesterone pill? |
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A: Dr. Lee recommends the transdermal cream rather than oral
progesterone, because some 80% to 90% of the oral dose is lost through
the liver. Thus, at least 200 to 400 mg daily is needed orally to
achieve a physiologic dose of 15 to 24 mg daily. Such high doses
create undesirable metabolites and unnecessarily overload the liver. |
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Q:
Where can I get more information on progesterone and natural
hormone balance? |
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A: For a detailed explanation of women's hormone balance issues,
a hormone balance program, as well as detailed descriptions of how to
use natural progesterone, the following books by John R. Lee, M.D. are
recommended:
What Your Doctor May
Not Tell You About Menopause:
The Breakthrough Book on Natural Progesterone, (Warner Books,
1996)
What Your Doctor May
Not Tell You About Premenopause:
Balance Your Hormones and Life from Thirty to Fifty
(Warner Books, 1999) |
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Natural Progesterone Cream with Estrogen
Frequently Asked Questions About Natural Progesterone
Cream with Estrogen
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Q:
What
are Phyto-estrogens? |
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A:
Phyto-Estrogens are found in many plant
sources, primarily soy, wild yam, licorice, black cohosh, and
chamomile. Our formulation attempts to copy the same molecular
structure as in female human production of natural estrogens. We feel
by adding progesterone to our phyto-estrogen cream helps in protecting
women against bone loss, which is one of the many benefits of
progesterone.
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Q:
Who
needs Natural Estrogen? |
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A: In the
April 1998 edition of The John R. Lee, M.D., Medical Letter, Dr. Lee
addresses this question by stating:
"Estrogen has positive effects, and I do recommend it when it's
clearly needed. Women with measurable low estrogen tend to have high
cholesterol, low blood pressure, depression, thin hair on the head and
hair above the lip, and poor memory. It also does play a role in
slowing bone loss, and as such can be useful for a few years around
the time of menopause. Also, if a natural progesterone cream does not
help the menopause-related low-estrogen symptoms of hot flashes night
sweats and vaginal dryness, then a very small amount of estrogen will
usually help."
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Q:
What
is menopause? |
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A: Menopause
means the cessation of menses. The follicle cells which, upon
ovulation, produce progesterone have disappeared or become
dysfunctional long before menopause.
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Q:
What
are menopausal symptoms? |
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A: Hot
flashes, mood swings, vaginal dryness, and occasionally a distressing
growth of facial & body hair.
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Q:
What
are peri-menopausal symptoms?
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A:
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Water retention. |
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Breast swelling, fibrocystic breasts
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Premenstrual mood swings, depression
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Loss of libido |
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Heavy or irregular menses
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Uterine fibroid |
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Craving for sweets |
| Weight gain,
fat deposition at hips & thighs |
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Q:
What
are the benefits?
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A:
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Stops hot flashes |
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Eliminates night sweats
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Helps with sleep disorders
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Eliminates vaginal dryness
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Regulates mood swings
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Normalizes Libido |
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Improves New Bone Formation |
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Q:
How
would you define the peri-menopausal stage?
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A: It
refers to the time preceding menopause when hormone changes are
occurring.
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