Anyone have experience with natural progesterone therapy?
April 22, 2009 8:23 AM Subscribe
Asking on behalf of my wife. Does anyone have experience with natural/bioidentical progesterone supplementation? It's been tough to find any unbiased information out there. Personal experience would be great, but if you know of any forums, sites, whatever please share them as well.
I won't bore you with all the details, but it's become apparent that my wife suffers from low progesterone (and, as a result, estrogen dominance). For various reasons going back on the pill, or any other synthetic hormone, is not an option she's willing to consider. She'd like to treat this as naturally as possible and not just by throwing prescriptions at it. The plan is to take a saliva test for progesterone, and possibly estradiol, just to confirm the problem before using any products.
Anyway, we've been researching so-called "bioidentical" progesterone and it seems like a good alternative. So far we've basically just Googled to see what products are out there but we'd feel more comfortable with some personal recommendations if anyone has them. At this point we're considering NatPro and Oasis Serene, among a couple others, but we've arrived there by a fairly arbitrary process.
We'd much appreciate any recommendations... Thanks!
I won't bore you with all the details, but it's become apparent that my wife suffers from low progesterone (and, as a result, estrogen dominance). For various reasons going back on the pill, or any other synthetic hormone, is not an option she's willing to consider. She'd like to treat this as naturally as possible and not just by throwing prescriptions at it. The plan is to take a saliva test for progesterone, and possibly estradiol, just to confirm the problem before using any products.
Anyway, we've been researching so-called "bioidentical" progesterone and it seems like a good alternative. So far we've basically just Googled to see what products are out there but we'd feel more comfortable with some personal recommendations if anyone has them. At this point we're considering NatPro and Oasis Serene, among a couple others, but we've arrived there by a fairly arbitrary process.
We'd much appreciate any recommendations... Thanks!
My friend goes to a compounding pharmacy for her hormones.
What I did instead was go to GMC and buy their brand of progesterone cream off the shelf. I have used it for about five months or so now and the, ahem, problems I had been having are mostly solved.
I think I pay around twelve or thirteen dollars a jar for it, and one jar lasts me two months. (you use it 21 days and then take a break for 7.)
posted by St. Alia of the Bunnies at 11:49 AM on April 22, 2009
What I did instead was go to GMC and buy their brand of progesterone cream off the shelf. I have used it for about five months or so now and the, ahem, problems I had been having are mostly solved.
I think I pay around twelve or thirteen dollars a jar for it, and one jar lasts me two months. (you use it 21 days and then take a break for 7.)
posted by St. Alia of the Bunnies at 11:49 AM on April 22, 2009
Congratulations! In my experience, you're on the right track: saliva test and bioidentical hormones are working for me. My chiropractor is very well versed and this is the route he recommended.
Make sure someone who really knows about hormones and all that's involved is interpreting your test. Also be observant and patient as you determine the level of supplementation you need. Start gradually, my chiro. advises, because the body will not respond as one needs to rapid changes. And if you find you need more, add slowly. Mine, again from my chiro., is from Bezwecken out of Wilsonville, OR. I take Progon B and DHEA (from Orthomolecular Products), both in the morning when I first wake. Then I take another Progon midday.
The BHEA is a precursor to all hormones. I was taking a 5mg tablet daily, and was ready to chew heads off! Reported this to my chiro and he said his wife resonded the same way. She takes 1/2 a tab now, and is doing great. I'm doing the same, and likewise doing swimmingly.
Cost for both supplements comes to about $15 a month.
All good wishes to you both!
posted by sparrowdance at 7:21 PM on April 22, 2009
Make sure someone who really knows about hormones and all that's involved is interpreting your test. Also be observant and patient as you determine the level of supplementation you need. Start gradually, my chiro. advises, because the body will not respond as one needs to rapid changes. And if you find you need more, add slowly. Mine, again from my chiro., is from Bezwecken out of Wilsonville, OR. I take Progon B and DHEA (from Orthomolecular Products), both in the morning when I first wake. Then I take another Progon midday.
The BHEA is a precursor to all hormones. I was taking a 5mg tablet daily, and was ready to chew heads off! Reported this to my chiro and he said his wife resonded the same way. She takes 1/2 a tab now, and is doing great. I'm doing the same, and likewise doing swimmingly.
Cost for both supplements comes to about $15 a month.
All good wishes to you both!
posted by sparrowdance at 7:21 PM on April 22, 2009
Response by poster: Wow, great info. Thanks!
FWIW, this has nothing to do with the 'pause. That's still 10-15 years off at this point...
I read that women should avoid anything derived from Wild Yam Root since it's not effective or dangerous or both. They also recommend only "USP" progesterone be used, but I've seen ingredients containing "progesterone USP (derived from wild yam root", which adds to the confusion. Can anyone clarify?
posted by jluce50 at 6:44 AM on April 23, 2009
FWIW, this has nothing to do with the 'pause. That's still 10-15 years off at this point...
I read that women should avoid anything derived from Wild Yam Root since it's not effective or dangerous or both. They also recommend only "USP" progesterone be used, but I've seen ingredients containing "progesterone USP (derived from wild yam root", which adds to the confusion. Can anyone clarify?
posted by jluce50 at 6:44 AM on April 23, 2009
There is no wild yam root in either of these supplements I mention above. Nor USP progesterone. I'll itemize the ingredients later when I have a little more time!
posted by sparrowdance at 5:00 AM on April 24, 2009
posted by sparrowdance at 5:00 AM on April 24, 2009
Ok...here goes:
ProgonB: barbasco extract,diascorea quol. extract, fermented plant-derived progesterone,crutaegusoxycantha,medicago sativa,avena sativa and prunus spp.
other ingredients: lactose and lactase
DHEA (from Orthomolecular Products): 5 mg DHEA
other ingrdients: sorbitol, xylitol, sodium croscarmellose, natural flavors, stearic acid, magnesium stearate, potassium bicarbonate, silicon dioxide, and tumeric root extract
Good wishes...!
posted by sparrowdance at 12:15 PM on April 26, 2009
ProgonB: barbasco extract,diascorea quol. extract, fermented plant-derived progesterone,crutaegusoxycantha,medicago sativa,avena sativa and prunus spp.
other ingredients: lactose and lactase
DHEA (from Orthomolecular Products): 5 mg DHEA
other ingrdients: sorbitol, xylitol, sodium croscarmellose, natural flavors, stearic acid, magnesium stearate, potassium bicarbonate, silicon dioxide, and tumeric root extract
Good wishes...!
posted by sparrowdance at 12:15 PM on April 26, 2009
This thread is closed to new comments.
I think it was more expensive for her to go on the bioidentical hormones, and she had a bit of difficulty finding a pharmacy that would compound them for her (but my parents live out in the sticks, so it's hard to do anything out there).
I'm sorry I don't know more, but please feel free to mefi mail me and I can ask my mom some questions, if you'd like. I do know she was really happy with them, though.
posted by harperpitt at 10:48 AM on April 22, 2009