I have been prescribing bio-identical hormones for men and women for about 13 years. The premise is that when a deficiency in a hormone is identified, I prescribe a replacement or supplementation from a plant-produced hormone identical to your own hormones. These bio-identical hormones use the exact molecule that your body would produce in the same amount you require. By using this method, the risk of replacement is less than using a synthetic version of the hormone.
Most of the negative press that hormone replacement therapy receives is from the use of synthetic hormones, which are different from the molecule your body produces. This is because the pharmaceutical industry cannot patent a naturally occurring agent because God has the patent on natural progesterone. In the case of progesterone therapy, synthetic agents, called progestins, are used. The main synthetic agent used is Provera (brand name) or medroxyprogesterone (generic name). The progestins (synthetic progesterone compounds) do not normally occur in the human body and have many undesirable effects leading to potentially dangerous side effects. These include blood clots, strokes and breast cancer.
Progesterone is produced by the ovaries and plays a role in balancing the estrogen effects on the body. Symptoms of low progesterone include:
- Abnormal menstrual cycles with pain and bleeding
- Headaches
- Cramping
- Bloating
- Breast pain
- Moodiness
- Insomnia and sleep problems
- Brain fog
- Weight gain
Disease processes associated with low progesterone include osteoporosis and heart disease.
Natural progesterone replacement has been shown to reduce the risk of breast and uterine cancer. It has been shown to be more effective than Tamoxifen in preventing breast cancer. Progesterone therapy raises good cholesterol while lowering total cholesterol. It helps to decrease all the above symptoms and disease processes providing women with a significant improvement in quality of life.
Progesterone levels rise in pregnancy and are many times higher than during normal menstrual cycles. These levels go up during the first trimester and remain elevated, then drop abruptly after delivery. This sudden drop is what causes post-partum depression and could easily be treated with natural progesterone but is most frequently treated with antidepressants. Sorry, but this does not make sense to me. But then, quite a bit of what is done in the name of medicine does not make sense today.
As I noted at the beginning of this article, I have been prescribing natural or Bio-identical hormone replacement for about 13 years. During this time, I have treated women with natural progesterone that were teenagers after they had menarche (first period) up to women who are post- menopause and have had significant success. My opinion is that women can take natural progesterone every day of their life from their first menses all the way up to their last day on earth and have a higher quality of life at most any age.
I have seen tremendous positive effects in three main areas for women:
- Menstruation usually becomes more regular with fewer adverse symptoms and less bleeding.
- Mood improves dramatically in most women.
- Sleep improves and rest comes easily.
Most doctors either don’t know or understand the potential of using natural progesterone to alleviate suffering, improve quality of life, and improve women’s health. Treatment also reduces their risk of cancer and heart disease. I view it as being a straightforward solution to many issues affecting women. My prescriptions for antidepressants, sleeping pills and anti-anxiety medications now approach zero as I recommend trying natural progesterone first.
I also use natural progesterone to treat acne in young women. I have found it to be very useful in lessening the severity and frequency of outbreaks. I do need to mention that natural progesterone is NOT a contraceptive. It helps prevent miscarriage when bleeding starts in early pregnancy. I recommend that women who become pregnant while on natural progesterone consider taking progesterone throughout the first trimester of pregnancy to help prevent a miscarriage and then take it with them to the hospital to start again after delivery. This should reduce the risk of post-partum depression.
There are three ways to take natural progesterone therapy. The first is oral tablets or capsules. These can be compounded or pharmaceutically- produced. The compounded version provides more dosing flexibility as I can specify the exact dosage for the pharmacy to provide. The pharmaceutical version (brand name Prometrium) is patented even though it is natural progesterone because the sustained delivery system is protected. Oral progesterone will cause drowsiness within an hour or two in one out of four women. If it does not cause drowsiness, it still helps with sleep. If it does cause drowsiness, then I have the patient take the whole dose at night. Twice a day sometimes works better for the patients who do not become drowsy.
The second way to take progesterone is by using a compounded dissolving tab under the tongue. By using this method, the liver is bypassed and there is no drowsiness. Absorption is better via the sublingual route. Taste can be an issue.
The third method is a topical cream. I have never seen a good blood level in a patient using a topical cream and rarely prescribe the cream.
Before starting therapy, I interview the patient, get any relevant medical history, obtain a review of symptoms, perform a pertinent exam and obtain a baseline progesterone blood level. The blood test is repeated in 6-8 weeks and if the patient is feeling better and the level is good, it is repeated yearly.
In summary natural progesterone provides a solution created by God for quite a few of the issues that affect the women we love. I feel compelled to offer it to all the women suffering who fit the criteria for treatment.
Edited by Ann Jayne
– David Jayne M.D.