The benefits of natural progesterone, when used correctly, can support a woman throughout her entire life, especially during the years when the symptoms of unsupported hormones that come with PMS, perimenopause, and post menopause become problematic. In fact, natural progesterone has been touted by some women as their trusted go-to for hormone wellness. Natural progesterone, sourced from the Mexican Wild Yam Root, has the same molecular structure as the progesterone your body produces. In other words, it is identical to human progesterone. When a natural progesterone cream is used, it is absorbed directly through the skin and into the bloodstream, bypassing the liver’s filtering process. This means you use much less progesterone than with progesterone pills. While natural progesterone has many benefits, its main benefit is helping your body maintain estrogen and progesterone to support hormone homeostasis.
Natural Progesterone is not simply a sex hormone, as most assume. If your body is overloaded with xenoestrogens (found in food, water, and air) and is unable to produce enough progesterone to maintain a healthy estrogen-to-progesterone ratio, health concerns can result.
Related: What You Need to Know about Progesterone USP
Benefits of Natural Progesterone Cream
- Supports healthy breasts – Fibrocystic breasts are most often a sign of a relatively high estrogen-to-low progesterone ratio. Dr. John Lee found that “using natural progesterone routinely resolves the concern.” Along with progesterone USP, Dr. Lee suggested 600 IU of natural Vitamin E (I suggest full-spectrum Vitamin E) at bedtime, plus 300 mg of magnesium (I suggest magnesium orotate) and 50 mg of vitamin B6 a day, which routinely resolved fibrocystic breasts. According to Dr. Lee: “Once the cysts have cleared up, you can reduce the natural progesterone cream dose to find the smallest dose that is still effective each month and continue as needed through menopause. This protocol is simple, safe, inexpensive, successful, and natural.”
- Helps use fat for energy – Natural progesterone increases the body’s ability to burn fats for energy. This is especially important during pre- and post-menopause, when weight gain is common.
- Acts as a natural diuretic (water pill) – Natural progesterone is a natural diuretic (increases flow of urine), helping to release excess water that is being stored in the body. This can be very helpful for those with high blood pressure.
- Acts as a natural anti-depressant – Progesterone and depression are linked through progesterone’s influence in the metabolism of serotonin and dopamine, both known to play a role in depression. Women suffering from PMS and depression have been found to have low levels of serotonin in their blood. Several studies have also shown progesterone to have anxiolytic (anti-anxiety) effects by acting on gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors in the brain.
- Facilitates healthy thyroid hormone function – Natural progesterone therapy facilitates normal thyroid hormone action. Dr. John R. Lee successfully treated hypothyroid people as well as those with hyperthyroidism (excessive production of the thyroid gland) and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis with natural progesterone therapy. Low thyroid activity causes low energy levels, cold intolerance, and weight gain. Excess thyroid activity increases energy levels, causes overheating, and leads to weight loss. Estrogen, progesterone, and thyroid hormones are complementary – a three-legged stool, if you will. Estrogen signals the body to store fat, while thyroid and progesterone hormones signal the body to burn fat for energy. If estrogen is unopposed or dominant, the thyroid may be unable to keep up.
- Normalizes blood clotting – Estrogen promotes fat synthesis and blood clots. Natural progesterone normalizes blood clotting, which can also protect against stroke and support healthy blood pressure by acting as a natural diuretic. Excess estrogen causes salt and water to be retained and potassium and magnesium to be lost, thereby increasing blood pressure. Estrogen promotes fat synthesis and blood clots. Estrogen also accelerates collagen aging, weakening artery walls.
- Supports healthy libido – Natural progesterone is known to help with a healthy sex drive. Many women who have a normal menstrual cycle, indicating the presence of sufficient estrogen, still have low libido. During normal ovulation, progesterone levels rise, and sexual drive is heightened. This is meant to ensure a woman is receptive to procreation. A low sex drive usually happens because of a low progesterone-to-estrogen ratio. When a woman does not ovulate during a menstrual cycle, she does not experience the normal, substantial rise in progesterone that follows ovulation.
- Supports healthy blood sugar levels – Balancing excess estrogen with natural progesterone normalizes blood sugar levels. When your blood sugar is too low, you crave food, usually high-sugar or sweet foods such as chocolate. If you indulge in these quick sugar fixes, your body releases insulin to remove sugar from the bloodstream … then stores it … as fat. Once insulin moves sugar from the bloodstream into fat cells, water fills the space where the sugar was, causing bloating and cramping. Natural progesterone can help reduce symptoms of bloating and cramping, providing further relief and supporting weight loss management.
- Normalizes zinc and copper levels – Paul Eck called copper the “emotional mineral”. This is because copper imbalances have such a profound impact on the central nervous system. The psychiatric implications of copper imbalance are tremendous, even if copper did not affect other body systems. Did you know that, according to Dr. Lawrence Wilson, when copper is out of balance, as it is in many people, parasitic infection is much more common? Women who are toxic in copper are often estrogen dominant, meaning they have more estrogen in their bodies, proportionately, than they have progesterone. Checking one’s copper levels may be an important part of balancing hormones. Hair testing is the best method to detect copper imbalances because it can detect not only copper excess and deficiency, but also copper bio-unavailability. While hair is not a primary site of copper deposition, a knowledgeable practitioner can interpret hair testing results to correct copper status.
- Restores proper cell oxygen levels – Estrogen steals oxygen from the mitochondria, shifting patterns of growth and adaptation. The simple need for more oxygen stimulates blood vessel growth, and estrogen’s stimulation of non-mitochondrial oxygen consumption, along with lactic acid production, stimulates blood vessel formation. Progesterone, by increasing oxidative efficiency, opposes this “angiogenic” (neovascularization) effect of estrogen.
- May help prevent endometrial cancer & breast cancer – When unopposed estrogen is present in tissues that are sensitive to hormones such as the breasts, uterus and ovaries, these tissues can turn cancerous if the unopposed estrogen is not balanced with progesterone.
- Increases bone building – Women using USP natural progesterone cream experienced an average 7 to 8 percent increase in bone-mass density in the first year, 4 to 5 percent in the second year, and 3 to 4 percent in the third year. In fact, a woman attains her peak bone density at approximately 30 years of age, after which she begins to lose bone at a rate of about 1-1.5% per year.
- Promotes normal sleep patterns – Montplaisir J, Lorrain J, Denesle R, Petit. Sleep in menopause: differential effects of two forms of hormone replacement therapy. Menopause 2001; 8(1):10-16. This randomized clinical trial compared conjugated equine estrogen (CEE) plus medroxyprogesterone acetate with CEE plus oral micronized progesterone. Researchers studied 21 postmenopausal women in a sleep lab, and the results showed improvements in subjective measures of menopausal symptoms and sleep in both groups. The group receiving natural progesterone had significantly improved sleep efficiency, whereas the medroxyprogesterone acetate (synthetic progestin) group did not, suggesting that the former might better improve sleep in postmenopausal women.
Important Information About Natural Progesterone Creams
An effective natural progesterone cream contains USP progesterone. USP progesterone used for hormone replacement comes from plant fats and oils, usually a substance called diosgenin, extracted from the Mexican wild yam root or soybeans. In the laboratory, diosgenin is synthesized into real human progesterone. The other human steroid hormones, including estrogen, testosterone, progesterone, and the cortisones, are also nearly always synthesized from diosgenin.
Some companies sell diosgenin, labeled “wild yam extract,” as a cream or supplement, claiming the body will then convert it into hormones as needed. While this can be done in a laboratory setting, there is no evidence that this conversion occurs in the human body. Beware: If the words “progesterone from wild yam extract” appear in the ingredient list, USP progesterone is not being used, and therefore, results will not be the same as using USP progesterone.
The base cream ingredients used in natural progesterone creams are also very important. Many companies use cheap base creams that contain harmful or questionable chemicals. Some of these chemicals act as xenoestrogens, which can result in hormone imbalance. The best progesterone creams have a base cream that is made up of non-toxic and natural plant-based ingredients.
Research, Education & Reference
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Lee, J.R. MD. 1990. Osteoporosis reversal with transdermal progesterone (letter). Lancet 336:1327.
Lee, J.R. MD. 1991. Is Natural Progesterone the Missing Link in Osteoporosis Prevention and reatment? Medical Hypotheses 35:316-18.
Lee, John R. MD. 1994, Slowing the Aging Process with Natural Progesterone, BLL Publishing, California, USA, p. 12.
Lee, John R. MD. “What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Menopause” Warner Books, May, 1996.
Braverman, Eric. 1991. Natural estrogen and progesterone research indicates health benefits of natural vs. Synthetic hormones. Total Health 13, no. 5 (October): 55.
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†Results may vary. Information and statements made are for education purposes and are not intended to replace the advice of your doctor. Oasis Advanced Wellness/OAWHealth does not dispense medical advice, prescribe, or diagnose illness. The views and nutritional advice expressed by Oasis Advanced Wellness/OAWHealth are not intended to be a substitute for conventional medical service. If you have a severe medical condition or health concern, see your physician of choice.
