Menu

Can Progesterone cause pelvic organ prolapse?

I am 35 and have never had children but experienced pelvic organ prolapse last month. It happened about 6 weeks after I began using progesterone cream. The timing seems very suspicious to me.

Is it possible for there to be a connection?

On a support forum for prolapse, many others have noticed that the prolapse is worse at the times of the month when progesterone is higher and better when it is lower.

I have read that progesterone can relax or inhibit tone and 'contractibility' of tissues... but it seemed based in relation to pregnancy - when the body can be making more than 200mg/day (or 300mg/day near the end). I was taking 25mg/day.

It would be nice to know how much/little progesterone can effect tone and if, indeed, that is what causes the fluctuations of POP throughout the cycle.

Do you have any wisdom or opinion about this?

thanks so much

Comments for Can Progesterone cause pelvic organ prolapse?

Click here to add your own comments

Sep 21, 2011
 Can Progesterone cause pelvic organ prolapse?
by: Wray

Hi there I've never read any studies showing progesterone causes prolapse. Progesterone does relax muscles, but certainly doesn't make them weak. On the contrary, it prevents and reverses myopathy or muscular weakness, see here and here. The 25mg/day you say you were using would be too low to have any beneficial effect, but it would stimulate the oestrogen receptors. This would have an adverse reaction, which is explained on our Oestrogen Dominance page. A lack of vitamin D can cause muscle weakness, see here. Please have a vitamin D test done, for more info see the ZRT Lab, GrassrootsHealth Birmingham Hospital and Vitamin D Links websites. I recommend 100-200mg/day progesterone, more if symptoms are severe. We do have more info on our page How to use progesterone cream. Progesterone is normally higher mid-luteal phase when it peaks. But so too is oestrogen, as they both peak then, see our Chart. Many women have a defective luteal phase, which means the corpus luteum is not producing enough progesterone, or none at all. I would suspect it's these women who have the worse time, as oestrogen is dominant when it shouldn't be. Take care Wray
Nov 04, 2011
 benefiting from low dose progesterone?
by:

hi Wray, Thanks so much for your reply. I wonder if my positive response to 25mg/day is related to my being extremely chemically sensitive. With both pharmaceuticals and supplements, I often only need a fraction of the regular dose to feel the effects.

Since being on the 25mg/day of progesterone, I am like a different person in a wonderful way! Depression, anxiety, insomnia, irritability, anger etc etc are all almost gone - like a switch was turned off.

I did begin pretty gradually because I didn't know how I would react (being so sensitive). perhaps this allowed me to avoid oestrogen dominance symptoms even though my dose is so low?

A bit of a mystery.

I take 4000-5000iu/day of vitamin D from around August to April. I am in Canada and those are the darker months. I take 2000-3000iu/day the rest of the year when I am having lots of skin exposure to the sun.

My body very clearly lets me know how much vitamin D is too much because I get intense anxiety if it's too much. I have seen taurine mentioned elsewhere and am not sure how it ties in with progesterone therapy but in case it's relevant, I've been taking 1000mg/day for a few years (I use it before bed to help me sleep better and also to help with ulnar nerve inflammation).
Nov 11, 2011
 benefiting from low dose progesterone?
by: Wray

Hi there Well I'm delighted you responded to such a low amount of progesterone, this is not normally the case! And I do hope the prolapse has sorted itself out now. I'm delighted you're taking 4000-5000iu's per day of vitamin D, but I would recommend that year round. Although you evidently appear to respond to nutrients far quicker than most. I'm intrigued you find your anxiety increases if you have too much, I've not read that in any paper. You might be interested to learn that 10,000iu's per day is now being recommended, see here. These are a few studies that have been done on Canadians, see here, here, here and here. I do recommend taurine, specially for it's calming effect, so I'm delighted you take it, I do too. It also prevents the calf cramps I get. An odd thing to say, but it's an osmolyte, controlling the balance of electrolytes in and out of cells. Please consider having a vitamin D test done, it would be interesting to hear what your level is. You seem so conscious of your needs. Take care Wray
May 26, 2017
 Prolapse from progesterone cream
by: Anonymous

I was going through menopause and also had a prolapse within a couple of months of using progesterone cream.
Aug 18, 2018
 Me too
by: Savannah

I just had a prolapse last night and went to the ER. I was terrified to have body parts falling out. I have been taking estrogen, low dose for a couple years because I was an emotional train wreck. I expressed concerns about not taking anything else with it due to the cancer risk, but was ignored. Now, with a 11 millimeter thickness to my uterus I have to go for a biopsy to check for cancer.

My new GYN put me on progesterone pills, 100 mg a day 3 weeks ago. I felt better, the flip of the switch as it was said, but all of a sudden now I have a prolapse. It doesn't seem like a coincidence to me. Like the gal that said she reacts strongly to medications due to chemical sensitivity, I am that way also and I was concerned about taking 100 mg. We are like the canaries in the coal mine. The first to be affected and quickly.
Sep 15, 2018
 me as well!
by: sarai

Hi there. I also am 35, no kids, and had a prolapse a few weeks ago. I have endometriosis and have been on progesterone therapy for many years (around 7 or 8) and I have been reading how hypo estrogen states can lead to weakening of the uterine ligaments and tissues.
I think this is what happened with me.

Genetic factors also can play a role and some are just more susceptible to it, sadly. I am learning pelvic physical therapy exercises (not just your usual kegels, by the way) as well as hypopressives to help heal the prolapse myself.
Aug 07, 2020
 Prolapse
by: Anonymous

I too had a prolapse after only one kid and beginning progesterone therapy. There’s enough of us that I feel a case study should be done.
Dec 01, 2020
 Ditto used the Progesterone Cream & Prolapse a few months later
by: Anonymous

Am menopausal and after using the progesterone cream I started to notice a bit of fecal and bladder incontinence now in a lot of pain. Cannot do much anymore, standing walking all affect me.

I too am sensitive to chemicals and meds. I'm a Healthy Runner with hypothyroidism and took progesterone orally for 4 years prior. Started menopause this year, moved to progesterone cream and noticed symptoms of prolapse not long after that. 4-month wait to see a specialist and I won't be taking estrogen, because of the proven links to Breast and other types of cancer.
Jun 29, 2021
 Previous prolapse worse in days after starting progesterone
by: Anonymous

Hi , I also have had a previous prolapse - slight but haven’t had any incidences in years. I went on progesterone cream for for days for peri menopause and it was wonderful but I felt everything prolapse just sitting on the couch is uncomfortable. I haven’t done any lifting or anything that would cause it. It seems a lot of people have this happening. D
Jun 30, 2021
 Can Progesterone cause pelvic organ prolapse?
by: Joy

Hi there

So sorry that you are experiencing this, seems a lot of women do.

Please read all of Wray's comments on the subject regarding this.

Take care.
Mar 06, 2022
 Prolapse after a week on progesterone cream...
by: Anonymous

I have been searching for answers and was happy to see the comments here. I have found studies in Finland that say, "YES! Progesterone creams can lead to Pelvic Floor Prolapse
Here is one article on another study: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29994974/
Mar 06, 2022
 Prolapse after a week on progesterone cream...
by: Joy

Hi there

As the study paper states "Conclusions: The postmenopausal use of estradiol in combination with various progestogen regimens may weaken the pelvic floor, resulting in uterine prolapse. This data should be incorporated into the information given to the users of estradiol-progestogen hormone therapy". To suggest that progesterone is responsible is incorrect. We do not believe that any women needs to take extra estrogen.

Wray goes into detail about it on this thread.

Take care.
Apr 27, 2022
 Same for me
by: Anonymous

I just turned 50 and started hot flushes really bad. I started taking a heap of different vitamins to help combat it plus started using yam cream /progesterone cream and went on keto. Well the hot flushes have gone but I have a huge prolapse. What made me think of it was that when I was pregnant with my 4th child I got a prolapse very early on in the pregnancy when my levels would have been high. It did go away.
I definitely think the progesterone cream is the cause, so I have stopped using it and will see if I have any improvement or it is too late for me.
Sep 11, 2022
 Does prolapse go away when progesterone is stopped?
by: Anonymous

This just happened to me. I’m 48 and having irregular periods and started wild yam progesterone cream and now have a prolapse 2 months later. I’m stopping it now after reading this. Has anyones prolapse gone away after getting off the progesterone
Sep 12, 2022
 Does prolapse go away when progesterone is stopped?
by: Joy

HI there

Progesterone doesn't cause a prolapse as explained in Wray's post.
Sep 12, 2022
 Gonna take a lot to convince me otherwise.
by: Anonymous

I’m not so sure…you have a lot of the same stories here and that’s more than coincidence. I’ve never had a baby, never had any problems, never had an abnormal pap, never took or take any meds for anything, never had a condition or a disease. I am in perfect health with no birthing damage to my vagina or uterus. This is a little strange to say the least and one must think that if the rise in progesterone during a pregnancy can have some correlation to prolapsing pelvic floors then one would think that the rise in a non-pregnancy with the application of progesterone would do just the same thing. I will let y’all know what happens from here now that I have stopped wild yam progesterone cream.
Sep 13, 2022
 Gonna take a lot to convince me otherwise.
by: Joy

That would probably be because progesterone wasn't used correctly, no less than 100mg per day is needed and a low vitamin D3 level. In your case it would be wild yam. Does it equate to that of Natpro? I don't think it does thereby causing problems.

Take care.

Click here to add your own comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to Progesterone faq.

Share this page:
Find this page helpful? Please tell others. Here's how...

Would you prefer to share this page with others by linking to it?

  1. Click on the HTML link code below.
  2. Copy and paste it, adding a note of your own, into your blog, a Web page, forums, a blog comment, your Facebook account, or anywhere that someone would find this page valuable.

Search over 8,400 pages on this site...