Menu

Finally I Feel GOOD

by Jo
(Wisconsin, USA)

Hello, Wray!

My name is Jo, and I'm a 37 year-old woman who has suffered from horrible PMS, ovarian cysts and painful, heavy periods for most of my life. My mother, sister and aunts suffered from the same thing (mainly irritability and moodiness), so I just attributed it to genes and our 'feisty' Italian heritage.

Well, ever since I quit smoking two years ago, my moodiness, anxiety, headaches, acne, heart palpitations, joint aches, sleeplessness, lack of sex drive and inability to concentrate (which I attributed to Attention Deficit Disorder), got 10 times worse. I was beginning to fall into a deep depression. Here I was free from the chains of cigarettes and was supposed to feel so much better, but now felt as if my life and health were spinning out of control. My poor husband, as patient as he is, I know was at his wit's end, as were my children. I gained 15 pounds and no matter how much I exercised and ate right, I couldn't lose it. I was feeling like a failure...like I was doing everything wrong.

Then, my aunt recommended progesterone cream. I didn't go out and get some right away, but as my migraines became more frequent and my moods were becoming increasingly erratic, I knew that I had to try it. I went out an bought some (not Natpro, but another bioidentical brand). I put some on immediately, and literally within minutes felt a calm wash over me. Over the next week I saw my acne all but disappear, but my breasts were getting sore. I was only using a pea-sized amount in the morning, so I decided to maybe try one in the evening, as well. My symptoms got worse and I wasn't sleeping at all.

Thankfully, I found your site and began doing as much research as possible here. I discovered from you that I should try using more cream, both day and night. So I did! And what do you know? I'm doing great. I'm sleeping soundly, I have no aches and pains like before, my acne is about gone, my moods have stabilized, my heart palpitations have ceased, my sex drive is returning, and I haven't had a headache since. The best thing, though, is my calmness. I just have this calm, clear-headedness about me that I haven't experienced since I was a child. I almost could cry out of joy thinking about it. I can see by the way my husband looks at me that he's falling for me all over again...and I really was afraid that I was going to lose him if I didn't find a solution. I was turning into a miserable human being because of my hormonal imbalance, but now I feel so free and happy.

I have ordered some Natpro because I love that you have gone to such lengths to keep it so natural--and because I know it will work just as well if not better than the kind I have, now.

Thank you, Wray. You have no idea how much your advice has changed my life. If I hadn't stumbled upon your site and hadn't read your loving advice to so many other people, I would have given up on this wonderful treatment and would be back to square one.

God Bless You!!

Jo

Comments for Finally I Feel GOOD

Click here to add your own comments

Sep 02, 2012
 Finally I Feel GOOD
by: Wray

Hi Jo Bless you too, you've brought tears to my eyes with your story, I'm so touched you should have written in to tell me. Although I know progesterone helps all those symptoms you mentioned, it still amazes me when I hear a story such as yours. I'm just so happy you're feeling so good again, the calmness is so wonderful isn't it! I recall having permanent anxiety, I could never sit down and relax, always had to be doing something, pleasing someone. And now? Well if things aren't as they should be, it doesn't worry me anymore. Thank you for trying the Natpro, we do try to keep it as natural and as simple as we can. We know it works as we run Saliva Tests periodically, but we do appreciate feedback from users too, so please let me know how you fare on it. I would suggest you start using it with the same amount of progesterone as you're using now. Just a word of caution, if it's quite a thick cream the progesterone is not carried into the cells as efficiently as it is with a thin cream. This could cause Oestrogen Dominance symptoms to occur, so please watch for this. Please consider having a vitamin D test done, I tend to sound like a broken record about this, but it's such an important vitamin. I was so fascinated by the synergy between Progesterone and Vitamin D, that I did this page on them. For more info on vitamin D levels, test kits etc see the Vitamin D Council, GrassrootsHealth, Birmingham Hospital and Vitamin D Links websites. Blood levels should be 70-100ng/ml (175-250nmol/L) and not the 30ng/ml (75nmol/L) most labs and doctors regard as adequate. The minimum daily dose should be 5000iu's per day, although the latest research indicates it should be 10,000iu's per day, see here. Take care Wray
Sep 02, 2012
 hi
by: Anonymous

Hi,
I was reading where you say you were using a pea size of progesterone cream to start out with.

Can you tell me please how much did you push it up to from that pea size?

thanks
Sep 03, 2012
 Vitamin D & Magnesium
by: Jo

Thanks so much for your response, Wray, and for letting me know about the thin vs. thick cream. I'm using Emerita's Progest right now and it's pretty thick. I also think it's a lower dose than Natpro.

Yes, I am taking 4000 IU's of Vitamin D daily, and I'm also taking in any sun I can. My mother has psoriasis pretty badly, and she owns a tanning bed, so thankfully I can use that during our Vitamin D Winter here in Wisconsin. I also have dark skin, so I realize that I need more than people with lighter skin.

Also, I am taking Magnesium (Natural Calm) to help regulate my hormones. I realize that this can help tremendously with 'evening everything out'. So far, so good. I've only had a few odd side-effects when upping my progesterone.

For anonymous who asked about the 'pea sized' dose... Emerita's cream contains 20 mg's of USP Progesterone per 1/4 tsp, so a pea-sized amount wouldn't be enough to do anything but make you experience estrogen dominance symptoms if you're low on progesterone. I've upped my dose to 3/4 tsp, which would be 60 mgs, and right now that's where my happy place is. If I start having sore breasts, acne, etc (all of my own personal symptoms of estrogen dominance), I will up the dosage again.

Oh! And one more question, Wray...I have been taking my cream throughout my cycle. I tried stopping during my period and was not feeling well (anxious, acne, etc), so I just kept right on with it. I've only been on the cream for a month. Is it ok to take it through my period? Thanks in advance!
Sep 04, 2012
 Vitamin D & Magnesium
by: Wray

Hi Jo Yes the thick creams don't carry progesterone well, and it contains half the amount of progesterone, i.e. 16mg/ml of cream as opposed to 33.3mg/ml of cream. Glad you're taking 4000iu's vitamin D, but think you should consider increasing to at least 5000iu's per day, the minimum now recommended by specialists. Very pleased your mother has a tanning bed, and you are right, the darker the skin the longer you need to stay in the sun to make any vitamin D. Amazing the 60mg/day is helping you, that is good news. I've found all too often it needs to be higher. I often advise using the cream through out the cycle, through any bleeding too, to get progesterone levels up, and oestrogen suppressed. So please continue until you feel stable, then try stopping it when you bleed. If symptoms return it's too soon, so continue with the daily application, until you feel ready to try again. Please let me know how you get on. Take care Wray
Sep 08, 2012
 Bacne! (Back Acne)
by: Jo

So I got the Natpro, and it is clearly more easily absorbed than the Emerita Progest. Within a day of using 1/4 tsp in the AM and at night, I was noticing major acne on my back...like, it just popped up out of nowhere. I started to also notice that my face was more oily and I was getting more blackheads, so I put a little Natpro on my face. That seems to be keeping it at bay for now.

I've also noticed some breast tenderness. I'm hoping that these oestrogen dominance symptoms subside soon, as the back acne is seriously disgusting and ugly. It's all just below my neck and between my shoulder blades. Thankfully it's not on my face (where I usually would get it), and thankfully it's now getting cooler outside so I can cover it up with clothing. So I'm going to persevere.

One question to you, Wray: I was on Minocycline for my cystic hormonal acne for a year, but when I went on the Progesterone cream, I stopped taking it. I'd like to go back to taking it through this period of getting my progesetrone levels back up. Do you think this is a good or bad idea? I guess the only reason why I wouldn't want to take it is because the acne sort of tells me if I'm experiencing oestrogen dominance and it's a great indicator. Or maybe there are xeno or phyto estrogens in the Minocycline? If that's the case, I'm just going to stick it out.

Thanks for all of your help, Wray!
Sep 09, 2012
 Bacne! (Back Acne)
by: Wray

Hi Jo This is interesting, as I haven't tried the Pro-gest before so don't know what it's like. You are also using slightly more, about 83mg/day as opposed to the 60mg/day you were using. This could also account for the symptoms. Please rub the cream directly on your breasts, that often helps, we do have a page on Breast Tenderness you could look through. I didn't realise you had Acne too, have a look through this page for any pointers. Please try rubbing the cream directly on your 'bacne' and see if that helps. The Minocycline, as you're probably aware, is an antibiotic. If you can avoid it please do. The caprylic/capric triglycerides (from coconut oil) we use as the oil in Natpro does have some antibiotic action. But there's evidence that lauric acid, another fraction removed from coconut oil, is effective against acne, see here, here, here and here. We are in the process of developing a cream using it, but it isn't ready yet! Still in the early experimental stages. But maybe you could find some? Let me know how you get on. Take care Wray
Oct 11, 2012
 Back Acne almost gone
by: Jo

Hi Wray!

Well, I have perservered, and my back acne is almost gone. I no longer have any soreness in my breasts. None.

I did have a strange cycle this past month, however. I started my period a week early, and it wasn't very heavy. I continued to take the Natpro through it. Then, after it ended, a week later I got it again...this time VERY heavy. I stopped taking the progesterone cream and allowed my period to run its course. I did get a little edgy and couldn't wait to start up on the cream again. I did so when my period finished, and I'm back to feeling great again.

I think my body is just finally regulating itself. Even though I had the back acne, sore breasts, and then irregular cycle, I inherently feel like I'm reaching some sort of normalcy. My acne is very minimal, whereas I had been struggling with horrible cystic acne for most of my adult life. Even the ones along my jawline have disappeared. No, actually, I can say that they 'dried up'. Honestly, that's what happened...they were hard, painful, and wouldn't come to a head, ever. They now have shrunk down, and I actually was able to extract small white, dry 'seeds' in their place. Sorry if that's disgusting, but maybe it will be good info for someone out there.

My sex drive has steadily increased. When I first started progesterone cream, it would come back, but then disappear. Now, I seem to be sexually interested most of the time. Needless to say, my husband loves progesterone cream. ;-)

Also, I have managed to decrease my dose a bit and still feel great. I'm anxious to see what my next cycle is like. I've also lost cellulite on the backs of my legs and rear end.

Anyway, I thought I should pop in for an update! I know that other women have asked how long it takes to regulate and be able to reduce your dose, and for me it has been three months. But also keep in mind that I have never taken birth control pills (well, once for two months when I was 19 and it made me insane and fat), and I eat pretty naturally and healthy. I've also taken a probiotic supplement for about ten years and magnesium every day for the past year and a half. Not sure if that's made a difference, but I'd like to think it has.

Thanks again for all of your insight, Wray! I'm a happy lady because of your help!!
Oct 13, 2012
 Back Acne almost gone
by: Wray

Hi Jo Well again your feedback has made me very happy! Bless you for persevering, it does take some doing, as most women go backwards when using progesterone, so blame that and stop using it. Very interesting about your cycle, it often disrupts it when first using it, and can cause a non normal period too. The heavy bleeding is a good sign though, as it means your uterus was thoroughly cleaned out! I don't mind what details I get, the more the better. Non are disgusting to me, all quite natural really! Besides as you say, it could help someone else. So, so delighted about your libido. I've just done a page on this, sad to say not up on the site yet, as I've had four women write in complaining about a lack of it in the past week! There's strong evidence progesterone has a big role in raising libido, and that testosterone, touted as 'the' hormone for raising it, has but a small role. Dopamine is probably the main reason for a good libido, so many studies done on this. But it does need the progesterone receptors to function, plus progesterone raises dopamine slightly. We have evidence it works, anecdotal of course, but I'm happy with that! We have many men using it, and all seem delighted by the results. One woman wrote in complaining hers was too high! Very happy too about the cellulite, I'm convinced this is an oestrogen thing, but can't find any studies done on it. Women get it, very rarely men, unless they have excess oestrogen. I find it interesting you say it took you three months to come right. We used to only sell the cream in batches of three, as we know it takes about this long, sometimes longer. But because of the recession, we now offer one tube. A naturopath who's prescribed our cream for 15 years, will still only sell it to her patients in three tube lots because of this. Thanks for the kind words yet again! Take care Wray

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...