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Is it ok for me to take progesterone all month

by Eve
(Phoenix, AZ)

Hi Wray, I have been reading your suggestions and comments and was looking for your thoughts on my situation. I am now 37 years old. I was on oral BCP for 20 years. I had some very stressful life events and my hormones started going crazy - hot flashes, night sweats, lack of luster, depression etc.

My saliva tests indicated while on BCP very low progesterone. When I came off (April 2009) I did not use progesterone at first. I was stricken with severe PMDD that worsened every month - becoming unbearable by July 2009. In Octorber I started progesterone cream 25mg. I could feel the difference but it was not enough to fight off the PMDD - in this time frame I started having hypothyroid symptoms (now on armour 1grain) along with PMDD symptoms. At the same time I was treating my adrenals as the saliva indicated they were fatigued. I increased progesterone to 25mg two times a day during days 14-28. Still not enough relief. I thought I was going to commit suicide - the PMDD was so bad.

I finally read and ordered (Jan 2010) oral bio-identical progesterone and started a higher dose and I increased each month finally to 200mg AM and 300mg PM. I was stopping my dose at day 28 to start my period, however, last month it took 5 days for the bleed to come and the severe PMDD resurfaced and lasted while I was bleeding. Which normally it would stop once the onset of bleed. My new doctor changed my delivery method and dose thinking I might need less through this method - trouche 300mg in evening. She also decided I should be on it all month with a lower dose on day 1-14 (150mg/day).I am on day 18 of my cycle. I tried the 300mg at night only and I started to have some mild symptoms return, so I added my morning dose back - trying 100mg - still felt symptoms and extreme bloatedness - could not even wear my wedding ring. So I increased dose back to of 200mg in am and 300 mg in the PM and I feel better. My saliva report was taken (April 2010) on day 20 of my cycle showing my levels (even while on my progesterone which taken the day before first saliva sample approx 13hours) to be low at 70 (range is pg/ml 30-300). Am I at risk taking progesterone all month long and at these higher doses. I am frightened not to take high doses because when I don't - the PMDD that I experience is so bad I can hardly function.

I have gained 25 lbs since this all started and nothing seems to help with my weight. I tried HCG for a short period but it made me irritable and angry - doctor told me it was raising my estrogen and causing worse estrogen dominance. UGH I am fat and flustered! BTW my saliva indicated normal to high DHEA and testosterone levels - DHEA conclusive of an athlete which I used to be until the end of 2008! My adrenals are finally in a good spot - I still supplement them with a product called ADB5 Plus (it includes glandular and vitamins).

Any thoughts or insight would be great!

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May 23, 2010
 Is it ok for me to take progesterone all month
by: Wray

Hi Eve. It doesn't surprise me your progesterone was low while on the BCP. It stops ovarian function, including ovulation. Production of progesterone stops. The reason for the PMDD was excess oestrogen. Your ovaries were beginning to 'wake up', after being suppressed for 20 years. During the first half of the cycle the egg is developing and maturing and is producing oestrogen. It's not until ovulation that progesterone is made, it would be very rare for you to have begun ovulating yet. Hence the increasing severity of the symptoms, nothing but oestrogen. 25-50mg of progesterone would have been far too low to make a dent in your symptoms. It doesn't surprise me you started having thyroid problems, as oestrogen suppresses thyroid function. I don't believe there is anything wrong with your thyroid, just too much oestrogen. Oral progesterone is the least effective delivery system, please see here. And here. Troches also fall in this category, see here. Oral progesterone is mostly destroyed by the gut and liver, this explains why your level was so low when you had the next test. Instead of using 500mg progesterone in an oral form as you are now doing, but in a cream, your symptoms would disappear overnight! 500mg is a very high dose, and something I recommend to women with severe symptoms such as heavy continual bleeding for months on end, unbearable hot flushes and night sweats (these go in about 4 days on 400mg), severe depression etc. So no you are at no risk taking such a high dose, but it's very wasteful of progesterone, costly, and it does put a strain on the liver which has to metabolise it. No risk either at using it daily, in fact I recommend this method to women with severe symptoms. It's far better to get rid of them first, and then reduce the dose and follow a cycle. It's easy enough to get the cycle going again using progesterone. For more info see here. The weight gain doesn't surprise me either. Oestrogen is a mitogen, it causes cells to divide and grow, including fat cells, progesterone inhibits this. It also causes insulin resistance, for more on this please see here. Oestrogen also causes water retention, progesterone is an excellent diuretic preventing oedema, please see here. I would really recommend you change to a cream form, it's also more versatile, as it can be applied where needed. Take care, Wray
May 31, 2010
 Is it ok for me to take progesterone all month
by: Eve

Hi Wray, thanks for your help and suggestions. I am going to switch to cream. I wonder what the correct dose will be? Do you have any suggestions? I guess I am totally confused on what my cycle is 21, 28, 36 days? It has not been consistant since getting off the pill April 2009.

The article link you suggested said starting day 14 is not necessarily the start of ovulation - depending on your cycle. How will I know and what are some signs I should be aware of if I am actually ovulating? At this point, I take low dose day 1-14 and a higher dose day 14-28 switching back to the low dose from day 28 in hopes to start my period. This is the first month we are trying this. My cycle has been inconsistent since comeing off the pill (even after starting progesterone at higher dose in Jan 2010) - I do have a period each month but sometimes it starts day 27, 28, 36. Any thoughts?

And by the way, THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH for having this website and also your product! There are so many women out there suffering and sooo many doctors that don't have the experience to help them. My mom committed suicide in 2007 - she had a hysterectomy in her early-mid 30's. We always thought she was kind of "crazy". I really believe she was progesterone difficient all those years - she refused to take synthetic hormones and now that I am so much more educated about the role our hormones play, I am convinced that was her true ailment. Very sad... so I am glad you were able to find help and you are helping others! What a blessing :-)
Jun 05, 2010
 Is it ok for me to take progesterone all month
by: Wray

Hi Eve. Bless you for the kind words! I'm so sorry to hear of your mother, very sad as there was no need. It's most definitely not 'in our minds', there are a growing number of doctors and private clinics who understand this, but far too few. As you are already trying the 28 day cycle I suggest sticking to that, your own natural cycle will come in it's own time, it might even be 28 days. There are two ways to approach it, you either follow the 28 days as your body would, ie do not use progesterone in the first half of the cycle, but only on day 15 for 14 days. Or you use it daily as you are doing. I'll have to leave that decision to you, as you evidently have severe PMS.

Ovulation signs to look for is a mucus plug coming away, a higher temperature, a slight pain on the side of the body where the ovary sits and possible irritation/PMS feelings. This last is due to a surge in oestrogen levels just prior to ovulation. But none of these are of importance right now, getting you to feel better is! So the two approaches, no progesterone in the first half of the cycle, and use at least 200-300mg in the second half, from day 15 for 14 days, then stop. Count 14 days from bleeding and start using it again on day 15. Divide the dose into at least two, if not more applications. I've had women use it hourly for severe symptoms. Second approach, use ±50mg/day divided am and pm for the first 14 days, then increase to the 200-300mg/day for the last 14 days. There is a third alternative, and that's to use a high dose daily for 2-3 months, through your period too. This will come and go as it wishes, which is pretty much what's happening now. But this will suppress the oestrogen and hopefully eliminate the PMS, as I'm concerned about it returning if you follow your cycle. Once you feel stable you can then reduce the dose for the first half, or eliminate it completely, only using it again on day 15. I wish I could tell you which is the best route, but only you can know that, and only by experiencing it. I feel it's better to get rid of symptoms first, it's normally easy to get the cycle going again, but the pill really upsets us. I've been helping one woman and it's taken nearly a year. I now have her on large amounts of antioxidants, as her ovaries have been so upset by the pill I believe they are now inflamed. She's taking 1600mg/day arginine, 1800mg/day N-acetyl cysteine, 2000mg/day taurine and 5000iu's/day vitamin D, plus 4000mg/day inositol, you might consider this too as it is helping her. All of the above help ovarian function and are known to initiate ovulation. I don't have space here to give you the references to the papers, but they are all on this web page. Take care, Wray
Jan 02, 2013
 is it ok to tkae progesterone all month...
by: Anonymous

Hi Wray--
I'm having similar problems as the OP.
I had a baby 5 months ago. I wen ton progesterone shortly after she was born, i was very LOW before pregnancy and during (had to take P for a good 4 months during pregnancy)
I had labs done and i was low , i started progesterone , i started 100 mgs for the firs half of my cycle and then 200 for the 2nd half. For the first time in YEARS i was sleeping, i was sleeping pretty good, with the assistance of melatonin.
My periods started getting wonky, my period was coming every 15 days.
I saw my alt med dr a few weeks ago (i'm hypo thyroid and have hashimotos) and told him about this , he told me to go off (now i realize this was probably a mistake) he told me to go off so we could test all my hormones again. I just tested today:)
anyways, since X-mas, which is when i believe i ovulated (so 8 days ago) i have NOT been sleeping. I am dealing with the worst insomnia ever. My melatonin and benadryl aren't working and for the past week i've been relying on ambien.
My question, can i take progesterone all month like i was ? i was feeling really good, sleeping and just feeling better, the last week i've felt awful.
can i start once i get my period?
i'm just relying on the progesterone right now for sleep, my depression and moods have been very bad too. I've felt way more hypo, but now i'm wondering if it is my progesterone is soooooo low? i also think while i was taking progesterone i was helping my adrenals and now i feel awful.
help, i'm desperate for sleep! i'm desperate to feel good.
Jan 03, 2013
 is it ok to tkae progesterone all month...
by: Wray

Hi there I can never understand why women are told to stop the progesterone to do a test. The whole point of a test to to see what the levels are, and to find the ratio of progesterone to oestrogen. If this was low in would mean you need more progesterone. We've found from Saliva Tests that it's best if the P:E2 ratio is 600:1 and over. Stopping it will drop progesterone sharply and you're back to square one. Progesterone can upset the cycle, but it's nothing to worry about, as it does settle in time. It's perfectly safe to use it daily, through any bleeding too. I recommend doing this for 2-3 months and then if, and only if you feel stable, should you begin to reduce it or consider following your cycle. You can start it now, it won't make any difference. Your period might come sooner, or later, don't worry about this. It's far more important to get rid of adverse symptoms. We do have a page on How to use progesterone cream. Try the 100mg/day in the follicular phase, and the 200mg/day in the luteal phase first. Although you might find you now need the 200mg/day every day, as stopping has allowed oestrogen to rise again. Progesterone does help the thyroid, oestrogen slows it down. It also helps the adrenals too. These first make progesterone, which they then convert into cortisol. But if they're stressed, they'll rob other sources, which makes progesterone levels drop further. Progesterone is a potent anxiolytic, so reduces the stress response. We do have a page on Anxiety, it gives a let of nutrients which help anxiety. You might consider taking some of them. Continued below
Jan 03, 2013
 is it ok to tkae progesterone all month... Part 2
by: Wray

Hi there Please have a vitamin D test done, it appears yours is low. This adversely affects the thyroid, see here, here, here and here. Plus reducing the benefit of progesterone, see here, here, here, here and here. And causes anxiety and depression, see here, here, here, here, here. and here. For more info on vitamin D levels, test kits etc see the Vitamin D Council, GrassrootsHealth and Birmingham Hospital. 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 recent research indicates it should be 10,000iu's per day, see here. Take care Wray
Jan 07, 2013
 thanks for commenting back
by: Anonymous

Hi Wray--
Thanks for commenting back. Well i got back on progesterone last week , i had to take 300 mgs o get me to sleep, but i did sleep. So this is step number one. I got my period on day 25 , which is very normal for me, but tested hormones on day 21, i hope my results will still be accurate?
i'm down to 100 mgs now... when i get the cream , how much do you think i should take , if i'm taking 100mgs right now and 300 in 2nd half?
the girl who runs, sexy hormones ,sttm site said i might not have been on enough progesterone and that was shy my period was coming so frequently?
I had vit D tested as well, last time it was checked it was 69.
Jan 07, 2013
 thanks for commenting back
by: Anonymous

i went back on P last week, i believe Thurs. I took 300 mgs and at that dose i was able to sleep... i got my period on day 25, which is normal for me. I tested hormones on day 21, i hope my results will be accurate. I tested P, E and T.
i'm taking 100 mgs now. Going to try and get creme tomorrow. How much creme would you recommend if i want it close to 100mgs now and 300 during follicular phase?
i got vit D tested a few months ago and it was 69- i supplement with at least 5000 iu's a day. I tested last week as well.
'm struggling with not being able to lose weight as well.
I had a baby 5 months ago and haven't lost a lb since about 8 weeks PP. I eat very healthy and exercise 4-5x a week and i can't lose anything. Do you think with increasing the P to 300 this will help for WL??
Jan 08, 2013
 thanks for commenting back
by: Wray

Hi there It doesn't surprise me you needed 300mg/day to get to sleep again. When you say "when i get the cream , how much do you think i should take , if i'm taking 100mgs right now and 300 in 2nd half?" are you asking me how much actual cream you need to use? As I can't answer this unless you tell me the strength of the cream. If they don't give you that, then how much progesterone is in the container, and how heavy is the cream in the container. And I think you mean 100mg/day in the follicular phase, and 300mg/day in the luteal phase. I see you say this in your first post. I agree with the sexy hormone site, it could well have been insufficient progesterone upsetting your cycle. If the 69 for the vitamin D was measured in ng/ml then your level is quite good. I would be interested to hear what your latest test shows. It does take time to loose weight if your hormones are all over the place. Don't be too impatient, get rid of the other adverse symptoms, and you should find the weight coming off. You might like to see our page on Insulin Resistance and our page on Nutrition for ideas and clues. Progesterone does speed metabolism slightly, but don't rely on it for weight loss. Take care Wray
May 20, 2013
 Progesterone All month
by: Anonymous

Hi, I had a miscarriage 6 months ago and had a ton of cyclical cramping every cycle. My cycles are every long 39 to 44 days. My LP is 14 days. I was feeling very sick during my pregnancy over the top tired. Any how my cycles since were very crampy during ministration 4 days after ministration, extremely bad during ovulation and off and on until ministration. The severity of the cramping has decreased since miscarriage but the timing is still the same. I was still very tired and bloated, gained close to 20 lb, I had insomnia, and no sexual desire, very anxious and moody. I had an ultra sound and it showed everything was normal. I have not been able to conceive. I decided to see a nature path and see if I could get some answers. I did a bunch of test salvia, stool, and blood. The outcome was low, very low estrogen & even lower progesterone causing estrogen dominance even though I'm deficient in both. I also discovered that I have adrenal fatigue. So supplemented with vite d, multi, omegas, protein, vite b complex, folic acid and bio identical progesterone cream with a slight amount of estrogen. She has me on the cream every day with the exception of ministration. My concern is that I will not ovulate and be able to conceive using every day. She says that could be the case or not no way to tell until that time comes. She wants me to stay on it everyday to help resolve a lot of my symptoms. I already after being on the regimen for 2 weeks am feeling great relief. I wake up actually feeling rested in the mornings with a few lows during the day. I have herd that taking progesterone this way can stimulate my ovaries into producing more when I stop using it every day. Any thoughts? I'm concerned, I just want to get pregnant. : (
May 24, 2013
 Progesterone All month
by: Wray

Hi there I would agree with your naturopath, it is best to use it daily to get rid of symptoms first, before trying for Pregnancy. She has given you all the right supplements too, I'm pleased she has you on more protein, as this is essential for a successful pregnancy. You're cycles are very long, in fact longer than the normal range, so I suspect PCOS. Has anyone checked for this? Using progesterone daily won't stimulate your ovaries to make more when you stop. It's only after you've ovulated that you make progesterone. But using progesterone does help to get the cycle regular again, once following it. I would heed what your naturopath says, as she obviously knows what's she's doing. Take care Wray
May 26, 2013
 Is it ok for me to take progesterone All month
by: Anonymous

Hi Wray and thank you for your reply. No I have never been tested for PCOS. I have had on child and three miscarriages the first 2 at about 4 to six weeks. Had my daughter no complications and then 3 years latter got pregnant with my last that I miss carried at 9.5 weeks. Before I went to my NP I had a 7 day after ovulation test done and it came back 15. I did not get pregnant that cycle so I went to an NP, as I explained in my last post. So I have been taking the progesterone for about 3 weeks and I started to spot at cycle day 20 I called my NP and she said discontinue use for three days and start up again. I have not ovulated yet but I expected that. I went to an appointment with my OB and she suggested that I try a cycle of clomid and they would monitor progesterone and I could take it the second half of my cycle if I chose. I’m not sure what I should do I have heard good and bad things about the drug. I guess I should first look into the PCOS thing. I have read that clomid can be beneficial for people with PCOS. Any suggestions about this?
May 26, 2013
 POCS formula
by: Anonymous

Hi Wray, one more question, I saw your POCS formula, would it hurt to take this even if I have not been diagnosed? Would I be able to add this to my current regiment of Multi, Omega, Dha, Vit D, Vit B complex, Magnesium, protein powder, licorice root, pro biotic aand progesterone? Thank you for your time.
May 30, 2013
 Is it ok for me to take progesterone All month
by: Wray

Hi there I did suggest you use the progesterone for 2-3 months, through any bleeding. I don't think you should stop and start as you're doing, it's best to get progesterone up high, and oestrogen low. I wouldn't touch clomid, fertility drugs increase the cancer risk, see here, here and here. I feel you should look into the possibility of PCOS. No it won't hurt to take the complex, we have a 60 yr old woman who's never had PCOS but is taking it for inflammation. Check how much of the supplements you're taking, as it's pointless taking more of one thing than you need. For instance you might get too many B vitamins by taking the B complex too. Take care Wray
Mar 24, 2015
 This is me.
by: Anonymous

This account sounds just like me. I need what seems like massive amounts of progesterone. I am super curious if anyone knows what causes this? I am a super healthy eater and can't understand what is happening.
Sep 07, 2016
 Thankyou
by: Anonymous

Thankyou, I needed permission to use more of the cream I was scared to until I read these posts. I tried stopping it when my period arrived and MAN OH MAN the misery. I'll up the amount. Worst thing is it affects my sleep :( thanks ladies and especially Wray, for all the input. This site is amazing, its a gold mine. Wray I had gotten to the point of feeling constantly suicidal. I don't think I could have done anything, but it didn't mean I didn't feel that way. Life can be dark and miserable when your hormones are out of whack. God bless you for sharing your valuable insights as well as your story, Love Leonie xoxo
Sep 13, 2016
 Thank You
by: Joy

Hi Leonie

What progesterone cream are you using that you needed permission to increase it? I am pleased that Wray’s website has helped you to realise that using smaller amounts of progesterone will cause more problems than good. Also something to take into account is the kind of progesterone cream used. Many are not strong enough and contain parabens and chemicals. If using a compounded cream, they often come mixed with estrogen and/or testosterone, not what any women needs!

I know that ‘dark place’ that you are referring to very well. Wray has seen me at my worst, if it were not for her and Natpro Progesterone Cream, then I am not sure where I would be today. Now progesterone can’t do it on it’s own it needs nutrients. What is your Vitamin D3 level? A deficiency reduces the benefits of progesterone and is connected to every single functioning cell in our bodies. Co-factors are needed when taking vitamin D3, magnesium being considered the most important, but others are too.

Once I used progesterone, vitamin D3 and magnesium correctly, my life changed. I am positive that it will help you too.

Please read these pages if you have not done so already.

How to use Progesterone Cream

Estrogen Dominance

Peri-Menopause

Menopause

Vitamin D3

Magnesium

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