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PCOS, Progesterone is my LAST HOPE

by Tessa
(Moses Lake, WA, USA)

Where to start, I have suffered from it all. Skin tags, darkness around my neck, tired/fatigue, migraines, thinning of my hair and flakey nails being the first signs of PCOS and low progesterone all displaying around puberty or a little after. By 17 I knew something was wrong because I had never had a period. Doctors told me, not to worry about it, it might just be my norm, here are some birth control pills to help regulate your cycle, to name a few. So I spent a couple years on birth control pills to help with the symptoms (or mask them), once I got married and decided that we wanted to try "not trying to prevent a pregnancy" ;-D and went off the birth control, I started gaining weight rapidly, still no periods. At 19 I went to another doctor and once again I was told don't worry about it, your too young to have a baby. At 21 I realized that there was no way I was crazy, something was definitely wrong. I had yet to EVER have a menstrual cycle on my own. Went to another doctor and again was told she wouldn't help me, I was too young to worry about it. Yet again went to another doctor this one did blood work and ultrasounds and found that I have PCOS. Began prescribing Provera to induce a period and Clomid to force ovulation. Provera would work to induce a period but Clomid failed 2/5 rounds (total of 8 months). I pushed my doctor to retest my progesterone levels having read and researched PCOS and learned that this is EXTREMELY common with PCOS. He tested my levels and sure enough they came back extremely low for what they should have been at that point in the cycle. His order was to wait for my period. Really? Obviously I am low on progesterone so low that there is no way I would have a period on my own! I went back and forth with him requesting progesterone and he flat out told me he wanted to continue Provera and Clomid as treatment and if I didn't I could find a new doctor.
So here I am 22 years old and still struggling with PCOS and low progesterone. I have decided that medical doctors are useless except for surgery and its time to try the natural way.
I have read other user posts regarding PCOS and progesterone treatment and poured over your website and my only question is this, on top of Natpro would you suggest any vitamins or minierals to take? If so what doses would you suggest?
From your website I have learned that to allow my body to heal I will need to do the cream for 3 months straight (was planning to start at 200mg for the 3 months). Would you suggest anything else?

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Dec 21, 2012
 PCOS, Progesterone is my LAST HOPE
by: Wray

Hi Tessa As usual your story has me shocked, why I don't know, as it happens all too often. Maybe I'm always hoping for the day when the medical profession will realise drugs are not the answer, and to listen to their patients. You are right, progesterone is always low in PCOS, understandably, as many women do not ovulate! Oestrogen can be normal to high, testosterone is invariably high. All drug based Contraceptives have the potential to harm, apart from stopping ovulation, which is the last thing you need! Unfortunately too many doctors confuse progesterone with progestins, hence the Provera you were given. And to force ovulation by giving Clomid I feel is criminal. It has the potential to harm too, see here, and here. The only time I go to a doctor is when I've broken an arm! Thank you for reading through the site, 200mg/day is a good start point, as far more than the normal 20mg/day is needed to help correct the deficiency. And to suppress the excess oestrogen and testosterone you have. If bound to SHBG (sex hormone binding globulin) testosterone becomes inactive, progesterone raises levels of SHBG, see here, so preventing the rise of free testosterone. SHBG drops if sugars are eaten, even those found in all grains, legumes, processed milk and sweet starchy fruits and vegetables. Fructose, sucrose and glucose, reduce SHBG by 80, 50 and 40% respectively, see here. Thereby allowing testosterone to rise. It's best to avoid all the foods and sugars mentioned. Wine and beers contain carbs, so it's best to avoid those too. Sugars and large meals also drop progesterone levels, see here. Plus insulin drops levels too, see here. This means SHBG also drops, another vicious cycle allowing testosterone to rise. Continued below
Dec 21, 2012
 PCOS, Progesterone is my LAST HOPE Part 2
by: Wray

Hi Tessa It is best to use the progesterone daily as you say you'll do, I feel getting rid of symptoms is far more important than disrupting the cycle. Not that you have one, but I would hope in time you do. Your LH and FSH are probably too high too, trying to make an egg mature and ovulate. Unfortunately high LH also increases testosterone. PCOS is caused by oxidative stress, it's most important to reverse this, which will reverse the condition. Please have a vitamin D test done, this is most important. Once you know your level the amount of vitamin D you should take will become apparent. Vitamin D is our most important nutrient, it's a potent anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, plus stopping cells from proliferating. Progesterone is all the above too. In fact I've done a page on these two, see Progesterone and Vitamin D. 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. Birmingham Hospital has the cheapest test kit, results come back via email. Ignore their 'adequate' level, far too low. You will also need the other antioxidants too, several have been found to induce ovulation, as has vitamin D. All of them are shown on our PCOS page, we have also put them together in a complex. The doses are those used in the successful studies, but all in one, rather than individual nutrients as used in the studies. We have had success with it with women falling pregnant, one woman is now having her second child. But as with all things natural, it does take time. Please keep in touch. Take care Wray

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