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Progesterone for Children

by David G. Mills
(Memphis, TN, USA)

I have a grandchild that was born with a chromosome defect and which caused her to have an abnormal brain (holoprosencephaly and microencephaly). All things considered, she is doing very well, but she is quite delayed in her development. She did not crawl until she was fifteen months. She is now 25 months and still does not walk although she "cruises" around coffee tables and the like quite well. We are optimistic that she will be walking soon without assistance. She is learning to sign and she knows a few words but not as many as a normal child her age.

But she surprises us with what she understands. When her mother and father could not find her older sister's "Leapster" (an educational toy) after searching for an hour, this child, when she got up from a nap, heard her parents talking about the Leapster being missing, and crawled down the hall into the room where it was and found it and then let them know she had found it.

She has what is known as a "6q deletion 25 seq to terminal" (extremely rare condition - we know of only a hundred or so people with this condition in the world). In essence that means the the long chromosome on pair six is shortened. We estimate maybe she is missing 80 - 90 genes as there are about 1500 genes on pair six.

Other than her brain, all of her organs are normal and all of her extremities are normal as well.

But anyway, I wonder whether or not progesterone, since it is a brain hormone and seems to be of great benefit to people with brain injuries, could help her development and what would be a proper dosage to give someone her age. I realize it would be highly experimental. But if it could not harm her (or could it?) why not try it?

Comments for Progesterone for Children

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Jul 19, 2012
 Progesterone for Children
by: Wray

Hi David Well the story you told about your grandchild finding the toy, had me in the world of savants, autism and Asperger's syndrome for about two hours, until I decided it was time for bed. I know of no 25 month old child who would care less where her siblings toys where. Let alone go and find it without being asked…… "Savantism is a rare condition in which people with 'developmental delays' of the brain (notably autism spectrum), and/or brain injury, demonstrate profound and prodigious capacities and/or abilities far in excess of those considered normal." In my search I came across an amazing woman called Temple Grandin. Apart from her love of animals, her other passion is encouraging children with rare brains to be allowed to develop them fully. She gave a talk on TED you might be interested in listening to here. You are right about progesterone and the brain, and it is safe for very young children. It's given for respiratory distress syndrome, bone development and lung disease in pre-term infants, see here, here, here, here, here and here. I've yet to find out why oestradiol is also given, and not oestriol the pregnancy oestrogen. Excess oestradiol causes foetal death and miscarriages. None of the papers give the amount of progesterone used, except this one here. The amount was 22.5 mg/kg/day, extremely high, equivalent to giving a 50kg woman 1125mg/day. Almost the same as that given to Traumatic Brain Injury victims. Continued below.
Jul 19, 2012
 Progesterone for Children Part 2
by: Wray

Hi David I have advised women with 3 month old infants to use a pin head amount of cream, about 5mg progesterone. It calms them down and sends them to sleep within minutes. I advise about 10mg for 2 year old infants and above. So from 5mg to 22.5mg for a 1kg neonate, you have a wide range. One of the papers given mentions the importance of progesterone for the developing neuron. The other thing I'd ask you to do is have a vitamin D test done. This also affects brain development, crucial for it in fact, see here, and here. Take care Wray
Jul 19, 2012
 Child use
by: Kay

Hi, I am anxious to see Wray's response to this issue. My young son and I were both showing signs of estrogen dominance. Sadly, I urged him to drink soy milk from a young age due to a milk allergy. His language development was slow and he had severe memory difficulties. Counting and learning to read were nearly impossible. I should also mention that his sex organs were also very small. I kept on thinking that he was just a late bloomer.

Last December I used a small amount of progesterone cream along with eliminating all grains and carbs. Within three days his stuttering completely went away. His skin ailments went away. And most importantly, he began to act more like a boy!

We are continuing with the diet but stopped using the cream after only a few times because the response was so immediate and positive.
I wonder if I should continue applying it because he still suffers from incontinence and I am not sure if the estrogen dominance has been eliminated.

Thanks Wray!
Jul 20, 2012
 Child use
by: Wray

Hi Kay This is extremely interesting for me, for many reasons! I understand about giving him the soy milk, we're told it's a good substitute. Unfortunately it's the worst, as not only is it one of the top allergens, but it's oestrogenic too. You might like to see this paper about a man who drank nearly 3 lits a day, and got gynocomastia in the process, see here. Although he had no change in the size of his testes, he was a fully grown man of 60. Whereas your son is still growing and forming. Zinc is the most important mineral for the sperm and development of the gonads, a lack of zinc stunts their growth, see here. It's also vital for brain development, certainly in undernourished mice, which the soy would cause, see here. Furthermore oestrogen suppresses zinc, increases copper. These papers here and here show how important it is for young men. Admittedly yours has some years to go, but it's good to know. The sperm has the highest content of zinc in the body, followed by the eyes. Zinc experiments have revealed that it influences the expression of hundreds of genes. Progesterone is also vital for brian development, please read those papers I gave David. Excess oestrogen, even in the form of phytoestrogens, suppresses progesterone. I'm delighted you've eliminated all carbs and grains, hopefully legumes too. Both these have high levels of phytoestrogens, see here, and here. You might be interested in the Paleo Diet, there's info about it on our Nutrition page. I can't tell you how delighted I am the progesterone helped, it should have done by suppressing the excess oestrogen, but it's always so good to know. It could well help the incontinence too. I don't have any papers on this for young boys, only older women! Continued below.
Jul 20, 2012
 Child use Part 3
by: Wray

Hi Kay Please consider having his zinc, magnesium and calcium levels checked. Vitamin D too, a lack of this will cause calcium to rise in the blood. Plus it's the most vital nutrient of all, a lack causing all cells to malfunction. I found the synergism between Progesterone and Vitamin D so fascinating I did a page on it. 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. This sort of query fascinates me, sorry if I have gone on a bit, but it's impossible to leave out all the bits. I hope it helps in some way. Take care Wray
Jul 20, 2012
 Child use Part 2
by: Wray

Hi Kay But there's strong evidence oestrogen is one cause, see here here and here. Oestrogen causes water retention which tends to swell the sphincter making it unable to close fully. Or it could be he lacks magnesium and has high calcium, see here. Magnesium relaxes smooth muscle, calcium constricts it. This causes the bladder to go into spasms if calcium is too high. It's often the case with women too, and not necessarily HRT, many women on HRT are given calcium by their doctors thinking a lack will cause osteoporosis. Unfortunately they are rarely given magnesium too. Oestrogen also causes smooth muscle to constrict, progesterone relaxes it. So giving a woman HRT and calcium will only make matters worse. Magnesium is more often than not lacking in our diets, as it's low in soils, it's also the most important co-factor for vitamin D. Although many doctors think hypercalciuria is caused by high protein it's not. In fact a high protein diet causes an increase in calcium absorption and deposition in the bones, plus a high excretion rate, see here. Continued below.
Jul 24, 2012
 Zinc deficiency
by: Kaylana

Hi Wray,
On the article about zinc deficiency there was a link to an article that showed how a zinc deficiency also affects the T-lymphocytes. It was dated 1981. Do you know of any recent studies that would be based on the more recent understanding of T cells and how they function?

I am curious given the connection between a zinc deficiency, progesterone levels and auto immune diseases specifically psoriasis.

Cheers from a sunny day north of the '35'.
Kaylana
Jul 24, 2012
 Temple Grandin
by: David G. Mills

I had seen the movie about Temple Grandin some time ago. She is a truly remarkable woman. I think her TED talk makes that quite clear. Her notion that there are three kinds of brains and we need to learn how to better teach each kind is an idea well worth exploring.
Jul 25, 2012
 Zinc deficiency
by: Wray

Hi again Kaylana This is a good one, published in 2007, see here and this in 2009, see here. This an older one about skin, see here. It's only the abstract, so I don't know if they mention T cells. A few more here, here, here and here. All abstracts I'm afraid. I think I gave you all the papers I had on progesterone and psoriasis. Take care Wray
Jul 26, 2012
 Temple Grandin
by: Wray

Hi David I hadn't even heard of her, let alone that they'd done a film of her, until your comment made me do a search. I do so agree, but how long will it take to get the idea through. Due to your insistence that lauric acid was so good, I now have a sample. I'm going to try adding some to our cream to see if there is any additional benefit. So thank you for your insistence. Take care Wray
Jan 11, 2013
 Progesterone for children
by: Lara

Good morning,

I have a 5 and half year-old babyboy diagnosed with pdd and a 2 year-old babygirl suffering from asthma. They are both taking vitamin D. I would like to associate natural progesterone cream with that. I did read this association has a lot benefits. Could you please tell me if I can use it on both kids? Thank you in advance.
Jan 14, 2013
 Progesterone for children
by: Wray

Hi Lara It is safe to use on children this young, after all they were bathed in it while a foetus. It's given to neonates for respiratory problems, see here, here, here, here, here, here and here. Vitamin D is essential, so I'm pleased you're giving it to them. It should be 1000iu for every 25lbs or 12kg. A lack of vitamin D reduces the benefits of progesterone, see here, here, here, here and here. Both Progesterone and Vitamin D are invaluable for behavioural disorders and asthma, see here, here, here and here. Continued below
Jan 14, 2013
 Progesterone for children Part 2
by: Wray

Hi Lara And here and here. We have more info on How to use progesterone cream for children on this page. Take care Wray
Jan 17, 2013
 Progesterone for children
by: Lara

Thanks for your reply, Wray...You gave me some useful, interesting information.
I would like to ask you something else if you do not mind: I have a natural progesterone cream at home; its concetration is 1G (1000 mg).
Do you think it is fine or is its concentration too high?
As for Vitamin D, I keep on administering it to my babyboy, in association with mangnesium. Sadly though, I have had to stop my 2 year-old babygirl's treatment as she has had two strong asthma attacks. I associate that with taking Vitamine D (I am saying this because I have verified it). It looks like Vitamine D has made her hypersensitive to allergic reactions.
Do you have some info concerning this matter?

Very many thanks again for your kind availability and the information you provide us all with.
Lara
Jan 23, 2013
 Progesterone for children
by: Wray

Hi Lara I take it the container has 1000mg progesterone? If it's the standard 60g of cream, then it's a low concentration. i.e. 1 millilitre of cream would give you 16.6mg progesterone, the Natpro contains 2000mg per container, giving 33.3mg per millilitre of cream. The amount to use is dependant on the concentration of the cream. The less progesterone it contains, the more cream is needed to affect a change. Please read those papers I gave you on vitamin D and asthma, as it's a lack of it which causes it. It also helps for other allergies too, see here, here, here, here and here. Take care Wray
Mar 04, 2013
 6 year old boy - anxiety
by: Nicole

Hi Wray,

I have a 6 year old son who seems to have some anxiety issues (separation, social, performance) - enough that I am seeking to help him feel better. He had some speech, visual and gross motor delays as a baby, all have resolved, but he has this lingering anxiety though he does well in school and has lots of nice friends.

I put him on a vitamin D supplement or 1000iu per day. Do you think progesterone cream would help the anxiety? What dose would you recommend? Would we need to continue it indefinitely or could we stop after a certain period of time? Do you recommend blood work to check levels?

Thank you,
Nicole
Mar 05, 2013
 6 year old boy - anxiety
by: Wray

Hi Nicole Progesterone could possibly help him, as it does help Anxiety. But it seems to me he's lacking tyrosine. This can cause some of the symptoms you describe. Although a non-essential amino acid, tyrosine is one of the most important. It's the precursor to the neurotransmitter dopamine, and the stress hormones adrenaline and noradrenaline. It's also the precursor to the two thyroid hormones T3 (triiodothyronine) and T4 (thyroxine), plus melanin, the pigment found in hair and skin. It's part of the enkephalin peptide involved in regulating and reducing pain, and increasing pleasure. Lack of protein and stress lower tyrosine levels, with a subsequent reduction in dopamine. This is essential for motivation and vitality, levels rise when rewarded, resulting in feelings of pleasure. Tyrosine is essential for any stressful situation, cold, fatigue, emotional trauma, prolonged work, sleep deprivation, it improves memory, cognition and physical performance. Stress depletes dopamine, leading to depression and a rise in cortisol and prolactin, tyrosine reverses this. The rate limiting step in dopamine synthesis is the enzyme tyrosine hydroxylase. Insufficient levels of vitamin D inhibit tyrosine hydroxylase, resulting in a disturbance in the dopamine pathway. So I'm pleased you have given him vitamin D, but he needs a higher dose, see here and here. Dr Cannell recommends the following doses.......

Under 25 pounds: 1,000 IU/day
25-50 pounds: 2,000 IU/day
50-75 pounds: 3,000 IU/day
75-100 pounds: 4,000 IU/day
over 100 pounds: 5,000 IU/day

There's no need for a blood test for progesterone, besides the doctor would look at you as if you're nuts! I suggest trying the tyrosine first, start at 100mg/day and work up, too much causes the same symptoms you're trying to get rid of. Then if you feel he could do with progesterone, start him on 10mg/day. Let me know if the tyrosine helps. Take care Wray
Mar 05, 2013
 6 year old boy - anxiety
by: Nicole

Thank you, Wray. That is very interesting. I'll look into a tyrosine supplement and let you know how things go.

Nicole
Apr 05, 2015
 7 year old with anxiety.
by: Ace momma

2 years later and my 7 year old is suffering from panic attacks. Did the tyrosine help your son?
Dec 12, 2015
 Can Progesterone Cream cure Tics?
by: Alice

My 8-year-old son has motor and oral tics, one doctor suggests me to give him progesterone cream, but I wonder if there is any successful cases for using progesterone cream to cure tics. Could anyone share their stories here? Thank you.
Dec 15, 2015
 Perhaps
by: davidgmills

My dog had seizures like clockwork for 9 years. I started putting progesterone on her head and figured after about two or three weeks, this is probably a waste of money, so I quit. About four months later I realized she hadn't had any seizures since I put the progesterone on her head. She has been seizure free now for about 3 years.

So if the tics are neurological, perhaps they might help.
Jul 02, 2022
 ASD and ADHD
by: Anonymous

Hi my 8 year old has been diagnosed with ADHD and ASD. I feel there’s a strong link between his behaviour challenges and inflammation. Can progesterone help? He’s on 5,000 IU of Vit D. If it could help what is a good Dosis?

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