Menu

Young Woman -- initial reaction to Natpro

I am 21 years old and have suffered from severe pain, depression, anxiety, acne, hot flashes and dizziness (possibly endometriosis) since I started my period as a teenager. I began Natpro about 3 1/2 weeks ago and have decided to take about 200 mg daily for 3 months because my symptoms have been so bad. I know that they say that progesterone can initially cause estrogen dominant symptoms and perhaps this is what I am experiencing but I am worried that it is doing more harm for me than good. The first week that I took the cream I was so sick, it was like I had the stomach flu (vomiting and all). I have been in pain pretty much constantly since I began the cream. I have been achy and my whole body feels very sore.

Has anyone had a similar experience? Does it get better?

Comments for Young Woman -- initial reaction to Natpro

Click here to add your own comments

May 18, 2013
 progesterone and endo?
by: Anonymous

Hi there,

I am having similar experiences. I also have endometriosis, and the progesterone seems to be making problems worse.
May 22, 2013
 Young Woman -- initial reaction to Natpro
by: Wray

Hi there Unfortunately with the symptoms you have you'll need to use very much more. For instance if you do have Endometriosis I've found if pain is also present 500mg/day is needed. Is the pain period cramps or generalised pain over your body? From your symptoms I would also say your vitamin D level is very low, please have a test done. Your magnesium is probably too low too, both low vitamin D and magnesium cause pain. High oestrogen does too, and you certainly have that, it's an inflammatory hormone. Low Progesterone and Vitamin D can lead to depression and Anxiety. There is a list of nutrients on this page which you might consider taking too. Progesterone alone is going to have an uphill battle. We do have a page on Acne you could look through, and one on Hot Flushes too. And you could look through our page on How to use progesterone cream. A lack of magnesium causes substance P to rise, see here and here. Substance P is a neuropeptide causing pain and nausea. Oestrogen stimulates substance P, see here. Substance P inhibits progesterone, see here, but if enough is used, progesterone suppresses substance P, see here. "Accumulating evidence indicates that the neuropeptide substance P is predominantly involved in neurogenic inflammation and pain perception...... Intriguingly, decreased pain sensitivity is found to be associated with high plasma progesterone levels. We hypothesize that progesterone may attenuate nociception and associated inflammatory response." Continued below
May 22, 2013
 Young Woman -- initial reaction to Natpro Part 2
by: Wray

Hi there Please consider taking 800mg/day magnesium, and at least 5000iu vitamin D, but this is dependant on your levels. 5000iu is only a maintenance dose, it will not raise levels quickly, it's most important to have a test done to find what yours are, and adjust the dose accordingly. A lack of vitamin D reduces the benefits of progesterone, in fact it's almost pointless using it if your vitamin D levels are too low, see here, here and here. For more info on vitamin D levels, test kits etc see the following websites, Vitamin D Council, GrassrootsHealth and Birmingham Hospital. Blood levels should be 70-100ng/ml or 175-250nmol/L, and not the 30ng/ml or 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. Please keep in touch. Take care Wray
May 22, 2013
 response to Wray
by: Anonymous

Hi Wray! Thanks for your comment. I have been tested for Vit D and do not seem to have a deficiency however I still take the 5000 iu daily but maybe I will try increasing it to 10000 iu. The pain I experience is like a period cramp but it's constant (doesn't matter what time of my cycle). I have also been experiencing aches all over my body but I wouldn't describe that as pain. The bloating and pain does not seem to be as bad now as when I first began using the cream however I will try the magnesium and taking 500 mg of the cream per day and see how that goes.
May 22, 2013
 reply #2
by: Anonymous

One more question, is it vit D or vit D3 I should be taking?
May 29, 2013
 response to Wray
by: Wray

Hi there Do you know what your vitamin D level is? The FDA has set the 'adequate' level as 30ng/ml which labs and doctors follow. Specialists are now saying it should be 50ng/ml, the less conservative at 70-100ng/ml, please check if you have the results with you. It's vitamin D3 you should be taking, I tend to leave off the 3 when writing. Vitamin D2 is ineffective, some studies suggest it could be harmful. Let me know how you get on. Take care Wray
Jun 07, 2013
 Spotting
by: Anonymous

Hi again! I have followed your advice and upped my dosage of vit D, vit E and am taking 500mg of natpro per day. This has really seemed to help and I have had minimal pain over the last few weeks. One concern that I now have is I got my period on day 18 of my cycle it lasted for a week and then a week later the bleeding started again. Could this be another estrogen dominance symptom?
Thank you for all your help.
Jun 08, 2013
 Spotting
by: Wray

Hi there I'm delighted the higher amount has helped. It could very well throw your cycle off increasing it that high. But it should settle down again. I'm not sure if you're taking the NAC I mention on the endo page? It is a powerful antioxidant, please consider taking at least 2000mg/day, and at least 2000mg/day taurine, 1000mg/day bioflavonoids, and the vitamin D you are already taking. There's more info about the above nutrients on our Menstruation page. They all help with bleeding. Your uterus is inflamed and weakened, these nutrients do help strengthen it. Let me know how you get on. Take care Wray
Aug 04, 2013
 Starting to Follow Cycle Again
by: Anonymous

Hi Wray,

I did exactly as you said and have been taking the bioflavanoids, taurine and NAC on top of everything else. It has helped my symptoms drastically!

I have now been on the cream daily for just over three months and the only concern that I have is that I have either been having a full period every 14-18 days or have had spotting. I think it may be time for me to begin following my cycle again. What do you think?

If I were to start following my cycle would I stop the cream when I next begin my period and start it again only on the 14th day for 14 days? My period has been so irregular that I don't know exactly when ovulation is for me. Would I continue to take 500mg for the last half of my cycle?

Thank you for all your help.
Aug 05, 2013
 Starting to Follow Cycle Again
by: Wray

Hi there I'm so delighted to hear this! But slightly puzzled why you are having two periods a month, it should have settled by now. But then we are all so different, it's impossible to tell how one will react. I think it might be a good idea to try following your cycle again. And yes to your suggestion of 14 days off and 14 on. With an irregular cycle it's best to start off on the average of 28 days, and see how it goes. It should settle back into your own cycle. Normal cycles vary between 21 days to 35 days, so making 28 days the average only. If the 500mg/day has been helping you, I would be reluctant for you to drop down from this too soon. Alternatively you could slowly reduce it over say two months, and then follow your cycle. But first see how you get on with the 500mg and using it for the last half of your cycle. If you don't get Oestrogen Dominance when you stop, it should be fine, but please watch for this. Do let me know how you get on. Take care Wray
Aug 09, 2013
 Estrogen Dominant Symptoms
by: Anonymous

Hi there,

I have been off of the cream now for 5 days and the estrogen dominant symptoms are back in full swing. I am super moody and crying for no reason. I am bloated and have pain again. Should I still stay off the cream until day 14 and then go back on it for 14 days like we said before? I was feeling so much better and now I feel like I'm back to square one.

Thank you so much for your help

Malakai
Aug 11, 2013
 Estrogen Dominant Symptoms
by: Wray

Hi Malakai Oh dear, I was concerned this would happen. Endo is such a difficult problem, and evidently you haven't reduced the oxidative stress enough with the progesterone and supplements. I really don't want you to suffer more pain by staying off the progesterone until day 14, so would suggest you go back to the protocol you were on. Please have a vitamin D test done, I know you're taking a good dose, but I've found any Inflammation in the body 'uses' it up very quickly so levels don't rise. I'm not sure how much of the supplements you're taking, but possibly you could increase the doses of those too. I feel you will need to spend at least another three months using the progesterone daily. Plus the high dose nutrients too. The last thing you need is to go back to square one after succeeding in getting to where you are now. I'm beginning to realise endo is a tough nut to crack, and that a great deal of time is needed to overcome it. I would ask you to consider going on a Ketogenic Diet. And get hold of "Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It" by Gary Taubes, see here. It's an excellent book which explains the role carbohydrates and insulin play in our body. And how damaging both are when in excess. Excess glucose causes oxidative stress, which leads to inflammation. In fact there's nothing more damaging to our bodies than excess glucose. All carbohydrates convert to glucose, some fast, some slowly, but in the end it's all about glucose. The Keto Diet reduces glucose levels to the barest minimum, and the body uses ketones for energy. It's a very high fat, moderate to low protein and very low carb diet. Only the good fats should be used, i.e. MCT oil, coconut oil, butter, olive oil or macadamia oil. The first three are saturated fats, the other two mono-unsaturated fats. The best is the MCT oil, an extract from coconut oil. The body converts the fatty acid into ketones, in fact the brain does better on these than glucose. MCT oil forms ketones more efficiently than the other oils. The diet varies from a 4:1 ratio of fat to protein/carb down to a 1:1 ratio which is the easier to follow. It's also essential to eat enough protein. This is based on 0.9g to 1.0g of protein per kg per day of lean muscle mass. Contrary to what is generally believed a lack of protein leads to bone loss. Although this is specifically about the Keto Diet and cancer, see here, it's such a good article explaining the damage glucose can do. Let me know how you get on. 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...