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Extra Info
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Frequently Asked Questions
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Q: What is progesterone?
A: Progesterone is a steroid hormone made by the corpus luteum of the ovary at ovulation, and in smaller amounts by the adrenal glands. In a female with a normal cylce, the corpus luteum produces 20 to 30 mg of progesterone daily during the luteal phase (the later half) of the menstrual cycle.
Q: Why is progesterone necessary in women?
A: Progesterone is needed by menopausal women for a variety of reasons, but one of the most important reasons is to balance the effects of estrogen. Estrogen that is not balanced by progesterone creates a risk for many diseases.
Q: What is wrong with using synthetic progestin as most doctors prescribe?
A. Natural Progesterone Cream is not a synthetic hormone. It is natural to the body and has no known side effects when used as directed so it is preferable to the synthetic progestins. The progestins are known to cause many undesirable side effects.
Q: What is "Estrogen Dominance"?
A: Dr. John R. Lee has coined the term “estrogen dominance,” to describe what happens when balance of estrogen to progesterone is changed by excess estrogen or inadequate progesterone. This is how Dr. Lee describes it: "Estrogen is a potent and potentially dangerous hormone when not balanced by adequate progesterone. Both women who have suffered from PMS and women who have suffered from menopausal symptoms, will recognize the major symptoms of estrogen dominance: weight gain, bloating, mood swings, irritability, tender breasts, headaches, fatigue, depression, and other symptoms."
Q: Why would women who are premenopausal or perimenopausal need progesterone cream?
A: In the years before menopause, many women regularly have cycles when they don't ovulate. They make enough estrogen have periods, but they don’t make any progesterone. Using progesterone cream may help prevent undesirable symptoms during this time of mid-life changes.
Q: What is progesterone made from?
A: Natural progesterone is mostly produced from wild Mexican yam plants and soybeans. It comes from the plant sterols. It matches the chemical composition of our body’s own progesterone. It is a balancing cream. Wild Mexican yam and the soybean plant are the most common source today. It is converted from diosgenin (oils and fats derived from the Mexican yam and soy plants) into USP (United States Pharmacopeia) grade progesterone.
Q: Where should I put the progesterone cream?
A: Progesterone is best absorbed when applied to the palms of the hands or bottom of the feet or thinner, softer skin such as the chest, neck, face, breasts, and inner arms. Best results occur when you periodically rotate the placement of the cream to avoid saturation.
Q: What amount of progesterone is recommended in a cream?
A: Creams that contain 450-500 mg of progesterone per ounce are recommended by Dr. Lee. This means that about ¼ teaspoon daily would provide about 20 mg/day.
Women should start at the lowest dose and increase the amount slightly if they are still having symptoms.
Q: Where can I get more information?
A: For a detailed explanation of women’s hormone balance issues, a hormone balance program, as well as detailed descriptions of how to use natural progesterone, the following books by John R. Lee, M.D. are recommended:
What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Menopause: The Breakthrough Book on Natural Progesterone, (Warner Books, 1996)
What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Premenopause: Balance Your Hormones and Life from Thirty to Fifty (Warner Books, 1999)
For more information visit Dr. John Lee MD online.
Another informative book is by Ann Louise Gittleman -
Before the Change - Taking Charge of Your Perimenopause (Harper Collins, 1998)
Important Note:
Dr. John R. Lee specifically asks all progesterone cream manufacturers and suppliers to include the following on web sites: “John R. Lee, M.D. does not endorse any one brand of progesterone cream, nor does he make money from the sale of any progesterone cream. Using Dr. Lee’s name does not imply in any way that Dr. Lee endorses or recommends this progesterone product or any other product.”
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