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How long can progesterone be used

Hello,

Hope all is well. I am a 22 year old and have sleep apnea, hashimotos, and I think estrogen dominance as well...

I recently had some blood tests done and my prolactin was high at 67 ug/l and my estradiol levels are 863 pmol/l and my progesterone levels are 30 nmol/l ...

I've looked everywhere for an estrogen/progesterone calculator and can't find one anywhere I'm not sure what the ratios are supposed to be.

I've read stories of people, how for the first 3 months of using natural progesterone cream they felt great but then after that they felt awful! And I'm really scared to try the cream because now I'm having terrible anxiety and my periods are so so light and they only last 1-2 days now and they used to last 5-6 :(

I've been having terrible mood swings, pms, terrible cramps (like how I used to when I was 12) and I want to try progesterone cream but I'm not sure when to stop or if I should ever stop...if there is such a thing as progesterone dominance?

Everywhere I've read people are using 40mg per day 20 in the morning and 20 in the evening...I would really appreciate if I could get some advice ...I'm so tired of feeling this way.. :(

Every night I wake up shaking and my hands and feet are so cold! I don't know what to do anymore, my doctor has completely given up and I just can't stop crying :,(

Please if you could give me any advice I would really appreciate it...

Thank you so much for your time and help.

Comments for How long can progesterone be used

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May 12, 2017
 How long can progesterone be used
by: Joy

To answer your question, indefinitely. Progesterone therapy is a life long commitment, the moment you stop using it, then all symptoms return.

Usually 2-6 months is needed before the body adjusts. It must be used every day during this time with no breaks at all or until you feel stable and your cycle has returned to normal. A longer period of time may be needed if your symptoms are severe. If progesterone is not used correctly it will not work. The reason why some women feel great for 3 months, then things start to fall apart is:

* progesterone has not yet become the dominant hormone
* progesterone not being used correctly
* not using enough progesterone cream
* not using a cream with the correct progesterone concentration
* a vitamin D3 deficiency

The incorrect and common amount being suggested by some of between 20-40mg progesterone is incorrect, it is not enough. This will only make your Estrogen Dominance worse and is just enough to aggravate your estrogen receptors. Between 100-200mg per day is needed, more if symptoms are severe. Once symptoms clear, this amount can be reduced slowly to no less than 100mg per day and then use by following your cycle. The How to use Progesterone Cream page will help you with this.

High prolactin suppresses the ovulatory cycle, which causes progesterone levels to drop. If progesterone is high enough it suppresses prolactin. Stress contributes to high prolactin levels. The neurotransmitter dopamine suppresses prolactin production.

Your progesterone:estrogen(E2) ratio is 35:1, it should be around 600:1, you must be feeling rather terrible right now. You can compare the remainder of your tests on the Hormone Testing page mentioned below.

At 22 you shouldn't be experiencing these problems, clearly your hormones are not balanced. Are you taking any thyroid meds, or iodine? You could also be deficient in selenium or the amino acid tyrosine, have you had these levels tested? Cold hands and feet usually mean thyroid problems, but please read our Anxiety page as well. I feel that you could do with taking some of those calming aminos mentioned on the page. Sounds to me like you could be suffering from Endometriosis if you are experiencing terrible cramps, have you been tested for this too?

What is your Vitamin D3 level? A deficiency reduces the benefits of progesterone and is connected to every single functioning cell in our bodies making it vital.

I hope that you feel better soon.

Please read the following pages and the references:

https://www.progesteronetherapy.com/estrogen-dominance.html#axzz3fNOYF0aj" target="_blank">Estrogen Dominance

How to use Progesterone Cream

Hormone Testing

Prolactin

Menstrual Cycle

Endometriosis

Anxiety

Vitamin D3

Magnesium
May 13, 2017
 Not to worry
by: JW

Hi there,

I've been a member of this site for a while and I am an avid researcher on the subject.

I too have had hormone troubles like you and went through a few different recommendations with progesterone cream.

I first started the low dose (20mg per day) as recommended on many sites. On this site, however it is not. User experience as well as my own shows that supplementing with too little progesterone makes estrogen even stronger and exacerbates symptoms.

The minimum dose that should be used in my opinion is 120mg per day. Any less may cause estrogen to rise. Please read the abundance of articles and comments by Wray on this site.

I have found 120mg (60mg twice per day) to be a happy place. It does not prevent periods or ovulation, therefore the cycle is supported well, not suppressed, and symptoms of PMS and estrogen dominance should subside greatly.

Please give it a try - but do not use any less than 120mg.

If you are very estrogen dominant (you mention endo) or overweight, I would start with 200mg per day and when symptoms have lessened, reduce by 10mg per week until you reach 120mg.

I hope this starts you in the right direction and please feel free to ask any questions here.

All my best,
JW
May 15, 2017
 Confused
by: Rnaxand

Hello! Thank you both so much for answering!!! This is the best thing that's happened to me in a really long time!

I also forgot to mention that I have low cortisol all throughout the day(confirmed with saliva test) and I've been taking ACE from Thorne since last September and it's helped a tiny bit but not enough and yes I am taking thyroid hormones..I take 1 capsule of thyro gold and cytomel throughout the day, 10mg.

I used to take iodine before (felt amazing for a few months until I crashed) until my adrenals crashed and I no longer could and had to switch to ndt I have read everywhere that I should only use progesterone 14 days on and 14 off so I'm a little scared to try it without breaks...are there any side effects to that? What if my progesterone levels become too high??

No I have not been tested for endometriosis, last September I was still on levothyroxine and all my hormones were balanced and "normal" but after I switched from synthroid to thyro gold, and I recently had my hormones checked again on the 21st day of my cycle, they're now showing completely different results!

Last September I had a pelvic ultrasound for PCOS because it runs in my family and fibroids also run in my family and my periods were becoming so light back then and now they're just 1-2 days!, but last September my pelvic ultrasound came back normal and there were no cysts, but the nurse didn't seem so sure because she kept asking me if I drank enough water and I drank 2 water bottles 500ml each but maybe my bladder wasn't full enough? I'm not sure...and how do I test for endometriosis??

I take vitamin D every day because 5 years ago I had a severe deficiency.

Thank you so much! I realllllyyyy appreciate it!
May 15, 2017
 Thanks for answering!! Xxx
by: Rnaxand

Thank you as well for answering!! I reallly really appreciate it! My doctor won't even listen to anything I say anymore!

It's so nice to hear from others who have experienced what I'm going through ... and okay i am really scared but I will try 100 mg first to see how I feel & try to increase it!

Do you also think that I should take it all through my cycle with no breaks?? Because everywhere else is saying to do on and off?

Yes I am overweight but I don't know if I have endometriosis or not, I'm not sure how that's diagnosed but my doctor literally thinks it's in my head now and she told me that all of my blood tests are normal :(

Thanks a lot for answering again!
May 16, 2017
 Feeling awful :(
by: Rnaxand

Hello,

This is the second day I've been taking 100mg of progesterone cream and I feel awful!

I'm not sure if it's working or not :,( I'm really scared right now...
May 24, 2017
 Feeling awful :(
by: Joy

Hi Rnaxand

It takes 2-6 months before the body adjusts to progesterone therapy, some women even need longer. Two days will never produce anything, it takes time and patience. You may even need to use more than 100mg per day, every day, this is something that you will have to experiment with.

Your estrogen receptors are being aggravated by the progesterone which is a common thing. Please read the pages mentioned above ..... How to use Progesterone Cream and Estrogen Dominance. If progesterone is not used correctly, it will not work.

If your vitamin D3 level is low, it will reduce the benefits of progesterone as mentioned on the page.

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