Menu

Progesterone, Candida, and Hormones

by C
(Canada)

Hi Wray. I wrote to you before about my vulvodynia and Natpro.

After extensive research and backtracking to when my pain started, I realized it was after going off birth control and MANY rounds of antibiotics. (think 5+)

I have known I have systemic candida for quite a while.

Since going on the Natpro, my hormone imbalance and is much better. I find my intense depression is almost non existant at 300 mg/day.

Some VVS experts/doctors say that birth control pills trick the body into thinking it's getting enough estrogen and testosterone, so the body stops making these hormones. When the woman goes off The Pill, the body isn't making the estrogen and testosterone that the vulva area desperately needs. Topical hormone treatment seems to really help and can even the cure V if this is the root cause.

Would taking Natpro help the body make its own hormones again and allow the estrogen and testosterone to go to the vulva, or would you still need topical hormone application to that area?

I hope that makes sense.

I'm slowly but surely making all of the connections between hormones and yeast and there are plenty.

Have a great day!

Comments for Progesterone, Candida, and Hormones

Click here to add your own comments

Feb 23, 2013
 Progesterone, Candida, and Hormones
by: Wray

Hi C I'm delighted to hear you're feeling better. Contraceptives do slow down the reproductive cycle. But more importunity they stop ovulation and so the production of progesterone stops. This to my mind is a far more important aspect. Once off the pill the ovaries start up again very quickly producing testosterone and oestrogen. It can be many months before ovulation begins, and progesterone is made. This causes many women to feel far worse off the pill than when on it. I don't agree about the vulva 'desperately' needing the two hormones. For one thing oestrogen is an inflammatory hormone, it increases free radicals, see here. It increases candida growth, see here. Plus increasing glycogen content of the vagina. Fungi love glycogen, in fact all sugars, see here. So I question their advice. To my mind it's once again ignoring progesterone, as if oestrogen and testosterone were the only hormones we need! I would advise using the progesterone in the vagina, best at night, it tends to leak out if used in the morning. Plus take probiotics, these help if applied in the vagina too. Caprylic acid is very affective against them, it's best taken as an oil, usually called MCT oil. It can be applied topically too, it's what we use for the Natpro. I use it for cooking, salad dressing, smoothies, mayo, and in my bath! VVS (Vulvodynia and Vulvar Vestibulitis Syndrome) is usually found in premenopausal women or women on oestrogen replacement therapy. It's associated with a number of symptoms, one is peripheral neuropathy. Progesterone is known to regenerate nerves, see here. Another is Candida, progesterone reverses the inflammatory oestrogen response. Mast cells are also implicated, progesterone has an inhibitory affect, see here. Continued below
Feb 23, 2013
 Progesterone, Candida, and Hormones Part 2
by: Wray

Hi C Whereas oestrogen stimulates mast cell secretions, see here. Significantly higher levels of TNF-alpha are found in women with VVS, progesterone inhibits TNF-alpha, see here and here. In the USA 61% of chronic pain patients are women, starting at menarche and decreasing at menopause. In some cases symptoms of VVS increase at mid-cycle and at menses, when the oestrogen to progesterone ratio is high. Interestingly complaints of vulval pain are becoming more common. Could this be due to the increasingly prevalent low vitamin D levels most of us have? This is a potent anti-inflammatory. How are your levels, have you had a test recently? Please have one if not. And are you taking it? Take care Wray
Feb 24, 2013
 Responding to your comments...
by: Anonymous

Yes, I have been supplementing Vitamin D as I have seasonal depression in the winter and living in Canada, vitamin D from the sun isn't absorbed in the winter.

Natpro and AOR B12 supplement did wonders for my depression and energy.

I have not taken any birth control in almost 5 years and plan to avoid it for the rest of my life!

I tried several different oral probiotics and none of them helped and the vaginal ones burned me. I also tried boric acid suppositories which burned me and caused me an insane amount of pain.

I'm sorry if my wording/explanation of the hormones was confusing. It's explained in a book called Why Sex Hurts and they talk about topical compounded estrogen and testosterone cream to the vulva coupled with physiotherapy. The doctors have seen success with this protocol.

VVS is not just pre-menopausal or menopausal women. There are tons of young women in their teens and early 20's suffering with this (myself included). It's sad... Most women are suffering because their body is very acidic and filled with candida/yeast. Doctors are so quick to load people up on antibiotics and send them home.

Anyway, thanks for your response and all that you put into this website.
Feb 25, 2013
 Responding to your comments
by: Wray

Hi C I'm pleased you're taking vitamin D, do you know your level? Specialists are saying 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. Canada is seriously short of sun and therefore vitamin D as you say, see here, here, here, here and here. So pleased the progesterone helped the depression and energy. It obviously hasn't helped the VVS? Have you tried applying it in your vagina? The boric acid must have been hell! And no you didn't confuse me with the wording, I'm still not convinced due the papers I gave you. But I have confused you, so sorry! I said "VVS is usually found in premenopausal women", by the word 'pre-menopausal' I meant before menopause, i.e. all women from puberty to menopause. I also said "VVS increases at mid-cycle and at menses, when the oestrogen to progesterone ratio is high." Have you noticed this at all? Sometimes it's difficult when you have a persistent problem, there doesn't seem to be an end or beginning. I can't imagine what it must be like, that constant burning pain. Please try the progesterone in your vagina, it is an anti-inflammatory, and if that doesn't help, then try the combo protocol. Vitamin D is another anti-inflammatory. Try adding the contents of a capsule to some skin cream and applying that in your vagina too. Do let me know how you get on, and thanks for the kind words. Take care Wray
Feb 25, 2013
 Vitamin D blood test
by: Anonymous

I haven't had my blood tested because my doctor would just tell me it's in the normal range. I have been going to a naturopath and taking 5,000 IU of D3 a day. I recently ran out so I will take 10,000 IU/day to bring my levels back up.

I asked my GP to test my hormones and read her what it says to test in When Sex Hurts. She told me everything was fine but before I had the results I knew by my symptoms that I was estrogen dominant. I asked for a copy of the bloodwork and calculated my progesterone, and of course it was very low.

It's amazing to me that doctors don't consider symptoms and go by a number range in a lab instead. She offered to put me on birth control and I refused.

In regards to Natpro helping the VVS, I'd say it's neutral. Natpro has helped me overcome my Estrogen Dominance/hormonal imbalance and suicidal depression, both of which I have had since age 16. I also find I have more energy when I'm using the cream. I always remind myself that stress depletes progesterone so even if I'm using "a lot", it might not be enough.

My doctors have labelled my case as severe so it's going to be a long journey back to health.

Eating a 100% alkaline diet is what helps me the most, but I find it difficult to stick with.

Yes, myself and others have noticed the pain is worse two days or so before menstruation. It must be because of estrogen levels rising.

I will try putting some Natpro in my vagina at night. I wondered once whether it could go inside but never tried it. The only thing that doesn't seem to irritate that area is coconut oil. Even straight Vitamin E oil did not feel good.

Anyway, I'll let you know how it goes! :)
Mar 01, 2013
 Vitamin D blood test
by: Wray

Hi C It does irritate me when we're brushed off with 'everything's fine'! Tests don't tell us or the doctor how we're feeling, and that's the all important thing. Birmingham Hospital send out test kits for vitamin D, you put a drop of blood on the enclosed sheet, then send it back. They send the results by email. They charge £30 for this, about CA$ 46.50. I feel it's worth doing this, as I"m sure if you get your level up very high, near the 100ng/ml mark, or 250nmol/L it will help. I'm relieved you refused the Contraceptives as they have the potential to harm, plus dropping progesterone levels, not what you need. Thanks for telling me your symptoms worsen before menstruation, this does show it's oestrogen exacerbating it, if not causing it. This is the time when most women find their symptoms worsen, whatever it is they suffer from. So please increase the progesterone substantially a few days before it gets worse. Please tell me if it helps you. Progesterone drops during those few days, it's called progesterone 'withdrawal'. Oestrogen also drops but not to the same extent. The cream can be applied anywhere, in the vagina, rectum where it helps piles, in the nose, plenty of blood vessels there to take it up, in the ears too. The only place I haven't used it is in my eyes! Coconut oil is so excellent, it comprises 9 different fractions. One of which is caprylic acid, up to 9%, which is anti-fungal. The main fraction is lauric acid, up to 50%, this is highly anti-fungal. So please keep using it. Caprylic acid goes directly to the liver, then enters the blood stream, so can destroy systemic candida. The cells can use it in place of carbs, without giving a sugar shock or being deposited as fat. 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...