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Body Progesterone Production

by Andrea
(Canada)

Hi Wray,

I still haven't found the optimal dosage of Progesterone for me. After being euphoric the first two/three months when I started natpro and the quasi total disapeareance of my debilitating symptoms meanwhile this period, old symptoms like water retention, irregular periods, bloatiness, low libido,thinning of hair, depression and irritability came back. Fortunately much less than before.
So I am still struggling to find my dosage. t tried up to 1000, then 800, 500 and am now using 100-200 a day as it is the most suggested dosage on this site. As you mentioned, usually up to 200mg of progesterone id produced by the body in the final state of pregnancy. I read that the rest of the time and more so if not pregnant a womens body produces between 2 - 5 mg a day. So why is it recommended to take such larger doses? Would the natural quantity of 2-5 mg not be enough?
I develloped suddenly eczema, any idea if it is related to hormonal imblances? I read that often its due to low estrogen, so I am confused now, as I was sure I had estrogen dominance.

Thank you in advance for your answer.

Take care,
Andrea

Comments for Body Progesterone Production

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Jul 05, 2012
 Body Progesterone Production
by: Wray

Hi Andrea I'm sorry you're still struggling, particularly finding the high amounts didn't help you. They normally do. I can't remember what we've discussed in the past, but have you had your thyroid tested? This can often be the cause of imbalances. You are now using 100-200mg/day, it could be because of this that you are now having the same old symptoms again. I only suggest this amount, as no one would believe me if I suggested higher! I would like to do what Dr Dalton did and say start on 400mg/day. She in fact would often give 800mg, up to 2400mg for her patients with severe problems, see here. We make over 400ng/ml per day in Pregnancy. And during our monthly cycle after ovulation, we make between 5-20ng/ml per day, some women up to 40ng/ml per day. See our page on Hormone Testing. There's more info on our Progesterone Misconceptions and Menstruation pages. If the natural quantity of 20-40ng/ml per day was enough, I wouldn't need to do this site! And I wouldn't be using progesterone myself. Much of the problem lies with our polluted environment, if we had a clean planet, with organic food, clean air and water we wouldn't need progesterone, or other supplements. But we don't, there are now over 100 oestrogen mimics on the planet, with more being developed each year. See Our Stolen Future and Endocrine Disruptors. This, together with a lack of vitamin D, is causing many of us to have problems. Problems which we didn't have in the past when the planet was clean, and we worked outside much of the time. Now we spend 90% of our time indoors working or at home. As you'll see from the menstruation page, girls are now going into puberty about 5 years younger than they did. And increasingly getting reproductive problems like Endometriosis, Fibroids, PCOS and Infertility. Continued below.
Jul 05, 2012
 Body Progesterone Production Part 2
by: Wray

Hi Andrea Many women now have a defective luteal phase when they make insufficient progesterone, or they have anovulatory cycles when they make none at all. It's evident the progesterone helped you when you first started it, so the chances are the same problems occurring now are also due to excess oestrogen/low progesterone. I don't know if you tried calcium D-glucarate or DIM? Some people find these help. And please look on our Anxiety page, there are nutrients which can help with some of your symptoms. Oestrogen is an excitatory, inflammatory hormone and can cause dermatitis. If your symptoms occur only before you bleed, please try increasing the progesterone substantially the few days before you bleed, this can often help. Rather than using a large amount all the time. Take care Wray
Jul 13, 2012
 Individual dosage
by: Andrea

Dear Wray, once again thank you for your clear and propmte response. Actually I increased in the meantime to 300-400 mg/ day and my excema is almost immediately completely gone! Also my skin looks nice. Only my hair still does not like to stay with me.:( Yes, I had a thyroid test done, as I present most signs of hypothyroidsm. The results are ok, even though my T4 is borderline hypo. Yes I trid DIM and Calcium D Glucurate for quite a while, just want to give it a break for a few weeks now. After all, my symptoms have much improved, so I thought its time for me to decrease, also because I take quite high doses since 2 years now, without pausing during the cycle. But everytime I reduce, the symptoms reappear. Looking back, I realize that since puberty I have had estrogen issues: Swollen face, acne, hair changing, mood swings, weight gain.
I am having much heavier periods now than before, I understand that this is also due to estrogen dominance?
Thank you for reassuring me once again that it safe if I use 400mg a day.
Andrea
Jul 15, 2012
 Individual dosage
by: Wray

Hi Andrea I'm so delighted the eczema has almost gone. Have you tried the nutrients listed on our Hair Loss page? Many have found they help. I thought you'd tried the DIM and Ca D-glucarate, it is good to have a break. I wish this could be true for progesterone, it would save women a lot of money! But even after 15 years, I find I still benefit from it, I get very emotionally wobbly if I stop or don't use enough! It is so protective too for ageing and of course all the oestrogen mimics we now have to contend with. I don't buy any cosmetic skin creams so feel justified in spending my money on progesterone instead. You say every time you reduce the progesterone your symptoms come back, how fast are you reducing. I've found it should be no more than 1/2ml or 16mg progesterone, this lowered about should be used for a few days before reducing again. If you find the heavy periods difficult, please consider taking 2000mg/day NAC (N-acetyl cysteine). It inhibits the MMPs which cause the bleeding. There's more info about them on our Menstruation page. Take care Wray
Jul 16, 2012
 Hair loss
by: Andrea

Dear Wray,
I do not mind the havy and prolonged bleeding itself, its just that so far my periods were only light and short in time and this even though I suspect that I have some kind of estrogen dominance since puberty. Its only since I use natpro, that the bleeding is abondant. Shouldn't it be the other way?
So I am taking about 400mg/ day now and this seems to be "my" dosage.
As the cream worked so well for my skin, I started to apply the cream directly to my scalp and will report if it changes the hair loss.
Take care,
Andrea
Jul 17, 2012
 Hair loss
by: Wray

Hi Andrea It does seem paradoxical. It's probably because you've had excess oestrogen for so long, that it's taking far longer than normal to come right. What delights me is you've found an amount that suits you. It is high, but I'm sure in time you'll be able to reduce it, but please do this very slowly. And do let me know if applying the cream to your scalp helps you. Someone has just written in saying she has hair loss due to the Mirena IUD, it does cause it as it's androgenic. And she asked me about rubbing it on her scalp. I do have papers which studied the effect on men, but none on women, so it will be interesting to hear. Hair follicles do absorb it well too, see here. Take care Wray

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