Menu

Do I stop progresterone for my cycle to start?

by Sheila
(Washington State, USA)

I am new to taking progesterone at this time. I did begin taking it with my 2nd pregnancy as we had a miscairrage prior, likely to low progesterone that wasn't checked in time. ANYWAY, I am 43 and in a stressfull relationship (special needs/mentally compromised child) so I am constantly having bouts of stress.

After a period of not feeling like myself, I put on some progesterone cream and immediately felt like I could breathe again, clearer in my mind. I had an inner glow, etc. That was 40mg. Very soon I stopped taking it as soon as my cycle started (I spotted a few days beforehand). I tried to wait the 14 days to begin taking it again as most over the counter creams suggest (it was before I found Natpro) but it was like torcher! I didn't think my family would last and I knew things would be better if I took the cream earlier. I began taking it again on day 9 of my cycle and same thing, I felt immediate improvement.

After finding progesteronetherapy.com (and sharing it with a few others) I have upped my dose to 100mg/day. 40 in the morning and 60 in the evening. I am in my week 3 of my cycle and experiencing depression, ultra senitivity (my poor family), and even a bit of "why am I even here?". This is a very uncomfortable thing to write, but I share it bc these feelings don't match my amazing life.

I am considering upping my dose and increasing vit d. I am also considering looking at my copper/zinc balance and wondering if copper is related to an overall agression I feel at times. I can tell my blood sugar is very sensitive right now as well and if I at all ignore my hunger response (bc I am distracted by 4 lovely children) that I have a huge flash of anger.

ANYWAY, I am 7 days away from when my next period starts and I really need to know if I should stop taking it again on day 1 of my cycle?

I'd love to hear your thoughts Wray? Either way, I am so grateful for this little haven you have created for women to work this out! Our families' are forever grateful as well.

Comments for Do I stop progresterone for my cycle to start?

Click here to add your own comments

Feb 09, 2021
 Do I stop progresterone for my cycle to start?
by: Joy

Hi Sheila

Many thanks for your kind words. Sadly Wray passed away a number of years ago, she is missed terribly.

Progesterone, when used correctly, has helped so many women. It is such a pity that you were not using it during your pregnancy as it does help to prevent Miscarriages. I am pleased that you increased the amount of progesterone, the 40mg which is commonly advised by many is incorrect. Usually between 100-200mg is needed. Often more is needed, it all depends on symptoms. Every woman needs to experiment to see what works for them best. As mentioned many times on this website, it can take anything from 2-6 months for the body to adjust to progesterone therapy, sometimes it takes longer. One must expect adverse symptoms to get worse and new ones appear when first using progesterone, time and patience are needed.

Stress destroys so much, including progesterone levels and nutrients. More needs to be used during stressful times. You are also in Peri-Menopause which can be such a difficult time for most women. Progesterone should be used every day with no breaks at all. Actually there are many women who benefit from using progesterone every day whether they or dealing with menopause are not. If your cycle is regular with no adverse symptoms, then use progesterone during your luteal phase which starts from ovulation until bleeding. It is always, in all women, 12-14 days long. All this is explained on the How to use Progesterone Cream page. I suggest that you use progesterone every day going forward. However, that is entirely up to you to decide. Do bear in mind that it will disrupt things, you need to give it time. Please make sure to read the Estrogen Dominance page.
Dec 29, 2021
 Progesterone, Periods and Ovulation
by: Nicole

Hello! I have recently started using the high dose of progesterone (about 100 mg) about two weeks ago and have felt SO much better on it! ( i did have a couple days of worse symptoms but then felt like it worked through that) and, every time that i forget to take a dose, the bad symptoms start returning. i have a couple questions though.
1. if i continue taking the 100 mg every day will it keep my period from starting? or do i need to stop it in order to have my period?
2. on that note, my husband and i are trying to conceive, if i take the 100 mg every day will it prevent ovulation? i have read the Pregnancy page and the other info pages and still am confused on if that is OK or not. i dont want to stop taking it since i feel so much better when i am; however, i also dont want to unknowingly be preventing myself from being able to get pregnant!!
3. at the 100mg dose, there are still a few bad symptoms (not nearly what i was experiencing) but i still feel like there is some water retention, if it is safe to take while trying to get pregnant, should i also try upping the dose to see if the lingering symptoms resolve?
Thank you so much for all your help!! i seriously feel like my life has changed for the better being able to read all of the information you have and implementing it!!
Dec 29, 2021
 Progesterone, Periods and Ovulation
by: Joy

Hi Nicole

The use of 100mg progesterone per day is not a high dose at all. It is the minimum that is recommended, based on a 3.33% cream like Natpro. Many women use 800mg per day and those suffering from severe PND use as much as 2400mg per day. That would be via injection though.

I am most surprised that you felt better after 2 weeks, it usually takes between 2-6 months before positive results are achieved. Progesterone should be used no less than twice a day, half the amount in the morning and the other half at night. Forgetting a dose will cause progesterone levels to drop allowing estrogen to become dominant again. In your cause progesterone is not yet dominant.

If 100mg (3.33%) cream is working for you then continue to use it. If you are wanting to conceive then the cream should only be used from ovulation (Luteal Phase) for the last 14 days of the cycle. Please read the How to use Progesterone Cream page for more information on this, link already given on this thread. I am pleased that you have read the pregnancy page as all the information is there. The aim of progesterone therapy is to regulate your period and to make progesterone dominant. It will not prevent ovulation, in fact it will help. When much higher doses are used then that could prevent pregnancy, but not on 100mg per day or 200mg per day. Unfortunately you will have to use the cream by following your cycle if you are TTC, you will have difficulty if you use it every day.

You have only been using progesterone for such a short time. I suggest that you continue to use it as you have been doing for another month or two. This will allow progesterone to become dominant and regulate your hormones and cycle. You may find that your cycle will become erratic, please ignore this and continue to use every day until your cycle returns to normal. Once it does, use progesterone by following your cycle.

Water retention is a classic estrogen dominance system, again link is on this thread. Should it persist, I suggest increasing to 200mg and see how things settle down, then you can slowly reduce back down to 100mg

Please make sure that your Vitamin D3 is optimal. Do you know what your level is? It is vital for you and your unborn child, in fact research suggests that if a mother is deficient while pregnant the chances of autism is great. Vitamin D3 is vital for every single functioning cell in our bodies. A deficiency also reduces the benefits of progesterone.

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...