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Progesterone cream got rid of my perimenopause symptoms

by Julie
(Cleveland)

I used Progesterall for four months, my mood swings and night sweats completely disappeared and my extemely heavy periods became better but still on the heavy side.

I quit using the cream about 2 weeks ago because the hyperpigmentation on my face is getting much worse. I never had melasma while pregnant but I think the increase in hormones causes this in pregnancy. So I quit using the cream. It is too early to tell if stopping the cream was a good or bad idea. My skin is so bad now I cannot even cover it up with makeup. This is extremely depressing! Have you heard of anyone else with this problem from using a progesterone cream? Thanks.

Comments for Progesterone cream got rid of my perimenopause symptoms

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Jul 06, 2010
 Progesterone/hyperpigmentation?
by: Penny

I have just recently got hyperpigmentation on my fae (or possibly hypopigmentation eg vitiligo). My doctor explained to me that progesterone can convert to estrogen and that it is estrogen that causes the darker pigment. I have been using natural progesterone cream for years (10?). Occasionally I put it on my face and I was worried that might have caused it. Im looking at everything: vit D? copper in my multi? progest cream...
Jul 08, 2010
 Progesterone cream got rid of my perimenopause symptoms
by: Wray

Hi Julie Progesterone does have a stimulatory affect on oestrogen initially. It's unfortunate this occurs and it does so in many women. Symptoms can be so varied too, but melasma is one of them. Please see our web page on Oestrogen Dominance. The odd thing about progesterone therapy is some symptoms resolve quickly, others take much longer and new ones can appear, which also resolve. The reason you didn't have it in pregnancy was because you were making a great deal of progesterone then. We can make over 400ng/ml per day during the last trimester. The women who do get it while pregnant are not making sufficient. It seems a pity to stop the cream when it's helped you with other symptoms, please consider using it again, but putting it directly on your face. Incidentally it's excellent for the face, please see here. I would suggest you increase the amount you are using too, I generally recommend 100-200mg/day. Please bear in mind progesterone takes between 3-6 months to resolve symptoms. Melasma is also a sign your adrenals are stressed, have you had much stress lately? I have yet to find progesterone doesn't help, but the amount has to be reasonably high. Heavy bleeding needs a high amount too, up to 400mg/day. Take care Wray
Jul 08, 2010
 Progesterone/hyperpigmentation?
by: Wray

Hi Penny Your doctor is right, progesterone is the precursor to oestrogen. And it is oestrogen which causes the melasma. It would appear the amount of progesterone you are using is not sufficient, ie progesterone needs to become the dominant hormone for symptoms to resolve. If too low it will only stimulate oestrogen. Please consider increasing the amount you use, I suggest between 100-200/day as the optimum range. It is excellent for the face too, I use it there morning and night. Please see here Melasma is also a sign your adrenals are stressed too. Have you been stressed recently? If so it would explain the recent pigmentation, as progesterone levels drop sharply with stress. In which case I suggest you increase to 150-200mg/day. But before you do, please see our web page on Oestrogen Dominance Take care Wray
Nov 19, 2014
 Age Spots
by: Julie

Hi Wray
I too have been using natural progesterone cream (in fact NatPro) up to the last couple of months (my source has recently changed supplier as she couldn't get the NatPro).

My agespots on my face had also worsened and I too have thought about not using it. I have been using it on my face every other night but I have definitely got more over the last year.

Maybe I should increase the progesterone cream but not sure how much 100-200 is in terms of teaspoons as this is how I monitor how much I use. Can you let me know how much this is please? I've been using half a teaspoon morning and again at night.

Thank you
Julie
Nov 21, 2014
 Age Spots
by: Wray

Hi Julie When you say 'age spots' is this melasma? Or the brown freckle type spot often called liver spots? Melasma is one of the hardest things to get rid of, no one knows quite why it occurs. Excess oestrogen stimulates melanocytes, these make melanin, the pigmentation in all skin types, see here, here, here and here. Contraceptives can cause it, and it's often a sign of adrenal stress too. Progesterone can help resolve the problem, as it suppresses the excess oestrogen and it takes the strain off the adrenals. These make progesterone before they can convert it into cortisol, one of our stress hormones. Stress drops progesterone levels, thereby allowing oestrogen to dominate. There seems a possibility that Vitamin D might help, see this rather obscure paper here. It wouldn't surprise me if further work was carried out, to find it's caused by a deficiency of it, as it seems most of our problems are. Maybe you could have a test done to find your level. A lack of it reduces the benefits of progesterone anyway. I found this fascinating paper, on the ability of diosgenin to inhibit melanogenesis, see here. As you know diosgenin is one of the precursor plant sterols for progesterone. The age or liver spots are due to cross linking in collagen, caused by free radical damage. Certainly stop using the progesterone if you feel it's not helping you. There are 33.3mg progesterone in 1ml of cream, if you're using 5ml (1tsp), then you're getting ±170mg/day progesterone. We do have a chart at the bottom of our page on How to use Progesterone Cream. Take care Wray
Apr 13, 2015
 Pigmentation
by: Anonymous

Hi I am on Bioidentical HRT troches - 200 Progesterone and Bi-est 1.25 - today I saw my GP re my concen with rapidly increaseing hyperpigmentation and he was pretty certain it was the estrogen as I had no issues before. He has changed to 250 Prog and 20 Pregnalone - as I had this before with no issues. My question is - could it be he is wrong about it being from estrogen - could it in fact be the progesterone causing the pigmentation?

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