Hello ladies, I don't know if you are familiar with the Women's Advisory Network but they are a groupe of Australian women who have devoted their lives to the study of natural progesterone cream on different female problems incuding PCOS. They have an e-book which I bought and loved and in it there is a very interesting section on progesterone therapy for PCOS. These women continue the work of Dr. John Lee but I believe their information is probably even better because they are women. No matter how intelligent a male doctor is or how many degrees he has in female hormones, he's still a man and nothing beats a woman's personal experience. Instead of having to buy the ebook, I've decided to post here the section on PCOS. At the end, I've also included different recommended supplements by the Women's Advisory Network and other sources if you have insulin resistance or would like to prevent it. Here goes...
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) also called Stein-Leventhal Syndrome, refers to multiple small cysts on the ovaries (polycystic ovaries) and a host of other problems that go along with them including lack of ovulation, menstrual abnormalities, excessive facial hair, male pattern baldness, acne and sometimes, obesity. Some women may also have varying degrees of insulin resistance, low bone density and high triglycerides.
Symptoms include: - menstrual periods: abnormal, irregular or scanty - absence of period- usually but not always, after have one or more periods during puberty- then it stops - obesity- beginning tummy, hips, upper body - infertility - increased body hair growth, unusual growth and distribution of body hair - decreased breast size - aggravation of acne
How do I know if I have PCOS?
It is where there are multiple cysts ( more than 10 small follicles per ovary lined around the edge of the ovary), whereas in a normal ovary, they are distributed more evenly throughout the ovary. It is a condition of hormonal imbalance and it is characterized by excessive amounts of male hormones and irregular menstruation. Women are often predisposed to it, and it is strongly linked to inherited factors that may be triggered by stress and weight gain. Polycystic ovaries can be detected by an ultrasound of the pelvis, and blood results showing high levels of testosterone.
What causes PCOS and how is progesterone used in the treatment of this syndrome?
PCOS occurs when a woman fails to ovulate which results in a disruption in the normal cyclic interrelationship among her hormones, her brain and her ovaries. If ovulation is unsuccessful, and a lack of progesterone is detected by the hypothalamus, the ovary is stimulated to make more estrogen and androgens ( male hormones), which stimulates more follicles towards ovulation. PCOS occurs when these additional follicles are unable to produce a mature ovum or make progesterone. These eggs won't " pop " and progesterone isn't made. The menstrual cycle is then dominated by estrogen and androgen ( testosterone) minus the production of progesterone.
High levels of testosterone not only cause male-like features, but can cause an interference on the pancreas which interferes with insulin production. This in turn will interfere with blood glucose metabolism, accounting for the incidence of excess weight gain, particularly upper body weight, thereby creating a vicious cycle. Reducing weight helps control this problem and enhance hormone balancing. Progesterone also assists in modulation and balancing.
There are suggested links between exposure to environmental polluants that mimic estrogen and the developing baby's tissue. Laboratory experiements, wildlife studies and the human DES experience link hormone disruption with a variety of male and female reproductive problems that appear to be on the rise in the general human population - problems ranging from endometriosis, testicular cancer, infertility, and in there somewhere is PCOS.
It is argued that if a female embryo's ovarian follicles are compromised through exposure to these chemicals, this damage will not be apparent until after puberty.
Other factors that can contribute to PCOS:
- stress: high cortisol levels, long term - lack of exercise, overweight - poor nutrition, too much sugar - Birth control pills : shuts down normal ovary function - prescription drugs - that may impair the functioning of the limbic brain
We have seen many young women with PCOS and there seems to be a correlation with a history of substance abuse and/or high exposure to environmental toxins. This disease is, in a majority of cases reported to our website, appears to be triggered in these younger girls by high levels of stress, shock, family distress ( parents divorcing) and/or scholastic pressures. Women with PCOS make up a large portion of the cases reported and we're very pleased to report natural progesterone appears to be proving to be a major player in the successful treatment of PCOS. The reason behind this solution - if your body isn't producing enough progesterone, then progesterone supplementation is going to help maintain the normal synchronal pattern each month.
What are the signs and tests that will confirm I have PCOS?
- urine 17-ketosteroids may be elevated - relatively high estrogen levels - negative serum HCG - pregnancy test
This syndrome may also alter the results of the following tests:
- estriol - urine - estriol - serum
What is the guidelines dosage?
Early stages of PCOS where symptoms are not severe, recommended starting dose would be 32 mg from day 12 to 26, reducing as your body responds favourably and working towards a minimum dose where you are asymptomatic. For younger women with PCOS and no periods, it is important that they continue a regime of 12 to 26 days to mimic what the body would be trying to do naturally. This ensures balance.
In the more advanced PCOS cases observed, the average dose most women seem to be asymptomatic at is around 54 mg of progesterone cream daily from day 12 to 26 of your cycle ( adjust accordingly) for atleast the first 7 months if there is a regular cycle. In the initial few months, however, alot of women take 64 mg of progesterone cream from day 5 to 26 to address extreme progesterone deficiency, and often to address pain ( can be due to the presence of endometriosis). Ideally, after your body has settled down, you would try to wean back to a lesser dose or to extend breaks to fall into line with a day 12 to 26 cycle.
It's important that you have regular ultrasounds to assess the condition of your ovaries, and an indicator of treatment progession.
Note, if you are using a regime day 5 to 26 in the first 4 to 7 months until symptoms settle, please be aware you are using a program suggested to enhance fertility. One pregnancy has occured where a lady stopped using cream for a couple of months because she thought she no longer needed it, had unprotected sex assuming her PCOS condition had lessened her chances of fertility, and fell pregnant. This lady is not on physiological doses (32mg) from day 12 to 26 and no longer has PCOS symptoms.
How do I know when to reduce my dose?
The way you can tell if you're on the winning side of progesterone therapy and may reduce your dosage is by the fact that you haven't continued to gain weight, your lower abdomen is no longer swollen or tender, your sugar cravings are under control, your facial and body hair has reduced significantly and your periods have regulated. If your symptoms appear to be getting worst, you need to check out your testosterone levels, glucose intolerance, and ultrasound results, all of which may indicate that progesterone therapy is not enough or your need to increase your dose. Do this only under your doctor's supervision.
Addressing weight problems is very important in the treatment of this disorder. Reducing weight is imperative to a favourable outcome with or without progesterone therapy. Continued weight gain leads to continued storage of upper body fat, which in turn generates higher levels of male hormones and further hormone disruption and insulin resistance results. This cycle becomes vicious and the disease worsens.
What may I expect to experience while using progesterone if I have PCOS?
Women have reported, several months into progesterone therapy episodes of ovary popping which can result in severe pain. Patterns occur around 4 to 7 months and can for some be a very frightening experience especially when they do not understand what is happening in their body after months of stability and a sense of well-being. This period of discomfort generally lasts for a couple of days. It may bring on unusual bleeding and it may even be very unusual in color , reported by some women as being watery and pale ( serum-like) These episodes of ovary activity may set off fortnightly periods for a while, until the body resettles again. It is important that you do not mistake this bleed as your true period thus breaking from cream as this could further disrupt your cycle. Just continue on your established cycle, and take your cyclic break when falls due.
Synchronisation will be reestablished despite this follicular disruption. We try and explain to women that, based on the many reports provided to our website, this is quite a common occurrence. But just to be on the safe side, and for your own peace of mind, see your doctor, ask him/her to order another ultrasound and/or hormone profile. We interpret these displays of activity as progesterone's positive action in the body.
We'd like to include here an account of one woman named Fiona who had severe PCOS and who had been trying to conceive for two years. She found that this episode of pain and popping heralded a renewed fertility and from this point on, became vigilant with her blood profiles to check FSH and progesterone levels. Within seven months, went on to conceive and is now the mother of a very healthy baby boy. Doctor's wanted Fiona to cease progesterone to provide an accurate FSH reading ( without the influence of progesterone) but Fiona, being well read, refused. Fiona went on to become pregnant the following month and had she stopped progesterone, perhaps this drop may have compromised her chances of fertility.
We bring this story to your attention that your may become aware of the need for contraception if you have been lead to believe you are infertile ( avoid synthetic hormones as it will undo all the good work). We hope it sheds a ray of light and hope to women attempting to conceive and may be disillusioned at this point in time.
Please not, until you achieve physiological doses ( up to 4% for some women) on a 12 to 26 day program that is 14 days on cream mimicking nature, please take extra precaution with contraception as ovulation is very unpredictable. A pattern usually immerges and after 7 months, women wean back, if on high doses, working towards a more natural cycle.
Worthwhile supplements for insulin resistance or to prevent from getting it:
The three most important anti-Syndrome X ( IR) minerals are chromium, zinc and magnesium. All three play critical roles in maintaining proper insulin function; deficiencies of these minerals disturb normal insulin function and increase the risk of Syndrome X and Type II Diabetes. Supplementation however can prevent or even reverse these conditions. Chromium is so effective at reversing insulin resistance in patients for example that one study in 1997 found that 1000 mcg of chromium picolinate corrected Type II Diabetes ( Diabetes, 1997, vol: 6)
Note: Chromium picolinate has been later on shown to possibly be unsafe for long-term use. A newer form of chromium called polynicotinate ( niacin-bound) is not only 100% safe but it's even more effective than chromium picolinate. The trademark for chromium polynicotinate is " ChromeMate ". Just do a search on Google.com and you'll find many companies sell ChromeMate.
Antioxidants such as alpha lipoic acid, natural vitamin E and vitamin C are nutrients that scavenge cell-damaging free radicals which are more prevalent in people with Syndrome X. They also help normalize blood sugar and insulin function or improve insulin sensitivity.
Note: A newer version of alpha lipoic acid called " R+ Alpha Lipoic Acid" is now on the market and according to reasearch, it's up to 27 times more effective than regular alpha lipoic acid. R+ Lipoic Acid is the 100% pure version of this supplement. Regular Lipoic acid is 50% synthetic and 50% natural thus much less effective. The trademark name " Glucorell R " www.glucorell.com is R+ Lipoic Acid combined with Biotin. Taken before carb meals, it does not block carbs but it increases the amounts of glucose your cells can take in so when you eat carbs, they are disposed of properly and keep your insulin levels low. You take one cap for every 30 to 40 grams of carbs you eat.
Alpha Lipoic acid is also a wonderful liver protector/detoxifier so if you take it, you don't need extra liver herbs.
Two multivitamins that are worthwhile in my opinion are Added Protection III without copper or iron ( do not take extra copper unless you take large amounts of zinc...copper increases estrogen dominance). Added Protection III is a very well balanced multivitamin/mineral from the company Douglas Labs/AMNI. It's the one I use. Another very good multi is Life Extension Mix without copper by Life Extension Foundation www.lef.org but it's much more expensive
There are many good natural progesterone creams on the market but two stand out for effectiveness and practical use. The first one is called ProgestaCare by the company Life-Flo www.life-flo.com It's very high quality and contains an easy to use pump which dispenses exactly 20 mg of progesterone per pump push so you don't have to guess how much progesterone to use. The other one is called " Menopausal Solutions" by Emerita www.emerita.com It's not only for menopausal women because it only contains natural progesterone cream. What's nice about it is that it comes in easy to use packet form which also gives you 20 mg per packet.
Last but not least, I buy all my supplements from The Vitamin Shoppe www.vitaminshoppe.com because they have the best prices. You can get a 3 ounce bottle of ProgestaCare for 10$ less than on the Life-Flo website.
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Thank You
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etc.
That's all the languages in which I know how to say Thank You!
Emmanuelle, you rock. I don't care WHAT your therapist says! heheheheeh (just kidding)
Seriously, you are ALL RIGHT, girl.
Maybe I love your posts because they are so informative, thoughtful, and intelligent. Maybe I love your posts because they always seem to validate and clarify EVERYTHING that I have been reading and learning about, but one thing is clear: I love your posts.
I am singularly grateful for your involvement on this board. Thank you so much.
This may be a dumb question, but if you haven't had your period in a long time, how do you know what day of your cycle you're on? According to the guidelines, you're only supposed to use the progesterone cream on days 5 - 26 of your cycle, but I have no idea how to determine when that is.
__________________ Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I am not sure about the former.
-Albert Einstein
>>>>This may be a dumb question, but if you haven't had your period in a long time, how do you know what day of your cycle you're on?
Hi! I have heard that if you have no cycle, it's advisable to get started with the cycle of the moon. I'm not sure just how, though. Maybe someone else does?
I would suggest two additions from my own experience, though. I think many pcosers are deficient in b6, zinc, and manganese, as well, and that can cause a host of problems. You mentioned zinc, but I would suggest taking a little extra b6 and manganese as well...
Dasos, if you have mild PCOS and don't have a period, then you can start using progesterone right away...you use it for 14 days and then you stop for another 14...eventually when you start getting a period, you continue this cycle. If you have more severe PCOS then you do the same thing but with a 5 to 26 day cycle until you are asymptomatic...once your body has settled, then you do the 12-26 cycle.
Bonnieboo, I completely agree with you that we all should take extra B6 and manganese and all the other minerals and vitamins which is why I mentioned the multivitamin Added Protection III and the Life Extension Mix. I mentioned specifically zinc, chromium and magnesium because they are anti-IR minerals...but everyone in my opinion should take them with a balanced multivitamin/mineral. I also forgot to add that vitamin B3 ( niacin) is also very good for insulin resistance as well as fish oil and GLA. There is some research that high doses of fish oil can depress the immune system so use high doses with caution. GLA ( gamma linolenic acid) found in primrose oil, black currant seed oil and borage oil, is very effective for IR but only in combination with alpha lipoic acid.
I was wondering is it okay to use prometrium instead of the cream?And if I do get PG is it safe to use ?Does this medication help bring on AF?
Many questions ..sorry!TIA
Nisee
__________________ Me 29 DH 31
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Prometrium to my knowledge is prescription natural progesterone in a pill...although since it is classified as a drug, I doubt it is 100% natural. Even though Prometrium is better than the other synthetic progestagens that doctors prescribe like Provera for example, there are still many more side effects associated with it than natural progesterone cream. One of the reasons is because, since progesterone is much better absorbed through the skin, if you take it orally, you have to take 10 times more progesterone. So for 20 mg of natural progesterone cream, I believe you have to take 200 mg of Prometrium. This is because the liver breaks down a huge part of progesterone. The problem with this is that it puts a burden on the liver and will cause more side effects. Natural progesterone cream is the best...second best would be Prometrium.
So is it safe to take if pregnant?And does it bring on AF?I am trying to find out if it is the prometriem that brought my AF on? I was hoping it was the Glucophage?
TIA
Nisee
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Nisee, I took prometrium while ttc. Yes, that is probably what brought on AF because that is what it is used for. I only had to take it for one month to kick off AF. AFter taking the prometrium, I took clomid which made my o on my own. Oing then made me have regular AF. Prometrium is made out of mare's urine. Here is a web site where you can read all about it. http://health.yahoo.com//health/drugs/202758/overview
Emmanuelle, AF is Aunt FLO or better know as your period. You might want to read the sticky on the abbreviations used on this site.
What about the gels? Pharmacies do use compounded progesterones in a gel form as well. Has anyone ever used these to induce a cycle? I need to know if I should try to convince my doctor to give me this instead of Provera (which he has already prescribed). I probably have Provera at home from the last time the prescribed it. From what I remember, I didn't like it and I didn't take the full 14 days.
I would love to take the cream or a natural alternative, but I need to know what will induce shedding.
__________________ DX- 9/15/2003
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Great information. I've been considering trying progesterone cream. I get af on my own, but it lasts 8 to 12 days and is light due to lack of ovulation. Maybe this will help me get a more normal af.
Thanks again!
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DD 7 (IVF)
TTC #2 for forever!
Dx PCOS in 1997
Dx Tubal Problems 2007
RE suggesting IVF only chance (again)
Progesterone Therapy For PCOS Information 
Wow! 
