NPC - has it helped regulate you and/or with PMS This was posted by Rebecca527 on page 5 of THIS THREAD. The whole thread contains great info, though, so click the link and read up on NPC. There is also a discussion of NPC in THIS THREAD. To bring on AF: Use 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon (just use a regular kitchen measuring spoon) once daily. The tube/jar/carton might say up to twice a day, but once daily works wonderfully for me. Use it for 14 days, or until AF shows, whichever comes first. If AF doesn't show up in 14 days, stop using the cream, and the withdrawal of progesterone should bring AF. If you get AF before the 14 days are up, Congrats! LOL I usually get AF after about 11-12 days of using the cream. If AF doesn't show up after about 7-10 days of using the cream, begin the 14 day regimen again.
After O, or to help sustain PG until another form of progesterone can be prescribed: I start using the cream again at 3DPO, after I have confirmed ovulation with OPK or sustained temp rise on a BBT chart. Use it until AF shows or pregnancy is confirmed. I personally would continue using it until I can get on some other form of progesterone support since low progesterone is a leading cause of miscarriage for some cysters. Usually doctors will keep us on progesterone support for the first 12 weeks (first trimester), when the placenta begins to take over production of progesterone. Most cysters that have low progesterone will need oral supplements or suppositories, but the cream gives you enough of a boost during the 2WW.
Where to apply: You can rub the cream anywhere that the skin is thin, so it's readily absorbed. I use neck, chest, inner arms, inner thighs, stomach, face, and you can also use the soles of your feet. Make sure to rub it in thoroughly, because it's kind of thick (at least mine is). I always use it after a shower when my skin is warm (the pores of the skin and capillaries just under the surface of the skin are more dialated from the heat of the shower and can absorb it quicker).
What brand: I use the brand from WalMart, it's "Rexall" brand and says "menopause formula progesterone cream" on the jar. Pretty cheap, about $12 per jar. The brand doesn't really matter, as long as the cream contains at least 500mg USP progesterone per ounce and is not derived from wild yam. My cream that I use has 480 mg per ounce, and it works wonderfully for me.
Good info I've found on the net:
~Buy only creams made with USP progesterone. Looking for the USP label is the first and most important standard you should look for in a progesterone cream. USP (United States Pharmacopeia) products and ingredients conform to the legal requirements of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Products or ingredients labeled USP also mean that they are produced in accordance with the principles outlined in the FDA’s Good Manufacturing Practices.
The USP label on progesterone cream also means that the cream contains a natural progesterone that the human body can assimilate. This is not the case with all "progesterone" creams - especially creams made from wild yam extract. Wild Yam cream IS NOT USP progesterone cream. This is an important point.
~Select a cream with 500 mg to 1000 mg of progesterone per ounce.
USP vs. Wild Yam Extract - BIG Difference!
Wild yam or wild yam extract that has not been processed in a lab is not progesterone, is ineffective and can create unwanted side effects. Even though wild yam contains diosgenin, the base molecule for
progesterone, there are no enzymes in the human body that will convert diosgenin into progesterone.
