Can I use natural progesterone cream while trying to get pregnant?
Hi Catherine,
I think I have PMS. After my ovulation I have water retention and carbohydrates cravings. I am thinking of using natural progesterone cream. But me and my husband are trying to have a baby.
I am 30 years old now and do not want to postpone any further. This will be our first baby. Can I still use the cream when we are trying to get pregnant?
Please help,
Vanitha
Dear Vanitha,
Most women realise excellent results when using progesterone to treat PMS (detailed article available in our member’s area) and carbohydrates cravings. This is possible because progesterone opposes these symptoms of estrogen dominance.
Supplementing with natural-to-the-body progesterone, combined with vitamin and mineral supplements, moderate exercise, and attention to diet and stress levels can help restore hormone balance.
Is it safe to use bioidentical progesterone before and during pregnancy?
Often the introduction of progesterone back into the body can ‘crank up’ the ovaries, particularly where there has been a considerable shortfall of this hormone in the body. Fertility may follow. If, however, your follicles are depleted, progesterone cannot restore fertility. Appropriate tests can establish your state of fertility.
During pregnancy, rising progesterone levels prevent the premature shedding of the uterine lining (pro-gestation). If progesterone levels drop due to inadequate progesterone production, then a premature delivery could result, or bring about a miscarriage in the early trimesters.
Progesterone therapy is recommended for women who have infertility (or habitual miscarriages) secondary to a problem called luteal phase deficiency. Luteal phase deficiency is a result of inadequate production of progesterone by the ovaries during the second half of the menstrual cycle. The ovaries continue to make progesterone during the first 8-10 weeks of pregnancy (since the last menstrual period).
If there is insufficient progesterone during early pregnancy, the embryo may not survive. After this 8-10 week interval, the placenta becomes a major source of progesterone and the ovarian hormones are no longer needed.
According to one study in New England Journal of Medicine dated June 16, 2003, giving pregnant women the hormone progesterone can reduce their risk of premature delivery by one-third.
Dr. Katharina Dalton, one of the many scientists and doctors who have discovered that progesterone in the natural form protects the fetus from miscarriage, concluded after years and years of research that preeclampsia (also called toxemia, characterized by high blood pressure, swelling ? particularly of the hands and face ? and protein in the urine) could show up in the middle months, and that when given progesterone, the results were excellent and statistically significant.
Dr Dalton concluded that natural progesterone cream is not only safe for use during pregnancy, but is is also recommended.
It is interesting to note the consistency of the research, as in Dr. Peat’s study, indication that “pregnancy toxemia and tendency to miscarry or deliver prematurely are often corrected by progesterone.”
IMPORTANT: If you have been using progesterone in order to get pregnant and you are successful, DO NOT suddenly withdraw the progesterone cream. A sudden drop in progesterone levels may trigger a miscarriage. Regular dosage can be maintained and gradually increased to 80mg right through until the last trimester. Women with a history of ‘high risk’ pregnancies are encouraged to continue progesterone supplementation up until delivery. However, Dr Lee warns that should you decide to stop applying progesterone, make sure you wean off your dose ever so gradually.
