Can natural progesterone help with endometrial hyperplasia?
Dear Catherine,
I am 42 years old and since the last 4-5 years, I have been diagnosed with endometial hyperplasia, which is now quite severe. The endometrial lining is very thick and I have an enlarged uterus as a result. It is possible that I also have adenomyosis (am waiting for an MRI scan to confirm this). My consultant feels that I need to have another D&C to scrape the lining and to also check for any possible malignancy (so far tests have been clear). The last time I had a D&C was nearly 2 years ago, and I subsequently had a lot of bleeding and pelvic pain for 2 months post operation, so I’m reluctant to try this again.
He has also suggested that I take Provera for 3 months prior to the operation to see if the hyperplasia responds to it and decreases in thickness. I have had very irregular periods for the past couple of years. I recently was given Noresthesterone by my GP for a couple of weeks. Once I came off it, I had a very heavy and painful period. My oestrogen levels are very high. I have had a history of infertility, with a number of operations to remove uterine adhesions (after a miscarraige and D&C) , IVF’s, IUI’s with no success.
The reason I am writing to you is that I would like to know if you know of any women with endometrial hyperplasia who have had success with using natural progesterone. I am keen to try the natural approach, but I don’t get any approval from doctors in the UK, since it is not available freely here (although I have found one GP who prescribes it). They claim that no clinical trials have been conducted to prove its efficacy here.
Many thanks for any assistance,
Jyoti
Dear Jyoti,
My heart goes out to you …
I was in much the same place about ten years ago after my GP prescribed estrogen implants and Provera tablets. I was 35 years old. Ended up with a growing list of health concerns, hyperplasia being one of them, and was hospitalised for a D&C. I subsequently stopped all synthetic HRT and began a course of bio-identical progesterone applied transdermally (via the skin) and have never looked back. Now, thankfully, my periods are light and very regular; pap smears unremarkable.
Without question, progesterone supplementation restored my health and wellbeing, and it’s proving to be the missing link for many, many women world-wide.
Clinical trials have been conducted to prove progesterone’s efficacy. Some months back Dr John Lee received a call from Dr. Helene Leonetti telling him that her study comparing PremPro with Premarin and progesterone cream was complete, was soon to be published in a major peer-reviewed medical journal, and that it is to receive third prize at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Annual Clinical Meeting this spring. Dr. Leonetti’s study effectively proves that progesterone cream protects the uterine lining (the endometrium) as well as synthetic progestins do.
Most of us know that in conventional medicine, women who have a uterus are always supposed to be given a progestin along with estrogen to protect us from uterine cancer. In spite of the many negative side effects of the progestins, many doctors have hesitated to prescribe progesterone cream instead, for fear it would not protect the endometrium. In Dr. Leonetti?s study, uterine tissue was examined before, during, and after using either PremPro (Premarin plus Provera) or a combination of Premarin and progesterone cream. The group using progesterone cream was found to be as well protected as the PremPro group. This should put to rest any concerns that physicians may have about using progesterone cream for hormone replacement.
Contact details:
Dr. Helene B. Leonetti
Bethlehem Gyn Associates
190 Brodhead Road
Bethlehem, PA 18017
Tel: 610-882-3100
Specialty: Perimenopause, Menopause
Dr Helen Leonetti is the author of a wonderful book called ‘Menopause: A Spiritual Renaissance‘.
I personally would always recommend, if possible, you can get under the care of a sympathetic healthcare professional who has some idea of what he/she is doing. No woman should self-medicate if she can help it. But if you are forced to do so then my ebook ‘A Woman’s Guide to Using Natural Progesterone‘ was written especially for you, and will go a long way to helping you understand this remarkable hormone.
As mentioned in a response to a previous letter, progesterone is classified an S4 drug in the UK, available only on prescription. Aussie women suffer the same woes … getting a script from a doctor who has no idea what bio-identical progesterone is!
Good luck and take good care of yourself!
