Can progesterone help my daughter who has very bad PMS each month?
Dear Catherine,
I’m looking for progesterone for my daughter. She has very bad PMS each month, and I’ve read that progesterone can help her if she takes it a week before her periods begin. She is miserable and so much is lost to her during this very emotional week. I have also heard that the cream taken through the skin isn’t the best way to receive progesterone for PMS. That a vaginal application would work better. I have progesterone drops for myself that I take under my tongue. Would this be OK for her PMS? There are so many products, and it’s very confusing to me. Also, I don’t want her to use something that is not appropriate for her.
Thank you
Joan
Dear Joan,
I have two teenage daughters myself so I understand exactly what you and your daughter are going through. Some of us don’t recognise our daughter in the week leading up to her period ! 
Now from my viewpoint, this isn’t or shouldn’t be considered ‘normal’. Hormone imbalance is possibly at play here.
The main clue in diagnosing Pre Menstrual Syndrome (PMS), sometimes referred to as Pre Menstrual Tension (PMS) is not so much the nature, but the cyclic timing of these symptoms that tend to appear around Day 12-14 right through to the start of your period.
Some women can display PMS symptoms unabated, even after their period has come and gone, though a majority will find relief after menstruation commences.
Typical PMS symptoms can include some or all of the following:
- irritability
- migraine / headaches
- loss of libido
- fatigue
- mood swings
- bloating / fluid retention
- depression
- backache
- lumpy and/or sore breasts
- weight gain
Many women displaying symptoms of PMS are displaying symptoms of estrogen dominance brought about by a lack of progesterone production. Emotional mood swings and irregular bleeding are commonly associated with anovulatory cycles (where no ovulation takes place). If no ovulation occurs during that month, PMS symptoms are usually more severe as there is no progesterone to oppose the estrogen build up. The treatment approach to PMS is to address estrogen dominance before it sets in.
PMS responds very favorably to progesterone replacement, and is perhaps one of the easiest conditions to treat in our experience. Women find that within three months their life is usually back on track and remain symptom free.
In theory and in practice, the best way to treat PMS using bioidentical progesterone is to build up your progesterone levels commencing from Day 12 (if your have a 28 day cycle) or Day 14 (if your have a 30/32 day cycle), increasing gradually prior to your period.
Starting with approximately 40mg/day from Day 10~12, gradually increase to larger doses up to 80mg~100mg/day (10%) toward the end of your cycle if necessary. This gradual increase of progesterone levels peaking at around Day 26 will usually control the onset PMS (and cyclic migraines). Rub onto your temples, neck, and back at hourly intervals to dislodge the headache or onset of anxiety or mood swings. You will probably find that one or two doses will be enough.
Some women find it necessary to commence progesterone earlier than Day 12 purely to overcome the build-up of tension and associated symptoms. As stated above, in severe PMS cases, up to 80mg~100mg/day progesterone (10%) are well tolerated in initial stages. However, long term you would aim for a maintenance dose of around 20~40mg/day, your barometer of course being symptoms relief in conjunction with periodic saliva profiles.
Be aware that chemically-altered hormones can shut down or reduce our production of natural hormones. Because the molecules have been changed, the synthetic hormones used in the Contraceptive Pill and HRT do not have the same effect on the mind and body as our natural hormones do. In fact, many of the effects of synthetic hormones are the exact opposite to the natural hormone they so ineptly replace.
