Does natural progesterone have any effect on PCOS?

Hi Catherine,

I have been using natural progesterone cream for a little over 2 months or roughly 3-4 cycles. I started the cream due to unpleasant symptoms I started noticing with my body this past July: facial hair growth, skin changes - acne and scalp hair thinning at my part, ‘bloating’, also body odor and my urine had a strong odor, very lethargic and overall not feeling ‘right’. Bloodwork showed an elevation in free testosterone with my doctor saying would be indicative of annovulatory periods and to go on birth control - which I refuse (been there done that). Another specialist ruled out PCOS; so I am again at a loss to where this is coming from.

I have had alot of stress in the past few years - and am thinking adrenal? Anyway, l have some beneficial effects with the cream, but the acne and the facial hair has not subsided. I have lost the ‘bloated’ weight (12lbs). Does progesterone have any effect on the symptoms that I outlined? I have been taking 20mg pumped doses 2x a day. I follow the regimen for still menstruating women. I am 34 years old. I have also just started supplementing with Saw Palmetto to try and inhibit the DHT that testosterone converts to in the skin. Any opinion or input you have is greatly appreciated.

Thank you,
Susan

Dear Susan,

The cluster of symptoms you describe here suggest you might possibly be suffering from an excess of male sex hormones (testosterone and androstenedione).

According to research, there is no single test for PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome), and diagnosis is dependent upon the knowledge and skills of your doctor.

PCOS is often called “the hidden epidemic” because so many women don’t know they have it. In fact, PCOS is the most common endocrine disorder, affecting approximately 6% of premenopausal women. And the hormone imbalance that causes PCOS can affect all of a woman’s health.

Common signs and symptoms of PCOS include the following:

• Irregular or absent periods
• Lack of ovulation
• Weight gain
• Hirsutism (excessive hair growth)
• Insulin resistance
• Acne
• Male-pattern balding
• Multiple small ovarian cysts - these may be seen by an ultrasound examination
• Darkening of the skin at the nape of the neck and under the arms and
• breasts

Not all of these symptoms need to be present to diagnose PCOS.

Many of the symptoms of PCOS are often considered unrelated because women are likely to complain to their doctor about one symptom at a time, and the treatment is usually given for that particular symptom. This might explain why you are getting conflicting medical advice.

By definition, PCOS 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 sometime obesity. Some women may also have varying degrees of insulin resistance(increased incidence of Type II diabetes), low bone density, and high triglycerides.

Untreated, PCOS may lead to heart disease, high blood pressure or diabetes.

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 fail to ‘pop’ and subsequently progesterone is not made by the ovary. The menstrual cycle is then dominated by estrogen and androgens minus the production of progesterone.

Obviously, that affects fertility and regular menstrual cycles. But it can cause other problems as well: The lining of the uterus can become thickened, and the risk of endometrial cancer may increase.

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 thus enhancing hormone balance.

Saw palmetto is widely used for the treatment of enlarged prostate glands in men. It is thought that prostate glands become enlarged primarily because of a metabolite of testosterone, called dihydrotestosterone, or DHT. Women with PCOS also tend to have higher levels of testosterone and DHT than other women. Therefore, what works for men may work for women.

There have been many studies of men with testosterone disorders that demonstrate the effectiveness and safety of saw palmetto. There aren?t yet any studies of hirsute PCOS women. However, naturopathic physicians using these herbs for PCOS are seeing consistently favorable results.

Saw palmetto may help with the following PCOS symptoms:

• Hirsutism (too much hair in the wrong places)
• Male pattern baldness or hair loss.

If you are in the early stages of PCOS where symptoms are not severe, you could experiment with a starting dose of 40mg progesterone per day from Day 12-26, reducing as your body responds favourably, and working towards a minimum dose (20mg/day) where you are asymptomatic. For younger women with PCOS and no periods, it’s important that they continue a regime of 12-26 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 60mg/day of progesterone cream from Day 12-26 of cycle (adjust accordingly) for at least the first 7 months, assuming there is a regular cycle present. In the initial few months, however, a good many women increase their dose to 80mg~100mg/day of progesterone cream from Day 8-26 to address extreme progesterone deficiency and subsequent pain. Ideally, after your body has settled down somewhat, you would try to wean back to a lesser dose and extend breaks to fall into line with a day 12-26 usage cycle.

It’s important that you have regular ultrasounds to assess the condition of your ovaries, and as an indicator of treatment progression.

Theoretically, high doses of progesterone PRIOR TO ovulation (Day 8-26) can potentially create a psuedo-pregnancy state that would suppress ovulation. A surge of progesterone in the body prior to ovulation would ‘trick’ the biofeedback mechanism between the hypothalamus, the pituitary gland, and the ovaries that ovulation has already occurred (inhibiting LH levels) and would allow you to ‘rest’ your ovaries. Dr Katharina Dalton maintains 100mg (10%) progesterone applied from day 8 until menstruation should be adequate for contraception, increasing dosage if you have a history of PMS. But until more conclusive evidence is available, our website advises women NOT to rely on progesterone supplementation as a form of contraception.

Bottom Line: Natural progesterone is proving to be a major player in the successful treatment of PCOS.

Progesterone & Polycystic Ovaries

PCOS affects an estimated 5-10% of women of reproductive age. It is one of the leading causes of female infertility. Women with PCOS are at a higher risk for a number of illnesses, including high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer of the uterus (endometrial cancer). This self-help user guide explains some of the signs & tests for polycystic ovaries, how to use progesterone to prevent future complications, and then steps you through cream dosage & usage techniques.

This is an Electronic item to be downloaded, not an actual physical product. There aren’t any shipping or handling charges.

Cost: $9.95