I know that my hormones are out of balance, but adding natural progesterone even in small doses, is not the solution.

Hello Catherine,

I contacted you sometime around January. At that time, I was in panic because my breast was turning blue and tripled in size from swelling. At that time, I started using natural progesterone cream and I was applying 1/4 tsp a day, for about 2 weeks.

When I started my period, I did not get relief from cramps and swollen breasts, so I applied progesterone cream to my breasts, 1/4 tsp as it is recommended in books and articles…. One night, I woke up with stabbing-like pain in my breasts and sharp stabbing pain coming through my arm pits. The pain was very intense, even the slightest move was difficult, so I ended up calling Emergency medical services.

Following a mammogram and other tests for screening for cancer, I was given 2000 mg of Ibuprofen for inflammation of the breasts. It took about 2 weeks for the swelling to go down. I will never forget this experience.

After that time, I stopped using the progesterone cream. I visited a Naturopatic Doctor, and eventually she recommended that I try using Natural progesterone cream again, 1/4 tsp a day. I thought, this time a doctor is recommending it, so it must be okay!

It was in June when I tried using it again. I was measuring it very carefully. Within days, my breasts were swelling, became hard like a rock and woke up one night with shouting pain coming through my arm pits again. Pain coming through my arm pits, this I have never had in my entire life before ! This was strange, even though I am suffering from severe PMS for the last 20 years.

It is clear to me that using natural progesterone cream is not a done deal. I know from my own experience, this is why I am responding.

Every article praises natural progesterone, how safe it is, how beneficial it is. It is not that safe at all. I know that my hormones are out of balance, but adding natural progesterone even in small doses, is not the solution. People make it seem so simple! Just use natural progesterone, it’s good for you! But, I say, not so fast. You need to see a physician, who was trained about hormones and testing is done before you apply any hormones to your body. Hormones are not to play with, even if it is Natural Progesterone! It can make your life miserable too!

I just thought that I share my experience with you.

Regards,

Piroska

Dear Piroska,

You have every reason to feel ‘frightened’ by the experience you share with us above. However, I would like to fill in the gaps if I may, with a view to putting the issues you raise into perspective.

To have such a painful and unsettling experience two weeks into progesterone supplementation is not as rare as one might think. There are stages of natural progesterone?s action in the body (interpreted in my ebook ‘A Woman’s Guide to Using Natural Progesterone‘) that women need to be aware of.

For example, we call the first 10-12 days of progesterone supplementation Estrogen Dominance Wake-up Crisis. As a consequence of reintroducing progesterone back into the body and thereby sensitising and stimulating the estrogen receptor sites, some women can actually go through a roller coaster of symptoms that may be quite frightening and debilitating unless they understand the reasons why.

Some of the more common symptoms reported can be increased PMS, breakthrough bleeding (spotting) or the onset of a very heavy non-cyclic period, increased tenderness of the breast, headaches ranging from unrelenting dull headaches to severe migraines, uncontrollable hot flushes, fluid retention, anxiety, teariness, aggravation, irritability and aggression, panic attacks, increased joint and muscle pain, exacerbation of thrush, impetigo, acne, weight gain, lethargy, palpitations, heartburn, and so on.

These symptoms are intrinsically connected to the ‘waking up’ of high levels of estrogen in the body that have, up until now, down-regulated due to the absence of progesterone.

Estrogen and progesterone are a pigeon-pair, each requiring the other to stimulate or ‘prime’ its activity in the body. That’s why it’s so important to maintain the correct balance between all our endocrine hormones.

As a result of this severe wake-up where the symptoms of estrogen dominance are exaggerated, women may want to double their recommended dose for the first 6-8 weeks in conjunction with a supporting herbal formulation to over-ride this phase.

Swollen, lumpy, tender breasts generally correlated with estrogen dominance.

Piroska, you report on both occasions a pronounced change in your breasts within a few weeks of introducing progesterone cream. Not surprisingly, you report that you have suffered severe PMS for the last 20 years.

You may need to supplement evening primrose oil or borage oil during these early stages of progesterone therapy. These oils act as natural anti-inflammatories to help ease the more severe symptoms [you describe above] that tend to persist until progesterone has time to oppose estrogen in the body, usually over three menstrual cycles.

You may also try swapping brands, perhaps opting for a cream that is free from additional hormones, herbs and alcohols.

You make the statement, “You need to see a physician who was trained about hormones and testing is done before you apply any hormones to your body.” That’s the conundrum, is it not. Can women actually find a GP in their area (approved by their healthcare provider) who understands bioidentical HRT and incorporates regular salivary hormone profiles to more accurately and effectively treat hormone imbalance? If such a GP can be found, is he or she flat out juggling the case load of 2-3 doctors? And when a woman cannot afford to carry the financial burden of doctors’ fees and follow-up diagnostics, what then?

I was pleased to read that your test results came back all clear. While progesterone triggered a reaction in your body, evidently it wasn’t life-threatening. A baseline investigation would have been beneficial to determine hormone levels, and periodic salivary profiles taken thereafter to monitor and adjust hormone replacement therapy.

It is our aim, via our free weekly articles and website content, and compiled knowledgebase (ebook) to most decidedly paint a realistic expectation of natural progesterone’s action in the body.

You conclude, Piroska, based on your own personal experience, that progesterone “is not that safe at all.” That progesterone “even in small doses, is not the solution.” Actually, the reverse appears to be true. It’s imperative we keep in mind that our ‘risk’ of some cancers such as breast cancer is determined by our overall exposure to estrogen during our lifetime. In fact, almost all the important human cancers that we get in Western civilisation, have the same origin, which is estrogen. While we remain in a state of estrogen dominance, we are at risk. Maintaining a healthy progesterone to estrogen (estradiol) ratio may offer us a degree of protection.