Natural Progesterone Treatment Options
Sadly, medical researchers have failed for decades to study in detail the multitude of beneรยฏรยฌรยcial effects of natural progesterone. Natural progesterone cream or micronised progesterone capsules have stood the test of time as an effective, safe and reliable mode of administration for the management of progesterone deรยฏรยฌรยciency conditions.
There are other forms of natural progesterone treatment options such as lotions, gels, sprays and troches have not proved to be as effective as natural progesterone cream for the management of symptoms. If one Googles รยขรขโยฌร โnatural progesterone creamรยขรขโยฌรย there are dozens of products claiming to be the รยขรขโยฌร โbestรยขรขโยฌรย or รยขรขโยฌร โauthenticรยขรขโยฌรย natural progesterone creams. Just how does a woman contemplating using a natural progesterone cream determine which is the product most suited to her requirements?
Understanding the basics of the various manufacturing processes is a good start in determining what constitutes a quality natural progesterone treatment cream. Standards of manufacture and clinical efรยฏรยฌรยcacy are the two yardsticks by which to assess the most superior natural progesterone creams available.
There are three standards of natural progesterone cream production.
รยขรขโยฌรยข Pharmaceutical grade
รยขรขโยฌรยข Cosmetic grade
รยขรขโยฌรยข Compounded products
Pharmaceutical Grade – manufacture operates to international standards of Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP). GMP standards demand all production processes are standardised and controlled from the raw material procurement through to the expiry date of the รยฏรยฌรยnished product. The rigid government controls on the manufacturing and clinical trials for efรยฏรยฌรยcacy guarantee the quality of the รยฏรยฌรยnal product. Therapeutic claims are required to be substantiated and the government checks everything from theรโรย manufacturing equipment, processes used, strength and packagingรโรย (including warning labels andรโรย product documentation).
Cosmetic Grade – manufacture does not have the same rigid government rules and regulations associated with pharmaceutical grade manufacture. There are not equal obligations upon cosmetic manufacturers to deliver the same scientiรยฏรยฌรยcally exact concentration of รยฏรยฌรยnished product as demanded of pharmaceutical grade products. Stability requirements of cosmetic grade products are not as onerous as for pharmaceutical grade items. Therapeutic claims of cosmetic items are limited, if claims are not substantiated.
Compounded Products – are items made by pharmacists in the conรยฏรยฌรยnes of a pharmacy. Compounded products are made by hand on an individual patient basis. Compounded products do not undergo any form of production control, concentration, impurity, stability or efรยฏรยฌรยcacy testing.
The legal status in relation to access to natural progesterone creams depends upon each particular countryรยขรขโยฌรขโยขs scheduling requirements. In the UK and Australia, natural progesterone cream is classiรยฏรยฌรยed as a prescription only medicine. In the USA, natural progesterone creams are available over-the-counter provided manufacturers make no therapeutic claims for the products. In the USA, disclosure on the labels of the concentration of progesterone within the รยฏรยฌรยnished product can be รยขรขโยฌร โambiguousรยขรขโยฌรย.
There is only one pharmaceutical grade natural progesterone cream available worldwide, a 3.2% or 10% progesterone cream called ProFeme.
In Australia, natural progesterone cream requires a medical practitionerรยขรขโยฌรขโยขs prescription.รโรย Other countries do not. Tesotmeds ship worldwide without the need for a prescription.
What Are The Side Effects Ofรโรย Usingรโรย Natural Progesterone?
Someรโรย natural progesterone creams, like ProFreme, have a very low toxicity and side effects. The most commonly reported side effects revolve around a similar feeling to that of being pregnant:
รยขรขโยฌรยข Tender breasts
รยขรขโยฌรยข Fatigue
รยขรขโยฌรยข Mood swings
รยขรขโยฌรยข Constipation or diarrhoea
รยขรขโยฌรยข Headache
รยขรขโยฌรยข Muscle or joint pain
รยขรขโยฌรยข Occasional breakthrough bleeding (spotting)
รยขรขโยฌรยข Fluid retention
รยขรขโยฌรยข Dizziness
If these occur, a simple adjustment of dose usually resolves the problem. If they are to occur, side effects are usually experienced at the onset of treatment and are considered a positive sign. They usually resolve themselves fully within 10 days of a dose reduction and often sooner.
Can Homeopathic Or Herbal Treatments Be Used Instead?
Homeopathy is a complementary therapy that runs on the basic theory thatรโรย you can cure a somethingรโรย based on the ingestion of that same something. So, if a substance causes a disease, then you can cure it by taking a very minute, diluted amount of the same substance.
You can try going down this route to recovery but you have more guarantee of success by using progesterone.
More information on natural progesterone
Progesterone Deรยฏรยฌรยciency & Oestrogen Dominance
Natural Progesterone Treatment Options
Natural Progesterone v’s Synthetic Progestins
The Progesterone Deรยฏรยฌรยciency Assessment Questionnaire
The information in this article has been taken with permission from the official Lawley booklet onรโรย Understanding Progesterone