Thanks to Dr. John R. Lee's crusade and his pioneering in successful clinical application of natural progesterone cream for women and men.

Women throughout the world are becoming better educated with the health benefits of natural progesterone cream.

Increasing reports have shown that Men can also have severe health consequences from estrogen dominance.

Progesterone plays a very important role in protecting the prostate gland.

According to Dr. John R. Lee, it is falling progesterone level in aging men that leads to a fall in testosterone levels. As the testosterone levels fall, the effect of estradiol increases, leading to Estrogen Dominence.

What is progesterone?

Progesterone is one of two main hormones, the other being estrogen, made by the ovaries of menstruating women. Progesterone is also made in smaller amounts by the adrenal glands in both sexes and by the testes in males. When a woman's monthly cycle is functioning correctly, estrogen is the dominant hormone during the first two weeks of the menstrual cycle. In response to ovulation, progesterone assumes dominance for the final two weeks of the month. When the pituitary gland in the brain sends a message to the ovaries to stop production of progesterone, the menstrual cycle begins within 48 hours of this message.

What does progesterone have to do with menopause?

Progesterone levels typically decline before menopause starts and this is followed by a decline in estrogen. Progesterone production fall to almost zero while estrogen declines to about 40% to 60%. This situation leads to an imbalance between estrogen and progesterone causing an increase in estrogen activity, which Dr. Lee described as "Estrogen dominance syndrome".

What is estrogen dominance?

This syndrome occurs mostly in industrialized countries and commonly occurs in the following situations.

• When women are on estrogen replacement therapy
• Premenopause when early follicle depletion results in the lack of ovulation (Anovulation) and thus a lack of progesterone well before the onset of menopause;
• Exposure to xenoestrogens which is the cause of early follicle depletion. Xenoestrogens are foreign substances found outside the body in the air, water and food. Once xenoestrogen enters your body, it produce an estrogen effect on you.
• Birth control pills with an excessive estrogen component.
• Women who have had a hysterectomy leading to dysfunction of the ovaries or surgical removal of the ovaries (Oophorectomy).
• Post menopause, especially in overweight women.

Benefits of natural progesterone

• Stimulates osteoblast to form new bone and reverse osteoporosis
• Restores sex drive
• Protects against fibrocystic breasts
• Natural antidepressant
• Facilitates thyroid hormone action
• Normalizes blood sugar levels
• Normalizes zinc and copper levels
• Helps prevent cancer in women - breast, uterine and ovarian cancer
• Helps use fat for energy
• Improved sleep patterns
• Normalizes blood clotting
• Restores proper oxygen cell levels
• Natural diuretic
• Elimination of depression after child birth
• Restore normal vascular tone
• Increase sensitivity of estrogen receptor
• Reduce incidence of autoimmune disorders
• Helps prevent hypertension
• Increase immunity against infection and allergies
• Improve lipid profile ( Increase HDL and decrease LDL Cholesterol level)
• Decrease risk of coronary vasospasm

Based on a two ounces container of progesterone cream containing a total of 990mg of progesterone. This amounts to 40mg per 1/2 teaspoon, 20mg per 1/4 teaspoon. Dr. Lee tends to rely on relief of symptoms when figuring out the ideal dose for each woman. The right dose is the dose is the dose that works. In general, use 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon per day for 18 to 21 days. One Must take at least three to seven days off (without applying any progesterone cream) every month so that one's body will not develope resistence or tolerance to the cream and become ineffective.

General guidelines on how to get the most out of your progesterone dose:

• The larger the area of skin the dose is spread on, the greater the absorption.
• Sufficient time should be allowed for maximum absorption, which is one reason to apply the cream at bedtime.
• Apply the cream to thinner and less keratinized skin with high capillary density such as chest, breast, inner arms, neck and face. Rotate among three or four different skin sites on different days. The skin must be clean and cleared of cosmetic etc.
• Take at least three to seven days off every month. (3 days for those women who experienced a severe recurrence of symptoms during the break)
• If you are using high dose of progesterone ( over 40mg), divided to two dose, 2/3 at bed time and 1/3 at AM)

Proper dosage and compliance are essential to correct your low progesterone level and to achieve best result. Minimal 2-3 months may be required to raise and maintain your progesterone level for maximum improvement of your symptoms due to estrogen dominance. For menopause and osteoporosis treatment, use this cream indefinitely.

In premenopausal women, progesterone deficiency causes a "tuning-down" of estrogen receptors; when women begin using progesterone cream, this reactivates those estrogen receptors. This can temporarily cause buildup of the endometrium of the uterus, causing spotting and irregular bleeding. Most of these symptoms will disappear within a couple of cycles. In premenopausal women who have been progesterone deficient for years, it's common that the initial application of progesterone cream will cause water retention, headaches and swollen breasts - symptoms of estrogen dominance. This happens because the estrogen receptors shut down by progesterone deficiency are "waking up". It is important to remember that these symptoms will disappear in two weeks to three cycles.

For Premenopausal women who are menstruating but not ovulating

Apply 1/4 teaspoon of progesterone cream daily at bedtime from day 10 of your cycle (Counting the first day of your period as day 1). Continue until the last day before your expected period (usually between day 26 and 30). That is about 16-20 days applying the cream.

For women with endometriosis

Apply 3/4 teaspoon (60mg) of progesterone cream daily at bedtime from day 8 to days 26 to 30 (the end of your normal cycle). It will take up to six months for symptoms to be controlled. Once outbreaks of endometriosis are more tolerable, start the cream at day 12 to the end of your cycle. If you are too sleepy with high dose of progesterone, reduce the dose until the sleepiness goes away.

For Women with uterine fibroid

Apply 1/4 teaspoon of progesterone cream daily at bedtime from day 8-10 to days 26 or 30 (the end of your normal cycle). Continue until menopause then reduce the dose. Obtain ultrasound test initially and after three months to check result.

For women with fibrocystic breast disease

For women using estrogen supplements

Dr. Lee believes that there is no reason to give estrogen to women who are still menstruating. Reduce your estrogen dose by half when you add progesterone and gradually taper off the estrogen completely.

For women with PMS

You need a higher dose of progesterone for the first month or two because the high cortisol level competing with progesterone. Apply 1/2 teaspoon of progesterone cream daily at bedtime from day 10 to 12 to days 26 to 30. (the end of your normal cycle). May reduce the dose once symptoms are relieved.

For women who have had a complete hysterectomy ( removal of both ovaries and uterus) or surgical menopasue

For the first 2 months after surgery, apply 1/2 teaspoon of progesterone cream daily at bedtime for 25 days of the calendar month. Then reduce to 1/4 teaspoon daily for 25 days of the calendar month.

The most recent findings, published in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association, are based on data from the Heart and Estrogen/progestin Replacement Study, or HERS, which involved 2,763 postmenopausal women with heart disease. The study was conducted at 20 clinical centers nationwide.

HERS compared the effects of hormones vs. a placebo on women followed from 1993 to 1998 and found hormones essentially had no effect on warding off heart problems.

Until recently, doctors believed that the estrogen component of hormone replacement therapy also provided protection against heart disease, but preliminary data from the Women's Health Initiative (a national study of the benefits and risks of hormone replacement) suggested that women may be at a slightly elevated risk of heart attack, stroke, or blood clot during the first two years of treatment. We've also learned recently that estrogen replacement may not protect against Alzheimer's Disease as earlier studies had indicated. And, of course, women on hormone replacement therapy do face a slightly higher than normal risk of breast cancer, particularly if they take both estrogen and progestin, a hormone used along with estrogen replacement in order to protect against endometrial cancer. Taking estrogen alone increases the risk of endometrial cancer of the uterus among women who have not had hysterectomies.

In a double-blind trial of 102 women, use of progesterone cream was found to significantly reduce hot flashes and related Menopausal symptoms. (Leonetti HB, Longo S, Anasti JN. Obstet Gynecol, 1999: 94:225-228 Transdermal progesterone cream for vasomotor symptoms and postmenopausal bone loss.)

Progesterone plays a role in bone metabolism and helps reduce the risk of osteoporosis. Two studies, using topically applied natural progesterone cream in combination with diet, exercise, and vitamin and calcium supplementation, reported consistent gains in bone density over a three-year period in postmenopausal women. (Prior JC. Progesterone as a bone-trophic hormone. Endocr Rev 1990;11:386-98) & (Lee JR. Osteoporosis reversal: the role of progesterone. Int Clin Nutr Rev 1990;10:384-91)

References

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