Progesterone Therapy

Medical Aesthetics & Laser Spa Serving Sherwood Park, Spruce Grove, St. Albert & Nearby Edmonton, Alberta

Progesterone Treatment for Women

Progesterone is a steroid hormone that is produced in the ovaries, brain, adrenal glands, and placenta during pregnancy. The main role of progesterone is to block excess estrogen activity in the body, producing a number of benefits including:

      • protection against uterine cancer
      • normalization of blood clotting
      • anxiety reduction
      • anti-inflammatory actions
      • reducing sparms
      • relaxing smooth muscles
      • utilizing fat stores for energy
      • brain protection

Menstrual Cycle:

  • First half:  protection against uterine cancer
  • Second half:  Ovaries produce 20-40mg of progesterone per day

It is very common for Progesterone levels to fall from age 25-50, while Estrogen production is relatively stable. This creates a situation of Estrogen dominance, the most common hormone imbalance in cycling women. Progesterone deficiency symptoms are the same symptoms that occur with estrogen dominance.

 

Symptoms of Progesterone Deficiency

    • Breast tenderness
    • Anxiety
    • Pain with intercourse
    • Infertility
    • Breast swelling
    • Nervousness
    • Insomnia
    • Fibrocystic breasts
    • PMS symptoms
    • Poor memory
    • High sensitivity to pain
    • Bloating
    • Ovarian cysts
    • Increased belly fat
    • Painful periods
    • Uterine fibroids
    • Swelling of feet/ankles
    • Heavy periods
    • Endometriosis

Female patients from all life stages require progesterone. Although, it is important to note that different forms of progesterone can help with different symptoms.

Directions for Use:

Oral and transdermal progesterone are complementary to one another and may be prescribed on their own or together.

Oral progesterone– is generally taken at bedtime to help with disturbances in sleep.

Prometrium – 100mg capsules of bioidentical progesterone suspended in sesame oil. Prometrium can also be inserted vaginally for improvement to mood and anxiety, although it is not as effective for sleep benefits.

Do:

  • Take 10-15 minutes before sleep as it can make you feel drowsy
  • Start with 100mg (1 capsule) before increasing dose
  • Insert vaginally if waking in the morning feeling drows

DO Not:

    • Discontinue Progesterone treatment if also taking Estrogen as Progesterone balances the potentially harmful effects of Estrogen
    • Exceed 200mg of Progesterone unless instructed by your physician

Micronized Progesterone – bioidentical progesterone that can be compounded into any dose. This form of progesterone allows us to adjust the dose if necessary and to add in Melatonin if sleep is still an issue.

Do:

  • Take 10-15 minutes before sleep as it can make you feel drowsy

DO Not:

  • Discontinue Progesterone treatment if also taking Estrogen as Progesterone balances the potentially harmful effects of Estrogen
  • Exceed 200mg of Progesterone unless instructed by your physician

Progesterone Cream comes in easy to use dispensers for daily hormone use. This form of progesterone is not used to treat sleep disturbance, but instead is more helpful for mood swings and lowering anxiety.

Do:

  • Wipe the cream from the top of the dispenser directly onto the skin
  • Apply to arms, legs and/or breasts
  • Apply cream to breasts if sore/tender
  • Apply cream in the morning and/or evening AFTER showering
  • Keep the cream in a visible location to ensure consistent daily applications (ex. bathroom)

DO Not:

  • Use hands to rub cream in as it will be washed off or transferred to other people/surfaces
  • Apply to stomach region as it is converted into other hormones
  • Apply to regions with excess body hair as it does NOT absorb well
  • Store in direct sunlight

Symptoms of Progesterone Excess

  • Fluid retention and bloating
  • Metabolic syndrome
  • If taking Prometrium/Micronized progesterone at night, too high a dose may cause daytime drowsiness