Can you answer anjoek5859’s question about Menopause?:

Suggestions for a diet plan for menopause would be so helpful also. Would like to hear from women that have made theirselves feel better with natural progesterone. (What Type) of natural herbs and foods for menopause that you have used?

Menopause And Bleeding

There is a divide in the world of progesterone. On one side are those who believe that wild yams provide the perfect base for progesterone products and on the other side are those who believe that wild yam is of no benefit to humans when used in progesterone formulas.

A yam is a tuber which is grown in Central and South America as well as in certain parts of Africa and Asia. Yams are similar to sweet potatoes (and are often confused as such) but they are in fact a different species of plant.

Wild yams contain diosgenin which is a plant steroid. Our bodies are unable to metabolize diosgenin from wild yam into progesterone; it must be processed by chemical means in laboratories. Obviously this detracts from the “natural” claims of wild yam based progesterone. A product simply can not be classes as natural if it has undergone chemical processing in a laboratory!

In stark contrast to the misleading claim of wild yam being a natural basis for progesterone, NatPro is made from the soya bean and this is actually identical to the progesterone that your body manufacturers itself. No chemical altering and no processing. This makes NatPro all natural compared to the non natural wild yam forms of progesterone.

Wild yam actually stopped being widely used in 1976 when it was found that diosgenin should not be used a principal sterol to synthesize progesterone. Why did people start realizing that wild yam was not beneficial to people? Simply because it was discovered that they do not contain progesterone in their extracts.

It is important for a progesterone cream to have a certain amount of progesterone in it. The American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology stated in a study in 1999 that this level should be at least 30 milligrams per gram.

Wild yam based progesterone creams were found to have as little as 5 milligrams per ounce. Some even had none at all!

The American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology even stated “the creams that are made from Mexican yams are not metabolized to progesterone by women”. Thankfully people are now realizing that wild yam based progesterone is of no benefit to humans.

As mentioned, Natpro uses progesterone which is derived from the soya bean. Being identical to the progesterone found in the human body, soya bean extracts form the perfect base for progesterone creams.

The website Quackwatch.com which keeps track of frauds, myths and misleading information concerning medical products, states that dioscorea villosa, from which the wild yam based cream is supposedly made, is not a source of progesterone and in fact is may even be estrogenic. They claim that the plant is useful in a lab but not in humans.

Quackwatch also go on to say “Not only is there little reason to suppose that Wild Yam Cream would be helpful for the medical conditions for which it is being promoted, but it doubtful that it ever could be as useful as synthetic progesterone.” It should be noted that these comments were made by a qualified doctor and therefore by someone who knows both sides of the story.

It is even said that there is a danger that menopausal women who use wild yam based progesterone could forego or even stop their hormone replacement therapy due to the sometimes deceptive promotion of wild yam based progesterone.

The greatest danger posed by this product and its deceptive promotion is that it will lead many menopausal women to forego or even discontinue appropriate hormone-replacement therapy (HRT).

Wild yam based progesterone is not recommend for women due to the fact that it is not natural and undergoes chemical processing before being sold to the public.



Thanks to Jean Morgan for contributing this article to our Menopause blog:

Estrogen Replacement Therapy

Can you answer nandaland’s question about Menopause?:

I am aware that progesterone is found in many types of plants (such as the popular mistletoe), but I’d like to know what kinds of foods are also rich in this substance.

Perimenopause And Weight Gain

“Dietary Supplement Progesterone Now Makes Creams Obsolete”

The verdict is in: Oral progesterone beats topical creams hands-down

Until now, if you needed to supplement your natural levels of progesterone, you had only one choice: Messy, hard to apply creams. Oral progesterone just wasn’t available at any price.

All that’s been changed. Bio-identical progesterone has recently become available as an inexpensive dietary supplement in capsule form finally giving women another option to choose. Creams no longer have a monopoly.

Since progesterone cream first exploded on the scene 40 years ago millions of women have used this method to treat a variety of conditions, primarily PMS.

However these women soon learned they had to apply huge amounts in order to achieve the desired response. Not only that, but progesterone creams were a sticky mess difficult to apply and often staining the user’s clothes.

But women were stuck it was either creams or nothing.

Fresh developments have changed that once and for all.

Why Creams Are Ineffective

But first - what exactly are the scientific problems with progesterone creams?

Low Dosage: The FDA limits cream manufacturers to a 3% concentration of hormone in their preparations. This tiny quantity forces users to slather on huge amounts to get any noticeable effect at all.

Wildly Erratic Absorption: Hormone absorption is exceedingly unpredictable, even on the same spot of skin! The culprit? Skin temperature and sweat glands - causing wide variations in how much progesterone gets into the body.

Measurement Inconsistency: Most creams indicate that you place a “dollop” on your skin. But what’s a dollop? Even with pre-measured applicators, a dollop of cream is difficult to measure. It’s like toothpaste - do you squeeze out the exact same amount every time you use the tube?

Inconsistent Hormone Mixture: Due to mixture settlement (a normal occurrence with creams) actual strength can vary within the tube itself. You never know exactly how much progesterone you’re actually applying.

Manufacturing Variations: Few batches of progesterone cream are exactly alike. From a manufacturing perspective, it’s extremely difficult to get the same cream mixture and consistency each and every time. A batch made last month may be as much as 20% off from one made today.

Frequent Skin Irritation And Inflammation: Creams are known for causing unpleasant skin conditions forcing users to rotate where they apply them on the body. Unfortunately, rotating to a different spot insures a different absorption.

Hidden Expenses: Once women figure out that they have to use several times more cream than the instructions indicated, their expenses go through the roof. They end up paying $40 - $60/month.

Inconvenience: Creams are simply messy, sticky and inconvenient to use.

In a nutshell, progesterone creams are wildly inconsistent, are FDA dose limited and most importantly simply ineffective at the recommended amounts.

Advantages of Capsules vs. Creams

So what are the advantages of taking dietary progesterone in a capsule form?

Precise Capsule Dosages: Each clinically tested capsule contains precisely 50 mg the optimal dosage recommended by leading physicians.

There’s No Guesswork: Unlike cream preparations, users always know exactly how much bio-identical progesterone they’re getting.

No More Skin Concerns: No worries about skin irritation, inflammation, sweat glands or temperature. You just swallow the capsule(s).

Absorption is Complete: There’s no guessing how much progesterone was actually absorbed. Gastro-intestinal assimilation is virtually always 100% - even if there is food or alcohol in the stomach during, before or after the capsule is swallowed.

Convenience: Swallowing capsules is far more convenient than applying a cream. Plus you don’t stain your clothes or walk around waiting for the cream to dry first.

Inexpensive: Oral progesterone can be purchased for less than $20/month.

It’s clear: Progesterone creams are now rendered completely obsolete. There’s no scientific, therapeutic, or rational reason for anyone to continue using a progesterone cream preparation. In every aspect - oral progesterone is simply superior.

It’s time for users to bid their creams a fond farewell and turn to bio-identical progesterone supplements in easy and convenient capsule form.



Thanks to Andrew Jones for contributing this article to our Menopause blog:

Menopause Tips