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 hi’s question about Menopause?:

I have started using Progesterone cream, when am i suppose to use it? after ovulation or before? I have low Progesterone and am TTC and i dont want to have another miscarriage

Estrogen Replacement Menopause

Dr. John Lee, a modern women’s healthcare advocate, recommended use of progesterone cream in menopausal and pre-menopausal women to alleviate symptoms and in place of conventional hormone replacement therapy. Unfortunately, he passed away last October, but his studies are still the benchmark for menopausal care. To best reproduce the natural physiologic release of hormones by the body, the Transdermal Delivery System was developed. Progesterone is combined with other natural ingredients and applied to the thin skinned areas of the body where it can be easily absorbed. Transfer agents can be used but they are not easily or effectively absorbed - they are not recommended because by chemistry they disrupt or interfere with the progesterone absorption process.

Dr. Lee further suggested that progesterone and other hormone levels be measured to develop a personal baseline. Hormones can be measured at home, with just a swab of saliva. The levels should be monitored until you find the right one for you. Keep a record of your findings, along with how you’re feeling, because often a doctor only reads the lab test results when, in reality, it’s how you actually feel which determines a course of treatment. The dose of progesterone that your body most likely produced in your twenties and thirties is about 20-24mg.

Progesterone can be taken orally, but usually less than 20% can be effectively utilized by the body. It must be absorbed by the intestines, pass into the portal vein system and go through the liver, where it is metabolized and excreted in bile. Thus a much higher dose is needed, probably between 100-400 mg per day. When a dose that big is consumed it results in a surge of progesterone that peaks in one or two hours, followed by a rapid decline and low levels for the rest of the day, which is not effective. Levels of progesterone peak even faster when sublingual drops or suppositories are used. The blood progesterone level spikes upward within 20 minutes because it is absorbed quickly through the membranes. Again, within an hour and a half levels fall drastically. Most importantly, the above two methods do not reflect the (natural) way progesterone is actually delivered in the body.

The level of progesterone in the saliva is maintained for eight or more hours when the Transdermal method of delivery is used. Optimal results are seen if the cream is applied twice a day. The pump on the container administers a consistent amount of progesterone cream. The product is never exposed to the environment until it is on your skin, so it remains pure.

Progesterone creams delivered transdermally are found to provide the following major benefits:

- Protection against endometriosis

- Acts as a natural antidepressant

- Restores sex drive

- Protects against bone loss and osteoporosis

- May help prevent breast cancer

- Helps use fat for energy

The following benefits may also be available:

- Facilitates thyroid hormone action

- Protects against fibrocystic breasts

- Normalizes blood sugar levels

- Normalizes zinc and copper levels

- Improves sleep patterns

- Normalizes blood clotting

- Restores proper oxygen cell levels

- Acts as a natural diuretic

- Reduces post partum depression

Transdermal means through the skin absorption and is thought to be the most effective delivery method for progesterone cream formulations.



Thanks to John Russell for contributing this article to our Menopause blog:

Bleeding After Menopause