Does anybody have any success with natural progesterone cream?

[sip1]

I'm currently doing a Complete Female Hormone Assessment saliva test, as I'm wondering if my progesterone/estrogen are also out of balance. It measures Estradiol (estrogen), Progesterone and Testosterone over a 28 day cycle, so quite a tedious test and rather expensive!

Seeing as my DHEA and cortisol are out of whack, and my thyroid (well, at least it was) - I wouldn't be at all surprised, esp as I am still having thinning hair and menstrual issues. I have been taking NDT for 4 months, so was hoping if it was thyroid related, I would have seen 'some' improvement, esp with the hair - but sadly not. My periods are also very light and very short, and whilst I do believe I ovulate (as take my temperature each morning using a 'Lady Comp' fertility monitor), I do wonder if I am not producing enough progesterone. I wonder if there is a link with my hair being lovely and thick before and when I was pregnant being that there is an abundance of progesterone during pregnancy. I believe my hair has slowly thinned over the past 10 years or so (my youngest is now 12).

I was wondering if anybody here has used/or is using progesterone cream and whether or not they have had any success with it? Would be interesting to hear

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Hi, i have oestrogen dominance with long history of fibroids, surgery, more fibroids.

I tried the Serenity bio identical progesterone cream and got the worst migraine i have ever had: 30 hours straight with nausea and loss of vision - which i have never had before. I wont be using it again. I cannot imagine what else could have caused it

[Chippysue]

Hi, was a medically qualified person treating you with DHEA? this shouldn't be taken with advice.

I use a good quality natural progesterone cream and have noticed improvement with post menopausal symptoms.

I too lost a huge amount of hair when I was battling to be diagnosed and properly treated with hypothyroidism. I was also deficient in vitamin D and B12. My hair has successfully grown back and is manageable again.

Firstly are you fully medicated? is your free t4 at the top of the lab range? or even just a little above? and is your vitamin B12 above 500? and your iron, ferritin, folate and vitamin D all optimal??

For me, if I stop taking sublingual B12 then I see hair in my shower tray! for some it is low iron.

Sue

thyroiduk.org

[sip1 in reply to Chippysue]

Yes, I believe I am optimally dosed with the NDT. My FT3 is right at the top of the range and my T4 is mid range. Everything else is fine (B12, vit D, ferritin etc) which is why I'm checking my progesterone/estrogen as it's the only thing that I haven't looked into.

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When you say "fine", make sure it really is fine and not the NHS version of fine. I had a ferritin of 18 at one point and was told by the NHS it was "fine. " Just because you are in their ref ranges does not equate to being fine (as we know from the dreaded tsh ranges)

[sip1]

My results back in June were:

B12 436ug/L (>180)

Serum folate 16.7ug/L (4.6 - 18.7)

Ferritin 69ug/L (13.0 - 150.0)

And I have since been taking iron and B12, so I'm thinking these levels are ok. I'll ask for them to be checked again though, you never know.

[Chippysue]

Your iron is too low - and you are taking iron? From your gp?

Your free t4 needs to be at the top of the lab range.

I wouldn't try anything else just now, one change at a time. You could ask your GP to test all of your sex organs.

[sip1 in reply to Chippysue]

I thought that ferritin was ok between the 70 - 90 mark? I have been taking iron supplements since June on and off, so assume that my ferritin must have increased a bit since then, but will ask to have it looked at again as it would be interesting to know.

I did consider asking my doctor to check my sex hormones, but wanted a more concise test that looked at the hormones over the entire month, which is why I went for the 28 day test in the end.

Clutter once told me that 'the T3 in the NDT can lower FT4 as the oral T3 bypasses the need for a lot of T4 storage for conversion', so assumed my FT4 was ok. It also says on the STTM 'Generally, those on an optimal amount of desiccated thyroid will have a free T4 mid-range or higher when their free T3 is at the top'

These were the latest results:

TSH 0.01 (0.35 - 4.5)

FT4 15.4 (11.0 - 24.0)

FT3 6.0 (3.9 - 6.8)

I have since increased by 1/4 every other day, so I imagine it would be slightly higher now. Will ask if my doctor can check that again in a few weeks, just so I know what's what