Progesterone cream
I’ve made reference in the past to using progesterone cream. I get a lot of emailed questions about this, and my most recent reply to a reader bounced so I’m going to share it here instead. Tracey, if you’re reading this, here’s your answer. 
I often use progesterone cream several weeks or months post partum to help smooth out the roller coaster of hormones. My own experience has been to start using a small dab daily when my hair to starts to fall out (do you get that too? Around 6 weeks after giving birth?) and just use until I start feeling normal, maybe a couple of months. I apply it to a different area of thin skin each day - this is supposed to aid in absorption. One day I’ll rub it into the inner side of my upper arm; another day it goes on my throat; another day I might use it on my face or inner thigh. I always notice a difference in my mood and general attitude within 12 hours or so. Once I feel better consistently I invariably forget to use it and naturally taper off.
I have always breastfed so never had regular cycles while I was using progesterone cream, but I never used it for long periods.
The theory behind it is that your ovaries, which normally produce your progesterone, go dormant during pregnancy when the placenta takes over. Your progesterone levels during pregnancy are much higher than normal. When the baby is born, suddenly the placenta is gone, your ovaries are sound asleep, and your super-high progesterone levels plummet over the next few weeks. Sometime around 6 weeks later, you find yourself running on fumes.
Loss of hair is a common sign of low progesterone levels. The cream does not entirely replace your natural production but it provides a little help during the time that it takes for your ovaries to wake up and
get back into gear. It also makes life with a post-partum mom and little more bearable for hubby, who has on occasion threatened to bathe me in it.
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Filed under: pregnancy/labor
Does having a 15-month-old count as being postpartum?
Because I still find myself needing to use it on a regular basis, and it seems to really bring me back to my “usual” self. Any reason not to use it when you feel like your hormone levels are just off?
I am going to try that after I have this baby! What a great idea!
I have a “hair loss” suggestion. This only works if your kids’ hair is close to the same color (or you don’t look closely)!
Brush your hair (don’t look at the brush) then brush your child’s hair (again, don’t look at the brush), then have your child (if old enough, or don’t look too closely) clean the hair out of the brush. Then YOU don’t see how much hair came out, this works best for me right before a shower (then less hair goes down the drain).
I just wanted to add my two-cents-worth on using progesterone cream.
Here’s my experience: I use the cream regularly to balance my system. I use it for about three weeks and then I’m off for about a week or so to allow my body to have a period. I begin using it on day 5 of my period and then I’m supposed to stop about the time I should be having a period. Here’s the problem I encountered: You are NOT SUPPOSED TO STOP taking it if you are pregnant! I had this dilemma… am I prego or not? How do I know (by way of a missed period) unless I stop the cream? If I stop the cream and I AM pregnant, then I will bring on a period an cause a miscarriage! Yikes!!! I bought preg. tests in bulk on ebay and I took them until I was certain that I was NOT preg. and then I stopped the cream. Last November, however, the test was positive (YEAH!) so I didn’t stop the cream until this, my third trimester when my body is making enough progesterone via the pregnancy that stopping the cream at this point won’t cause the dramatic drop that induces a period.
So if you are wanting to use the cream and you are fertile, be very careful in your use of progesterone cream. You have to pay attention to what is going on in your body.
I have gathered my information from reading Dr. Lee’s book, What You Doctor May NOT Tell You About Pre-Menopause, from talking with him on the phone (before he died
), and reading online. Here is a site that shares information from his book:
http://www.heatonberry.com/progesterone/fertility.htm
Sorry to ramble on so. I hope the link works, I wasn’t able to preview my comment before submitting it…
Hey!!!! We have a redneck pool too!!!!! However, our redneck pool is half the size of yours…..picture a 6 foot 7 inch man in our smaller-than-yours wheelbarrow!! That’ll give you a good laugh!!
Progesterone cream? I’ve been given an oral progesterone prep and tried it but got migraines…..I think I’ll stop. Red Raspberry Leaf tea is an excellent mood booster and hormone regulator….I would encourage you to go online and research Red Raspberry Leaf Tea.
I can’t wait till your baby is born!!
Leanne in Longview
I am evil when pregnant and afterwards. I usually start postpartum at 8 months along. My body is odd. I have never gone into labor on my own. My water broke at one point, they had me on dilators and I still wouldn’t go into labor. Did you know now they are requiring dna collection of all newborns with in the next 6 months …off topic but this makes me scared to give birth in a hospital. So how will I give birth if I do get preggers again? I mean that is totally against my beliefs. Anyway, they gave the creme while I was pregnant with my son because I didn’t have enough progesterone. (Hormone imbalance) I stopped during pregnancy and he’s fine. Next time I will ask for the creme post partum to help my mood swings… assuming I go to the dr with this new law.
Thanks for the answer Kim!
I had never heard of that, and I must say I find it very interresting… where can you get progesterone cream? Over the counter, or do you need a prescription?
This is interesting. But I don’t tend to start losing hair until about six months postpartum.
So far, I haven’t had it too rough postpartum, but the next baby is always different.
Some of the symptoms mentioned overlap with the symptoms of hypothyroidism (sluggish thyroid) , which is very common postpartum. It is worth your time to talk to a health practitioner about the symptoms. Healthy thryoid function is important for overall health.
Ooooh, nice!
A few years ago someone was convinced that if I just used progesterone cream I wouldn’t miscarry. Well, I did, and I have a pretty expensive bottle in my cupboard now.
Now I have something to do with it! Yay! I don’ t like the hair-falling-out stage, which makes me feel like I’m going bald (and grumpy!). Only it seems to hit me about 3.5 months pp?
Thanks for the info!
I sell Arbonne and use their progesterone cream and it’s wonderful. I had no idea so many other younger moms were also taking it!
If anyone is interested in Arbonne’s products, you can e-mail me at lovearbonne@gmail.com
I agree with the above commenter, that you need to be very careful if you are fertile and on the progesterone cream as you don’t want to go off of it suddenly during early pregnancy.
I did not know that the post-partum hair loss was due to low progesterone. I may just look into some cream this time around and see if there is any difference.
I use progesterone cream to correct luteal phase defect that was causing my miscarriages. (I’m on my 4th pregnancy in a row now w/o losing my baby!) Just wanted to add that the commenter above who says to continue taking it during pregnancy is correct about discontinuing use will cause a miscarriage. However, I always wean myself off of it over a few weeks beginning at 12 weeks, because that is when the placenta fully takes over the production of hormones at that point. Arbonne is a nice cream because it is a pre measured pump. You can also buy it at a vitamin store, (such as GNC or Vitamin Shoppe), or at a natural food store.
Dr. Lee’s book that Cindee mentioned above is very good. A must read for every woman! It thoroughly explains just how your hormones work.
My own hair loss has varied from baby to baby; sometimes it never becomes noticeable, sometimes it happens later, and lately it kicks in at 6 weeks.
Yofed,
This is something you can get over the counter. Just check online or at a health food/herb store. It’s not cheap, but a little tube lasts a long, long time.
I wonder if this would help with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)? I lost hair after every baby and it came back, but now 4 years later I am losing it again rapidly (at least it is rapid enough for my tastes!) as a result of the PCOS and I am not sure it will come back this time. Any thoughts?
Angel,
I don’t know anything about PCOS, but if it’s caused by a hormonal imbalance then it seems like progesterone cream might help.
Maybe you could do a bit of research on google?
Stephanie,
I’ve never used it regularly outside of the postpartum period but I have heard warnings against abruptly discontinuing use during early pregnancy so you’d want to be very careful if you suspect that you are fertile.
kimC,
I check out your blog regularly and always enjoy reading it! My husband and I are moving to TX this summer, so seeing a bit of your life in TX is really enjoyable!
Quinn,
I am not sure if you will see this comment, but I thought I’d try anyways (I don’t know another way to contact you). How did you find out about your luteal phase defect? My husband and I have lost our first two babies to miscarriage and we are researching how to avoiding that happening again.Thanks in advance for your help if you do see this! (nicholasandanita@yahoo.com)