Verdict On Progesterone Cream: Yay!

In September, I published a post titled Can Progesterone Be The Solution? I had no idea I'd get so many hits to it - but I did, and therefore felt it necessary to write an update on my experience.

My post had been because I'd started using progesterone cream the end of August 2009 to see if it would help with menstrual cramps, mood, and headaches. At first I didn't know how successful it would be. One month I'd go without cramps but feel my mood drop prior to my period, the next I'd be in a great mood around my period but have cramps. However, I gave it time and now I'm in my sixth cycle. The verdict: It works!

Do I feel perfect? Of course not. But have I had to turn to Hydrocodone which I previously used because my cramps were so bad? No, in fact I haven't even had to take ibuprofen! Have there been months that I have felt cramps? Yes -- in fact, several times they've started to fall under the "moderate" category and so I will literally be on my way to the medicine cabinet to get some ibuprofen -- but they suddenly disappear before I take off the lid. Previously, my cramps were "severe" and lasted all day, every day (often for 10 days or even occurring not around my period). No matter what tip I followed, they didn't improve in the slightest.

(FYI, I wasn't able to use the cream during my period for cramps because, even though it did make the cramps go away completely, it kept stopping my period.)

Have I felt my mood drop prior to my period for no reason over the past six months? Yes. But have I been depressed? No. I'm sure anti-depressants have better results when it comes to depression for those who struggle with it, but for me I just wanted to feel more stable than not using the cream. Because, prior to having Logan, I would find myself crying the week before my period almost every month. The rest of the days of the month I'd be positive and upbeat, but then one week each month (always before bedtime) I'd mope around the house or with my head in a pillow, finding all of the negatives in life. I went the entire time I was pregnant and breastfeeding without ever feeling like that. But once I stopped producing milk, for the first time in my life I experienced that EVERY day for an entire month (last February - so exactly a year ago). Not only that, but it was to the maximum degree that I'd ever experienced. I didn't really cry because thankfully my son was the only thing that made me smile. But I was prescribed LexaPro. After three days of feeling incredibly sick, I stopped taking it. I made some changes in my life and things improved, but I also think that my hormones started balancing out once they got used to me not breastfeeding anymore. I went back to just feeling my mood drop the week prior to my period.

Since I'd lived 18 months having been on a natural and healthy high, I wondered why I couldn't feel like that every day forever?! Although the progesterone cream isn't as high as the amount I had in my body due to pregnancy and breastfeeding (so therefore I think that will be the only way to feel that way again), my "down week" turned into just a "down day." So, I'd even stay on it without the cramp problem -- just because having one down day a month (or two at the most) is better than even a week.

But what did it take care of completely for me? Migraines! That's right, I haven't had a single migraine since September. Considering I had one nearly every day during the month of August, but none over the past five months, I don't think it's a coincidence that the changing factor was progesterone cream. One day I even forgot to use it in the morning (you're supposed to use it when you wake up and before you go to bed, approximately days 14-28 of your cycle) and I started getting a headache. I was like, wow, it's been a long time since I've had a headache! I put on the cream and it went away!

One of the other benefits from progesterone is weight-loss. While using it hasn't made me lose weight, it has allowed me to lose it. What I mean is that when I stopped pumping (i.e. producing milk) last February 1st, I gained weight obscenely quickly. I'm not sure if someone had sat on their butt all day eating bon bons they could have gained faster than me. I was chasing around my active 9.5 month old son and hardly having time to eat, so talk about feeling depressed - I was so horrified at how fast I gained 10 lbs (two weeks) so one day I ate only a couple of bites of food and that was it all day. When I stepped on the scale the next morning I had gained an additional 5 pounds (which stayed on so it wasn't just water weight)! Can you say messed up?! Needless to say, I just ate normally after that and exercised when I could, but although I didn't gain anymore, I didn't lose any either. I could tell losing weight was going to be harder than it ever had before - I could literally feel that my metabolism had slowed down and was fighting against me. But in October, I felt like my body was on my side again and, sure enough, I lost 7 lbs. easily by eating healthy & exercising regularly. I'm still working to lose the rest of the weight that I gained a year ago, but I actually feel it's possible now and have no doubt I will if I "follow the rules."

In my post Can Progesterone Be The Solution?, I gave a link to a website that gives signs to know if you're low on progesterone: http://www.hormone-healthy.com/Symptoms_of_low_Progesterone.htm

I have searched and searched for anything negative regarding progesterone cream but can't find anything. The only side effect reported for someone who might have "too much progesterone" is being too relaxed/tired. So, if you're experiencing anything on the above list, I recommend you ask your doctor to test your progesterone levels to see if you are even a tiny bit low. Remember (for those who read my previous post about progesterone), there could be factors why the cream may not work - so get everything tested to make sure you give the progesterone cream a fair shot. Because, I tried it for a brief couple of months several years ago and it didn't work. The recommendation is to give it at least three months, but I say six months. Organic cream is most successful - it can be bought over-the-counter at any pharmacy or purchased online (I bought mine from the website, Emerita). Price is $29-39, depending on the size of bottle. . .for me, the $29 size lasted 4 months and the $39 size lasts 8 months, so budget is roughly $60 a year ($5 a month - worth it to eliminate pain)!

*I was NOT paid to write this post - this is my own opinion

Can Progesterone Be The Solution?

In my post, I ♥ This Age, I mentioned that I started using progesterone two weeks ago for two main reasons: 1) I have a history of bad menstrual cramps (as in, I didn't think labor was painful because I am used to the exact same feeling when I'm having my period) and 2) My mood has never been as excellent as it was when I was pregnant & breastfeeding (despite having severe nausea when I was pregnant and back pain). When I was done breastfeeding I had my first & only dose of the "baby blues" (my son was 10 months old). These are two of the top benefits of progesterone - typically when a woman has a good amount of progesterone she does not experience cramps nor depression (unless there is an obvious reason).

But there is another benefit of progesterone as well - if a woman experiences migraine headaches.

Growing up, I was a healthy child. I had my share of colds, the chickenpox, and other usual viruses - but nothing serious. I had fantastic attendance at school, and this continued in college, aside from a month when I had mono. Every now and then I had severe menstrual cramps or a headache - but, they occurred two or three days a year. For the most part, I always felt good.

In March 2002, two months before I graduated from college, I began having stomach pains (mainly at night) like I was having my period when I wasn’t. Sometimes they would be so bad that I’d wake up in the middle of the night and couldn’t go back to sleep because I was in so much pain. This continued for three months.

When I got married the following year (April 2003) I began experiencing headaches almost every day. I also began catching one virus after another, was so fatigued I thought I had chronic fatigue system, had insomnia for the first time in my life, had dyspareunia, and fell into what I thought was a post wedding depression. I figured this was "me" based on the changes in my life (I had just gotten married, moved from Iowa to Nebraska, started a new job, and was dealing with everything else that goes along with beginning a completely new life on my own for the first time). However, as the year went on, my symptoms became worse. Every night when I'd get home from work I'd have to lay on the couch. I couldn't force myself to do anything. I wasn't able to attend many social functions because I felt so miserable, and I still feel bad that I believe I ruined Joe's social life that year because he had to stay home on the evenings/weekends to take care of me!

The idea was thrown at me that it could be side effects from the birth control pill, but I was skeptical. I'd been on it briefly for no reason (April 2001-January 2002) and had no side effects (or so I thought. . .I now think the stomach pains I mentioned in the fifth paragraph of this post, which started two months after I went off the pill, were caused by my hormones which had gotten messed up while I was on the pill).

That fall those stomach pains returned. So, in December 2003 I decided to try a lower dose birth control pill. Instead of my symptoms getting better - they actually got worse and now I had a few additional: spotting between my period for the first time, severe bloating, flatulence, sudden weight gain, and most serious – chest pains. (An uncomfortable tightening of my chest.)

In January 2004 I woke up early one morning, feeling as if I had a heavy weight on my chest. It hurt really bad, unlike just the "uncomfortable chest pains" I’d had the previous month. I planned to go to the doctor that day, but it was gone before noon.

In February 2004 the chest pains seemed to occur every evening, and one night I woke up in the middle of the night because I couldn’t breathe. Ironically, that day Oprah had a show about freak fatalities – and one story was about a woman who died from a blood clot in her lung, caused by the birth control pill. Needless to say, the next day I went off the birth control pill completely. A few days later my hair stylist told me that one of her clients had lost her daughter who was my age due to a blood clot in her lung from the birth control pill. It's crazy that I suddenly went from hearing only positive stories about the pill to now everywhere I turned there was reinforcement that it was a good thing I'd gone off.

I was really shocked that my entire year of suffering could be linked to one little pill - but that was obviously the case because by March 2004 my symptoms from the past year were gone. I had not expected them to go from on to off like a light switch - but they did.

However, on March 16th I had something strange occur that I'll spare you and won't go into here. I'll just say that it prompted me to make an appt. on March 17th with a doctor in Omaha for the first time (my appt. was March 18th). She ran some tests and noticed there was an abnormality with my liver. (I learned that another side effect from the birth control pill can be damage to the liver.)

Fortunately, I had gone off the pill before damage was severe, and my liver began to heal. When I was retested in April 2004, my liver results were normal. I was finally "free!" I described it as walking around inside a thick fog for over a year but having it lift so that I could breathe again!

The only downside was that each month after I went off the pill, my menstrual cramps became worse. For the first time in my life, I had "labor pain" every month that lasted on & off for two weeks (but no stomach pains at any other time of the month or any other complaints after going off the pill).

 I met my OBGYN in Omaha for the first time in May 2004 and she recommended I try a different form of birth control (like the shot). The idea just didn't sit well with me, though. Side effects are least common with the pill - so if I experienced them with that, I didn't want to take the chance with something even stronger. As horrible as my cramps were, I just couldn't risk going back to all of the other symptoms that (as far as I was concerned) had ruined my first year of marriage.

It's a good thing I didn't try the shot because I have since learned that the more you mess with different forms of birth control, the more your body's chemistry is messed up so then it's even harder/longer for your body to get healthy.

During this time my mom was going through menopause and was learning a lot about hormones. She had me meet with her nurse practitioner and get my hormones tested. I was deficient in progesterone. I wrote about the problems that can occur when a woman is low in progesterone in my post, Returning To Normal (Is That A Good Thing?) For signs on low progesterone, click here.

I was introduced to over-the-counter progesterone cream which I used infrequently from August 2004 until January 2005 - that month I used it religiously (because I hadn't noticed an improvement with my menstrual cramps yet). But, I had one of the worst periods of my life. It was so debilitating that I had to cancel my whole day to stay in bed – I was in too much pain to even sleep. I tried the heating pad and lost count of my intake of Ibuprofen – nothing seemed to help. I remember calling my husband at work, crying, because I didn’t think I could take anymore pain. I was convinced that something was definitely wrong with me and I was desperate for answers. My OBGYN had told me the previous year that I had a tilted uterus, but so do 25% of women and some don't have menstrual cramps at all!

In February 2005 I had another off-the-charts awful period – so, I gave up on the progesterone cream.

In March 2005 I began experiencing the stomach pains not around my period again. (This was the only symptom I'd had both on the pill and off.) I woke up in the night with what felt like a heavy weight in my abdomen. I went to my mom’s nurse practitioner again who did some tests which showed I had copper & aluminum toxicity. (Guess what? When I looked up side effects of the birth control pill again, one of those was high copper levels! The pill contains copper so it's actually copper toxicity that causes all of the side effects!) My levels were higher than she’d ever seen aside for one 75-year-old man. (It is very possible that since I was also experiencing a rash on my finger at this time - where I wear my wedding ring that contains copper - that extra exposure from my ring is why the very first pain I reported here in March 2002 occurred a month after I became engaged. I simply had an overdose of copper from the pill in combination with my ring.) We are all exposed to metals such as copper almost daily, but if our body is healthy, it regulates them. My test showed that my cortisol levels were off the charts, indicating that my system was too stressed to keep my body regulated.

The nurse practitioner theorized that may be why the progesterone cream wasn’t helping, as when people have high levels of metals in their system, the body sometimes rebels to added hormones. She suggested I go through a detox program. . .but in May 2005 I had my annual appointment. My OBGYN explained to me about endometriosis, a condition that she thought I might have. She gave me pamphlets to read and suggested I make an appointment for a laparoscopy surgery to find out what exactly was causing all of my pain. At first I didn’t think I could have something as serious as endometriosis: a reproductive disease where the lining of the uterus grows on the outside rather than the inside. If not treated, endometriosis can cause infertility (as in 35% of cases). But the more I read, the more I couldn’t deny that I had every single symptom.

In July 2005 after two months of researching, reading, and talking to people about endometriosis, I became comfortable with the idea of surgery. After another incredibly intense painful period that kept me in bed all day, I decided it was ridiculous to put it off any longer. I had the surgery on August 26, 2005.

Fortunately, I was not one of the 7 million women in the United States to be diagnosed with endometriosis. My reproductive area was considered clean and healthy by my doctor (no cysts or fibroid tumors either, which she was also looking for) - in fact, she said I looked better than what they're taught in medical school that we should look like.

But unfortunately, this meant I didn't have an answer. For Dyspareunia and Dysmenorrhea (the two medical terms of what I had), many times labor/giving birth can reposition the uterus so that the pain naturally goes away for those whose reason is their tilted uterus, or there is a procedure called the UpLift, where the uterus is purposely positioned "correctly" by doctors.

But since I didn't plan to get pregnant for another two years, I decided to try detox for the copper toxicity. I met with a metal detox specialist on November 3, 2005 and began the program, hoping to get a "clean slate." The specialist claimed it would allow my adrenal system to become healthy again and to regulate metals on its own so that I wouldn't develop toxicity ever again. Most of all, to relieve my pain.

The detox was a diet and supplement program (this was also incase maybe the colon, located just under the reproductive system, was reacting to hormones during the menstrual cycle). Aside from the many bottles that the detox specialist gave me to drink each day to rid my body from copper & aluminum, the program also included daily intake of fish oil, evening primrose oil, magnesium, zinc, and vitamins B, C, E. The diet meant avoiding dairy, wheat, citrus, chocolate, fried foods, alcohol, and caffeine - and increasing fiber.

Sadly, I found there to be no improvement (except that ever since my laparoscopy I hadn't experienced the cramps inbetween my cycle). Two of my periods I was in so much pain that I was sweating and nearly passed out. I had to refer to leftover painkillers from my surgery. I essentially "gave up" after a few months. From then on, on my worst day I would take a leftover painkiller from my surgery. My last one was the month before I conceived my son during the summer of 2007.

For awhile I was optimistic that pregnancy/childbirth had in fact cured my Dysmenorrhea (the severe menstrual cramps). I had my first period when my son was almost 6 months old and for the next six months I either didn't have ANY cramps at all (I was completely caught off guard when my period would start) or just had mild cramps.

But once my son reached a year, my labor-like menstrual cramps returned as if they'd never stopped. (Thankfully I haven't had Dyspareunia since he was born - I believe childbirth did help with that one.)

(I should note that I tested low for progesterone during my first trimester of pregnancy, so I was prescribed suppositories. This was my third time for having my progesterone checked and each time I was low.)

I considered the progesterone cream again twice (but didn't actually go through with it) - once during a three week period when my son was 4 months old when I felt a shift in my mood for the first time all year, as if my period was coming on (which it did 1.5 months later) and then again when he was 10 months old when I had a month of depression (after I stopped breastfeeding). It really made sense that my hormones could be to blame for the cramps. After all, why else would "that area" feel PERFECT the entire time I was pregnant and breastfeeding? Absolutely nothing else changed except my hormones. And why else would my doctor perform surgery and not be able to see a cause? Also, I had suddenly gained 15 lbs. when I stopped breastfeeding, despite me being more active than ever (chasing my now-mobile son around) and eating less (I had less time to eat and less of an appetite once I stopped producing milk). Finally, aside from the three week period when my son was 4 months old, my mood was on a "high" (consistantly better than it'd ever been in my life) until I stopped producing milk when he was 9.5 months old. I hoped that the detox program from 3-4 years prior had reduced my copper levels and so if I ever wanted to try progesterone cream again it might work.

When my son was 15 months old I began experiencing the stomach cramps inbetween periods again - and migraine headaches for the first time in 5 years. During those 5 years I had felt very healthy again (hadn't experienced any of the problems that I'd had while on the pill. Other than the menstrual cramps I had felt excellent for five years) and had very few headaches (absolutely none after my sixth week of pregnancy and the entire time I was breastfeeding) and the few I did have were mild and able to be relieved with an ibuprofen, caffeine, or sleep.

But these headaches became frequent, long lasting (often up to 12 hrs), and made me so incredibly nauseous I was sure I'd throw up. Nothing I did (including ice packs) or took helped.

At first I wasn't sure if I was having migraines. I'd always heard that a person is sensitive to sound or light and that they may "see" things. None were my case. But on September 6, 2009 I woke up at 5:30 am to a piercing in my head. Normally these headaches were throbbing and pulsating all over my entire head (which is a sign of a migraine). This time I didn't have a headache, but every couple of minutes it felt like someone was sticking a pin on the right side of my brain! It was very scary. I immediately got online to research whether this could be a sign of something serious and if I needed to go to the doctor right away. I have an appt. scheduled at the end of this month (the week before my annual OBGYN appt.) for a physical and to get my cholesterol and other stuff checked, so I will be discussing these headaches with my doctor then. (Knock on wood, I haven't had one the past week.)

Right now it appears that it's not serious but that I am indeed suffering from migraines. The month of August 2009 I had one almost every day - it was awful. One night it was so bad I almost went to the hospital.

I didn't realize there are often signs before a migraine develops:

■Feelings of elation or intense energy
■Cravings for sweets
■Thirst
■Drowsiness
■Irritability or depression

What is a migraine? During a migraine attack, the temporal artery enlarges. (The temporal artery is an artery that lies on the outside of the skull just under the skin of the temple.) Enlargement of the temporal artery stretches the nerves that coil around the artery and causes the nerves to release chemicals. The chemicals cause inflammation, pain, and further enlargement of the artery. The increasing enlargement of the artery magnifies the pain.

I didn't realize that some people can experience migraines without a headache. For example, also during the month of August I kept joking to Joe that I had vertigo. I kept feeling like the world was spinning (but I didn't feel sick - just weird - in fact, one day I had him call me every hour because I was worried I'd faint). Now I've learned that vertigo is a form of migraine so many people who have the headaches also suffer from vertigo!

Migraine afflicts 28 million Americans, with females suffering more frequently (17%) than males (6%). (This is why progesterone may have something to do with it - progesterone is "the female hormone." The birth control pill lowers it so that a woman won't ovulate. Obviously men should have their hormones tested, too, and possibly they are deficient in something else.) Causes and cures seem to be very sketchy and disappointing (nothing causes or cures them for sure, nor does the same thing work for everyone), but experts do think there is a genetic link. I don't know of any blood relatives who have had migraines, except that my great grandma (maternal grandmother's mom) had severe headaches for many years that caused her clinical depression.

On August 29th, 2009 (11 days after my son turned 16 months old), I began consistently using an organic brand of progesterone cream (Emerita). Directions say to apply 1/4 tsp of the lotion twice a day from day 14-28 to an area of your body (I put it on my stomach, but some women put it on their breasts, hips, or thighs). For women like me who have irregular periods and are taking it for bad cramps, their nice & helpful customer service representative recommended using it until my period starts - and even during if it helps with cramps. Experts say it often takes three months for progesterone cream to work. So, I will let you know whether there is an improvement with my cramps and headaches the end of November. (Thankfully my mood has been stable since the month after I stopped breastfeeding, but I can report already that my mood is better than it usually is when my period is ready to start - today is day 29 for me but I've had no signs.) Otherwise, my only other option for the cramps after I'm done having children is a hysterectomy. For migraines, there are prescription medications, but ever since I was on the pill I seem to have side effects now with everything - so I would prefer this natural route!

I believe that as my hormones began to change after I stopped breastfeeding, my progesterone began to dip lower and lower and lower which is what caused first - my depression, second - my weight gain, third - my cramps, and now fourth - migraines. Once my progesterone is at an adequate level hopefully I won't have to deal with any of these things ever again!!!