Why I need progesterone

Progesterone plays an amazing role as a hormone balancer. But did you know that progesterone’s benefits, in both genders, don’t stop in the hormone department. Lets look at just a few of the other remarkable benefits that progesterone has in our body:

• Promotes healthy thyroid function. A healthy thyroid helps things like energy, mood, hair and weight, all be at their best.
• Progesterone increases the metabolism, which is responsible for how were convert food to energy and thus aids to managing a healthy weight and energy levels.
• Progesterone supports the balance of blood sugar levels
• Progesterone can normalize blood clotting, that means that it is helpful to more than just cramping during PMS, but clotting in the veins of both genders
• Progesterone stimulates the production of bone tissue cells, and helps with skin elasticity
• Progesterone promotes healthy sleep patterns
• Progesterone helps gums stay healthy and strong
• Progesterone is a natural diuretic
• Progesterone is known as the “happy hormone” it has also been shown to decrease depression and anxiety.
• Progesterone inhibits a chemical in the brain that is responsible for breaking down serotonin while enhancing the serotonin receptors. Serotonin is the feel good brain chemical.

*On a side note to the brain: Studies are being conducted that have shown that progesterone supports the normal development of neurons in the brain, and that the hormone has a protective effect on damaged brain tissue.

No doubt, you can see how progesterone is essential to a healthy balanced life. Get more info on the Serenity Lifestyle here.

Gynecologists have estimated that between 75-85 percent of women stuffer from at least 1 or more PMS symptoms a month (usually more). Some of theses symptoms are so severe that they are known as PMDD and can take over a woman’s life. To properly understand why PMS and PMDD occur and how progesterone can safely and effectively help, you must first understand how the monthly cycle works.

Though the female body makes many different hormones that help with the function of multiple organs, including the brain, every month there are two dominant hormones that control a women’s monthly reproduction cycle. These hormones are called estrogen and progesterone.

The start of a woman’s period marks day 1 of her monthly cycle.  This is when estrogen levels rise and are dominant until about day 14.  On or around day 14 the ovaries to release an egg to be fertilized (ovulation) which also releases progesterone.

This is the progesterone phase of the month.  Progesterone should now be the dominant hormone for days 14-28 of your menstrual month.  If the egg does not become fertilized, progesterone levels drop sharply, while there is a rise in estrogen levels, signaling the body to shed the lining of the uterus and the unfertilized egg (menstruation).
One very common reason women experience PMS and the even more extreme PMDD leading up to and at the start of their period, is due to estrogen being dominant during the progesterone phase of the month (days 14-28) ovulation to menstruation.

For support with PMS/PMDD symptoms:

Use 1/8^th teaspoon mornings and at bedtime days 14-28. The first day or your period marks day 1, two weeks from that is day 14 which is when ovulation begins, this is the day you start applying Serenity. When the egg is not fertilized within these two progesterone dominate weeks, this triggers menstruation to begin on or around day 28.

If symptoms are severe you may initially use a quarter teaspoon mornings and evenings. If your cycle is not a normal 28 day cycle, then use the Serenity on day 14 for two consecutive weeks then stop and wait for your period to begin. Once your period begins mark that as day 1 again and repeat the process until your cycle normalizes to approximately 28 days apart.

If at any time you start your period during the two weeks you are using Serenity, stop using the cream immediately, count that day as day 1, and start using the cream again on day 14. Serenity will not bring on a period if your body does not naturally require it.

Regulating your monthly cycle can take up to 3 months but will optimize your hormone balance and aid in reduced symptoms of PMS/PMDD.

Where to apply it?

Progesterone is very well absorbed through the skin when it is in a properly formulated cream, such as Serenity Bio-Identical Progesterone Cream, and unlike orally taken progesterone it is not intercepted by the liver.

Serenity should be applied to the supple skin areas of the body where it is easily delivered to the blood stream for use:

• Face
• Neck
• palms
• Vaginal tissue
• Feet

Apply your cream to different areas of “freshly bathed” skin each time.

Most women feel a difference within a few minutes of initial application, however, those who are exceptionally deficient in progesterone and struggling with too much estrogen, may require 3 months to achieve an optimum balance.

In an environment where nothing affected our hormone balance, a woman should naturally produce 22-25 mg of progesterone per day in the second half of her monthly cycle (days 14-28). An eighth teaspoon of Serenity contains 15 mg of bio identical progesterone, so one application in the morning and one in the evening will constitute approximately 30 mg per day.

Allowing for stress and environmental toxins, you can expect to achieve not less than 22-25 mg per day, the amount that should be produced naturally. For severe symptoms a quarter teaspoon twice per day may be applied. The amount of cream you use will be ultimately determined by how you are feeling and how you are responding. Each jar and tube contains more than 90 eighth-teaspoon applications.

On the subject of “Pregnancy & Hormones”, Encyclopedia Britannica states:

“Progesterone prepares the wall of the uterus so that the lining is able to accept a fertilized egg and so that the egg can be implanted and develop.  It also inhibits muscular contractions of the uterus that would probably cause the wall to reject the adhering egg.

When a fertilized egg becomes implanted in the uterus it will form a placenta.  The placenta then produces progesterone during the life of a normal pregnancy.  If the egg is not fertilized, progesterone is secreted by the ovaries (approximately two weeks) until a few days before menstruation, at which time the level of progesterone drops sufficiently to stop the growth of the uterine wall and to cause it to start to break down, and menstruation ensues.”

From the start of conception the ovaries primarily produce and increase the levels of progesterone. Around week 12 the placenta will start to produce its own progesterone until the day of birth when progesterone levels drop to zero at the same time of estrogen levels rising, which is what triggers labor. Many times when a woman does not have sufficient amounts of progesterone during the first tri-mester of pregnancy, her body will tell her to labor, commonly causing miscarriage or in later tri-mesters premature birth. In addition to insufficient progesterone and high amounts of estrogen, poor maternal health, hygiene, and nutrition can increase the likelihood of miscarriage and premature birth.

Bio-identical progesterone is a safe option for women who aren’t making enough of their own natural progesterone or who have high levels of estrogens due to environmental factors. Follow directions for use to not only increase fertility but to support early pregnancy and optimize your odds of having a healthy, full term pregnancy.

When a woman has a normal pregnancy, progesterone levels will increase uniformly from about 25-28 mg/day at conception to 350-400 mg/day at the end of a successful full-term pregnancy (40 weeks).

A drop in progesterone levels at any time during the pregnancy, especially during the first 11-12 weeks, will almost always result in miscarriage.

Serenity Progesterone Cream can be safely applied at the rate of 1/8th tsp twice daily at conception, increasing uniformly to 1/2 tsp twice daily at the end of week 18-19.  At this time, the placenta should assume progesterone production until week 40.  When it is time for the baby to be born progesterone levels will drop from about 400 mg/day to 0 mg/day, triggering the birth of the baby.

note: if you discontinue use at the end of week 18 or 19 and experience depression or just feel “out of sorts” this would indicate that the placenta has not assumed its role of sufficient progesterone production.  Because Serenity Creams are all plant-based and only contain American-made progesterone, you may resume the use of your cream until you discern that the placenta is now producing sufficient progesterone.

What If I No Longer Have A Monthly Cycle?

Many women, who no longer have a monthly cycle, whether due to menopause or to a hysterectomy, may also have very low amounts of progesterone versus estrogen levels. Since the ovaries at ovulation are the primary source of progesterone many menopausal women will commonly experience a drop to nearly zero in progesterone production.  At the same time women are receiving synthetic estrogens through their diet and personal care products, or even prescription HRT.

Stress is also a large contributing factor as it produces cortisol, which is a steroid hormone that can attach itself to hormone receptor sights adding to the hormonal imbalance known as estrogen dominance. Menopause is often treated as an estrogen deficiency instead of the progesterone deficiency that it actually is.

Here are some of the supportive benefits woman, in this phase of life, can receive from supplementing with bio-identical progesterone:

• Reduction of night sweats
• Improved sleep
• Increased libido/vaginal moisture
• Balanced thyroid
• Healthy weight
• Balanced Estrogen levels
• Improved bone density
• Mood enhancement

And even overall happiness, thats right, because of benefits progesterone has in the brain, its nickname is ‘the happy hormone’!

It’s easy to see why progesterone is essential to overall wellness on so many levels and a major component to the Serenity Lifestyle.

Menopause/ Hysterectomy

1/8th teaspoon twice a day, mornings and bedtime for 25-26 consecutive days. Discontinue for 5-6 days. If symptoms are severe you may increase this dosage to a quarter teaspoon twice a day for the first month, but monitor progress and decrease as symptoms ameliorate. Using Serenity will not restart your menstrual cycle, as menopause is marked by the release of your last egg.

Menopause (surgically induced) and are currently taking HRT:

This is not age dependent. 1/8th teaspoon twice a day, mornings and bedtime for 25-26 consecutive days. Discontinue for 5-6 days. If symptoms are severe you may increase this dosage to a quarter teaspoon twice a day for the first month, but monitor progress and decrease as symptoms ameliorate.

Osteoporosis:

The use of bio-identical progesterone that is in a plant based transdermal cream, will stimulate osteoblast production which results in new bone tissue growth. Most osteoporosis sufferers will be menopausal and should use an eighth teaspoon mornings and an eighth teaspoon at bedtime for 25-26 consecutive days of the month and then discontinue for 5-6 days.

Where to apply it?

Progesterone is very well absorbed through the skin when it is in a properly formulated cream, such as Serenity Bio-Identical Progesterone Cream, and unlike orally taken progesterone it is not intercepted by the liver.

Serenity should be applied to the supple skin areas of the body where it is easily delivered to the blood stream for use:

• Face
• Neck
• palms
• Vaginal tissue
• Feet

Apply your cream to different areas of “freshly bathed” skin each time.

Most women feel a difference within a few minutes of initial application, however, those who are exceptionally deficient in progesterone and struggling with too much estrogen, may require up to 3 months to achieve an optimum balance.

In an environment where nothing affects our hormone balance, a woman should naturally produce 22-25 mg of progesterone per day in the second half of her monthly cycle (days 14-28).  When you no longer ovulate, your ovaries significantly reduce or completely stop producing progesterone.

Use Serenity Creams at the rate of 1/8th teaspoon twice a day, mornings and bedtime for 25-26 consecutive days. Discontinue for 5-6 days.  If symptoms are severe you may increase this dosage to a quarter teaspoon twice a day for the first month, but monitor progress and decrease as symptoms ameliorate.

1/8th teaspoon of Serenity contains 15 mg of bio identical progesterone, so one application in the morning and one in the evening will constitute approximately 30 mg per day.  This little extra allows for the stresses of life.

Allowing for stress and environmental toxins, you can expect to achieve not less than 22-25 mg per day, the amount that should be produced naturally. For severe symptoms a quarter teaspoon twice per day may be applied for the first month. The amount of cream you use will be ultimately determined by how you are feeling and how you are responding. Each jar and tube contains more than 90 eighth-teaspoon applications.

It is also vitally important to identify and avoid environmental estrogens.