"Natural" progesterone cream sold over the counter, is
gaining in popularity among women looking for relief from
symptoms of menopause or PMS.
Wall Street Journal
August 30, 2005
I was recently interviewed by the Wall Street Journal to
discuss the safety and effectiveness of natural or
bio-identical progesterone cream for treatment of symptoms
associated with menopause and PMS. To expand on this article,
I'd like to offer the following insight...
Over 38 million American women are now entering pre-
menopause or menopause and they are seeking alternative
solutions to treat the symptoms associated with PMS and
Menopause. The problem is that medical studies, including the
Women's Health Initiative, have shown that synthetic hormones
increase a woman's risk of heart attacks, stroke, breast and
uterine cancer, and Alzheimer's. Commonly prescribed synthetic
hormones such as Premarin or Prempro, are a potential poison
to women and significant changes must be made in the ways
patients are advised and treated by their physicians.
It is important to recognize that natural / bio- identical
progesterone is very different from synthetic progestin.
Progesterone has the same molecular structure as the hormones
produced in the human body and the body recognizes it.
Progestin is a synthetic drug whose molecular structure is
different, thus triggering dangerous side effects in the body.
Natural / bio-identical progesterone can be dispensed in
capsules, tablets, gel caps, suppositories (vaginal or rectal)
sublingual drops and creams. Topical creams have been shown to
be the most effective mode of administration. When
human-identical progesterone is applied topically, it is
absorbed transdermally (through the skin) immediately into the
bloodstream and then distributed and utilized in progesterone
target tissues. Transdermally absorbed progesterone works
within the body in essentially the same manner as the
progesterone that is endogenously secreted (produced within
the body) to enter the blood stream directly.
In contrast, oral routes of administration have been found
to be much less effective. When progesterone comes into the
body through the mouth it must go to the liver first to be
metabolized, where some of the progesterone is lost in bile.
What remains is then metabolized into more than thirty-five
different biochemical substances before it can enter the
bloodstream. Very simply, cream formulations of
human-identical progesterone are much more effective than oral
dosage forms. Transdermal absorption allows the body to
receive, recognize, and utilize human-identical progesterone
in exactly the same manner it would the progesterone produced
by the body's own ovaries. Biochemically speaking, you
couldn't ask for anything better.
You can buy some form of "natural" Progesterone cream
over-the-counter in most health food stores. The good news is
that it is available. The bad news is that you don't always
know what you are getting. Most of the product labels do not
specify whether or not they meet the following criteria for
product excellence.
- Is the progesterone truly human-identical?
- Is the concentration appropriate for you?
- Do the hormones used in the formulation meet the United
States Pharmacopoeia gold standards for quality and purity?
- Was the progesterone product actually compounded under
the strict guidelines approved by the National Association
of Compounding Pharmacists?
- Is the concentration of oil in the cream formulation one
that will promote or inhibit transdermal absorption?
One main question you may have is why you haven not heard
more about natural / bio-identical progesterone cream before
now. If it is safe and more effective than synthetic
substitutes, why isn't your doctor prescribing it as an option
to you?
It really boils down to two things. Lack of knowledge by
the consumer and the general practice physician and the
ability of major pharmaceutical companies to twist and
manipulate the idea of hormone replacement to capitalize on a
business opportunity. You see, since synthetic HRT is produced
in a lab and has a genetically modified structure, it can be
patent. This allows for the big drug companies to market and
sell this product exclusively, thus creating profits.
Since natural / bio-identical progesterone cream is
molecularly the same structure as what the body produces, it
cannot be patent. Big pharmaceutical companies would not
market such a product as it gives them no exclusivity to
profits.
The pharmaceutical industry also continues to be the top
funder of specialty forums and continuing medical education
meetings for doctors. They also offer physicians some nice
perks, such as dinners, fishing trips and sporting event
tickets. Credible or questionable, the dollars the
pharmaceutical companies spend gets them the ear of the
physician.
It really comes down to business dollars versus patient
care. The good news is that the consumer may soon have more
power than the pharmaceutical industry. They now realize that
they may be faced with a difficult decision when it comes to
symptoms versus treatment. They are looking for alternatives
because an all or nothing scenario doesn't work for them.
Natural / bio-identical progesterone cream has been proven
safe and effective time and time again, when compared to it's
synthetic counterpart.
Smart, informed and demanding women are finding their voice
and they want data that they can believe and trust.
Until next time... stay smart, stay informed, and
continue to be a voice for your health.
Dr. Randolph
As a woman enters her
mid-thirties and until she is in her late forties, she can be
said to be pre-menopausal. A woman in this lifecycle is in her
middle reproductive years. It is during these years that the
balance of hormones produced by the endocrine system first
begins to shift. Progesterone, the "feel good" hormone, is the
first hormone to decline and drops 120 times more rapidly than
estrogen.
