Progesterone is made naturally in the ovaries when women ovulate and also in the adrenal glands.

Cholesterol is changed through various enzymes into progesterone hormone. As the female body changes with age there is less ovulation until at menopause ovulation ceases.

There are natural creams with progesterone identical to what your body makes that you can use to support the low progesterone phases of your hormones.

Progesterone has many health giving properties and can be used in a natural bio-identical cream, or olive oil, or lozenge, or capsule form to help with some health situations.

Premenstrual headaches often relieve with magnesium and natural progesterone creams. Insomnia (poor sleep) during and after menopause can sometimes be helped markedly with a prescription for natural progesterone capsules at night.

Progesterone helps the cardiovascular system stay healthy and helps keep cholesterol in good healthy forms and at good levels.

Progesterone may lower total serum cholesterol and increase the HDL (high density lipoprotein) or good cholesterol and lower the low density LDL and triglycerides.

Bladder problems, vaginal dryness and hot flushes - even though in the main they are due contributed to by a lack of estrogen when occurring peri-menopause - can be helped by the use of natural progesterone creams.

Hair loss occurring post-menopause associated with more hair on the face and less on the hairline can sometimes be helped with natural progesterone creams.

Because progesterone balances the effects of excess estrogen it can help to actually prevent breast cancer, uterine cancer (endometrial) and help inhibit the growth of prostate cancer cells in men.

In endometriosis (proliferation of uterine tissue in the pelvic area with congestion and pain) it is worth considering some natural progesterone to balance the effects of estrogen on stimulating endometriuma (uterine lining cells that are growing outside the uterus and causing problems).

Progesterone does increase your metabolism and help weight loss. Progesterone can get fat (adipose) tissue to turn into energy and be used up. Isn’t that great!

Fibromyalgia or an aching body often responds to progesterone treatment. Bone cells are stimulated by progesterone and thus it can help in preventing and possibly rebuilding the bone in osteoporosis.

Anxiety often happens with a lack of progesterone. The brain and the blood-brain-barrier health are protected and helped by progesterone. Post natal depression can be helped in some cases with using natural progesterone after having the baby. Irritability can happen when your progesterone is abnormally low.

Head injury recovery, nerve sheaths and nerves themselves can benefit from progesterone in the right circumstances.

You can restore normal sleep cycles in women with the correct use of natural progesterone.

Fibrocystic breasts can be helped with natural progesterone to balance out the estrogen excess. It may take 3-4 menstrual cycles to balance out the breast cysts using the progesterone. Evening Primrose oil can help too.

Short menstrual cycles with a short time between mid-cycle and the menstrual period can sometimes be helped by using progesterone to naturally lengthen the cycle out again.

Women with recurrent miscarriage sometimes use progesterone to help maintain the uterus lining so it does not shed prematurely and maintains a pregnancy.

Polycystic ovaries and benign ovarian cystic disease are sometimes helped with the use of natural progesterone. Uterine fibroids also benefit from balancing with progesterone so that you don’t have excess estrogen dominance.

Excess androgens like types of testosterone (dihydrotestosterone) can be balanced in adult female acne by using natural progesterone to help the skin. The same goes for cases of seborrhea (pimples along the oily side of nose and eyebrow area).

You can see from the above that it is potentially an incredibly useful substance in the body.

As a holistic medical practitioner I do a lot of work measuring the progesterone levels with blood and sometimes saliva testing looking for active levels of progesterone at different times of the menstrual cycle for women, or when post menopause help check and balance symptoms such as vaginal dryness, hot flushing, sleep and mood problems.

If you would like to review your health and the role natural progesterone may play in your health you are welcome to come and see me for an appointment - you can book online. There is an easy online booking system. For those of you who are new to the system please register first then follow the easy directions.

If you are a woman who is feeling stressed and down pre-menstrually or anxious and poor sleep around the menopause it is definitely worth getting your hormones checked.