Natural Progesterone Cream Side Effects

Natural progesterone cream is a safe and effective form of hormone therapy. However, there's such a thing as too much of a good thing, and, just because it's natural, doesn't mean it can't cause problems. Side effects of natural progesterone cream are caused by using too much. While using the cream, get your hormone levels tested every six months to ensure this doesn't become a problem for you.

Sleepiness

• The least problematic side effect of using too much progesterone cream is sleepiness. This is a short-term effect caused by using too much of the cream at one time, as opposed to too much of it building up in your system.

  If you find yourself tired or yawning a lot while on the cream, it's a sign you may want to speak with your health care professional. He may reduce your dosage after taking appropriate tests.

Progesterone Overload

• Many women who start a progesterone cream treatment start it because they're experiencing the symptoms of low progesterone: fatigue, breast tenderness, low libido, bloating, mood swings, tiredness and vaginal dryness. When taking natural progesterone cream, if hormone levels aren't monitored, the cream can begin to build up in the system and, suddenly, these symptoms will return.

  Don't self-medicate. Because the symptoms of low progesterone and high progesterone are identical, the only way to know if you have too much or too little progesterone in your body is to have your hormone levels tested by a medical professional. If you think your progesterone is still too low and you take more, but your level isn't too low, you're only making your problem worse.

Adrenal Problems

• One of the more extreme side effects of too much natural progesterone cream is that it disrupts adrenal function. Your adrenals are the glands located above your kidneys that produce your “fight or flight” hormones, such as cortisol. According to Dr. Joseph Mercola, whose work in natural hormone therapy helped lay the foundation for current medical views on natural hormones, “When one first uses the cream, there is no problem here as the fat stores are very low. But as time goes on, the cream accumulates and contributes to disruption in the adrenal hormones such as DHEA, cortisol, and testosterone.”

  It's his view, and the view of others, including those at WomentoWomen.com, that adrenal issues should always be addressed before adding natural progesterone cream. In many cases, solving an underlying adrenal issue makes progesterone cream unnecessary.