progesterone pregnancy

Natural Progesterone & Pregnancy

Proper levels of natural progesterone is critical to a woman who is trying to become and maintain a pregnancy. Progesterone prepares the uterine wall for implantation of the fertilized egg. Without adequate progesterone, the egg will be expelled.

Natural Progesterone treatment can also be used to induce fertility when there appears to be ovulation problems:

• Progesterone makes Possible the Survival of the Fertilized Egg
• Maintains the Secretory Endometrium which Feeds the Ovum & Resultant Embryo
• Progesterone Surge at Ovulation is the Source of Libido or sex drive.

Before you begin the expensive and often unsuccessful process of working with a fertility clinic, read Dr. Lee's first book, "What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Menopause", which will give you a detailed look at how your hormones work.

Dr. Lee had a number of patients in his practice who had been unable to conceive. For two to four months he had them use natural progesterone from days 5 to 26 in the cycle (stopping on day 26 to bring on menstruation). Using the progesterone prior to ovulation effectively suppressed ovulation. After a few months of this, he had them stop progesterone use. If you still have follicles left, they seem to respond to a few months of suppression with enthusiasm -- the successful maturation and release of an egg. His patients, some of whom had been trying to conceive for years, had very good luck conceiving with this method.

Because progesterone is essential to prevent the premature shedding of the supportive secretory endometrium, a significant drop in progesterone levels or blockade of progesterone receptor sites during the first 10 - 12 weeks of pregnancy may result in the loss of the embryo (miscarriage).

Women with a history of miscarriage should begin using progesterone cream as soon as they know they have ovulated, to supplement their own progesterone and offset any environmental estrogen effects. (Using progesterone before ovulation can create a hormonal signal that tells the brain not to ovulate).If you want to be pregnant and you're using progesterone cream, it's very important to keep using progesterone cream until you find out whether you're pregnant. (You can take a pregnancy test a few days after your period would normally be due.) The sudden drop in progesterone levels created if you stop using the cream can cause what is, in effect, an abortion, by bringing on menstruation. Note: The addition of large amounts progesterone after a possible miscarriage might prevent the natural expulsion of the fetus endangering the life of the mother. If a problem is suspected see your health practitioner.

If you find out that you are not pregnant, stop taking the progesterone on day 28 of your cycle or whenever the last day of your cycle normally occurs. If you are pregnant, keep using the progesterone every day in normal doses. It's fine to use it throughout your pregnancy, and it's important not to stop it suddenly until your third trimester when the placenta is making so much that it won't notice if there's a drop of 15 to 30 mg a day. Research by British hormone researcher Katherina Dalton, M.D., indicates that babies born to mothers who used natural progesterone during pregnancy are normal--and, in fact, are larger, calmer, and smarter. Also in her 1968 study she found that none of the women receiving antenatal progesterone experienced toxemia during the pregnancy. In her control group, more than half experienced toxemia. Used from conception to delivery, applied primarily to abdomen, breast, low back, and upper thighs progesterone will tend to prevent the skin from stretching. The cream is also useful for post partum depression which many women experience after childbirth.