This article may contain affiliate links; if you click on a shopping link and make a purchase I may receive a commission. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Wait… what???? What the heck Alison, this is not a cool gadget for the home, a beauty product, or a silk pillowcase. Are you really hocking progesterone cream on your blog?
Yes, yes I am. Because Emerita Pro-Gest Cream is my new BFF.
I mentioned before my issues since getting an IUD and how my “new normal” still wasn’t that enjoyable. I had become a walking Midol ad, and on top of that was dealing with insomnia, irritability, and the return of migraines.
If you follow me on Snapchat (which you should!) you may have noticed my diet and the supplements I have been taking. Around February, Karl started reading the book Foods That Fight Pain and convinced me for one month to change my diet to be more in line with the book. I ended up cutting out most dairy, all meat except seafood, most wheat (I knew it was an issue from my Whole30 experience but had been ignoring my body), and cut out all alcohol except the occasional white wine and even rarer vodka. We began having a plant-based vegan protein shake once a day, and started taking Hanah One, borage oil, and B6 along with our multivitamins and my fish oil pills. I felt a difference within a week, and it was a far more positive and transformative experience than my experience with Whole30.
Anyway, in Foods That Fight Pain, there was mention of progesterone cream. Karl mentioned it in April, and I started doing research on it which led me down an internet rabbit hole and had me ordering Dr. John Lee's book, What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Premenopause for my Kindle. Coincidentally I experienced insomnia that evening and gobbled up the first few chapters before the sun rose. Only halfway through the book, I went on Amazon, read pages of reviews, and ordered myself a tube of Emerita Pro-Gest Cream.
Since then, I have applied the cream almost every evening to my skin. I take it once my period stops until a couple days before the next one starts. I started with a teaspoon-sized dollop twice a day, but after a couple weeks went down to just at night, and now am down to a pea-sized amount. Sometimes I do it on my wrists, inner forearms and up into the crooks of my elbows. Sometimes I rub it on my stomach. I regularly deal with heavy achy breasts before my period and when I do I’ll rub it that night onto my breasts. I’ve rubbed it on my thighs, my neck, you pretty much want to put it on the thinner skin, places where you naturally flush.
Within a week, I felt calmer. I was sleeping better, not waking up as often and when I did, it was easier to fall back asleep. I haven’t had a migraine since. But the biggest change is my periods. I started the cream right after a period and if it weren’t for my Period Tracker app on my phone, I would have hardly noticed my next one was coming. While that period was still heavy and long, the next month my period went down to five days and after the first day was light enough that I didn’t have to use any protection overnight. I have fewer food cravings and no more breakouts on my chin, but I don’t know if it’s this or the change in my diet (and in the case of my skin, if it’s the change in my skincare).
Before you take my word on it, I recommend you go down your own internet rabbit hole and do research. Read the book (FYI the last half to third is all about specific women’s issues so if you don’t have them you really don’t have to keep reading), read other books and articles, read the negative reviews and warnings online, ask your doctor. Don’t take a blogger’s post (or all the reviews on Amazon) as some sort of gospel.
I’m writing this not so you’ll run out and buy a tube, but because you may be like me and not know that there’s such a product out there and may think you’re just stuck feeling the way you do.
Sure, as we get older our bodies change and we’ll feel more aches, pains, and have issues. But some of them are preventable. The changes I’ve made this year with diet and supplements may seem extreme but they were easier to deal with and maintain than any diet I have tried in the past. I haven’t lost a significant amount of weight, but at 41, my goal isn’t to be thin or wear a certain dress size. It’s to have the most enjoyable life I can have and experience things fully. I didn’t realize I was in a fog until I started making these changes, I didn’t realize I didn’t have to deal with pain and discomfort, and much I didn’t even realize I was experiencing until it was gone.
What can be a miracle for one may be seen as snake oil for another. But when it comes to your health, your happiness, and your daily comfort it’s not about pleasing others. We’re too old to care what others think, especially when it comes to our health. If you aren’t feeling your best, don’t chalk it up to age. Do some research. You’ll research for the best price on a car, you’ll research what to wear to a 7pm wedding in Texas that says, “festive cocktail,” you’ll research how to make a carb-free version of your favorite dessert. Next time you get on Google, research that twinge, that ache, that issue. You never know, there may be a simple solution that will completely change your life.
As for using Emerita Pro-Gest Cream, it’s like a thick body lotion. It claims to be fragrance-free, but it has a bit of a scent that smells a bit like… like a medicinal cream. It smells a bit like a hospital, a bit like something minty, some say it smells a bit like wheat. I didn’t notice the scent until after a couple of weeks, but the scent goes away. Karl has never noticed the scent. It absorbs well, it’s not a lot you use so there’s no sticky or tacky finish. I keep it on my bedside table and apply it at night after my lip balm and almond oil. Each person is different and uses it for different symptoms, it’s something you should discuss with your doctor and adjust to what is best for you. Reading all the online reviews and the book helped me have a better conversation with my doctor. Remember the oxygen mask scenario – you need to take care of yourself first to be able to properly care for others. But also, take care of yourself because YOU DESERVE IT!
PS I would advise commenter Sonia to wean off the conventional prescription hormones and get on the Pro-Gest and get a prescription for bioidentical estriol vaginal cream filled at a compounding pharmacy.
One commenter warned those with breast cysts or risk factors for breast cancer to think twice about using this product. I had uncountable breast cysts for many years, but after a few years on Pro-Gest for my PMS symptoms, the cysts resolved. I also had ovarian cysts, and they resolved. I had a very “establishment” gynecologist who was always advising me to stop using it and get on synthetic hormones, but even she admitted the Pro-Gest was what resolved my cysts! She said, “Clearly it was the Pro-Gest, but I can’t recommend it.” (And that is especially sad since she also teaches at a prestigious medical school.) Dr John Lee said it is actually a cancer preventer and recommended women use it for as long as they live. And that is my plan! I’ve been using it for about 25 years. It got me through the worst PMS years, gave me a completely uneventful perimenopause and is now taking me through the menopause years.
Fantastic, thank you for sharing this Genie!
I would think twice before using this is you have a family history of breast cancer or have had breast cysts.
Although it’s not prescription, it is a hormone that causes your breast tissue to change.
Allie, it’s great to read about these topics on your blog. I’m now 52 and hoping I’m very close to menopause as the periods are getting lighter and further apart, but boy, perimenopause can throw you for a loop! It had me thinking I was dying at some points, no exaggeration! (Or at the very least going crazy!) Symptoms can come and go. So many I don’t even want to list them but I think it’s an important subject to bring up.
But anyhow….. I wish I had known about progesterone cream earlier. I used it in my mid to later 40’s and it makes a big difference. I’m finding that I’m not needing it at the moment though. Perhaps my body is going through it’s next change.
I definitely recommend falling down that rabbit hole and doing some research. I found black currant seed oil and evening primrose oil have also helped me at certain points in this journey. Changes in diet will definitely help also. So keep on taking care of yourself and informing yourself the best you can, it will make things a lot easier.
I am also fighting a lot of the similar symptoms. My hubby, also a yoga instructor, is looking to try a different vegan shake. What brand are you currently using? Thanks!
We use Raw Protein & Greens by Garden of Life. We had a different one we liked but this one is available with the monthly subscription on Amazon for waaaaay less and it’s very similar in taste and texture. I make mine with almond milk and sometimes add juice if we have any.
Wow! Great post! I wish you had written it about eight years ago when I was on a desperate hunt to relieve my post menopausal symptoms. Although you focused on pre-menopausal symptoms, I think some of the relief methods could be used for post symptoms as well. I suffered a great deal during those days as did my poor husband. I finally found relieve in a Rx hormone patch, Vivelle, which has helped a great deal and I’ve been using ever since. But, I’d like to get off it and work towards a more natural homeopathic solution. Your tips made me question my current solution and think about giving alternative solutions a shot to relieve my insomnia, infrequent sweats, mood swings and migraines. Thank you.
Glad I clicked on the link – I think the world of Dr Barnard and have couple of his books (Food for Life and healthy vegan).
Longtime reader. I have a question for you, why didn’t you go with a Mirena ( Progesterone) only IUD? I have one myself. Can’t have any estrogen or hormones in my blood stream after suffering a DVT and pulmonary embolism two years ago caused by being on the BC pill. Both my gyno and hemotologist recommended Mirena as the safest alternative to me. My experience has been great. Its been just over a year and I have only spotting instead of a period and it lasts only a day or two (only need a panty liner)…only slight cramps and has had no effect on my migraines (big suffer since age 10,,,take Topamax 400mg a day). My Gyno said that she recommends it for women with heavy periods that are premenopausal all the time (and to women in general all the time). I know everyone is different….but this was the best choice I made. Relatively hormone free as it effects just your lady business and not your whole body and keeps the rest of your body sane. I wish you the best of luck and have a great road trip!
After my experiences on birth control talking with my doctor we decided Paragard was the best choice for me as it is completely hormone free. I’m glad you have had a great experience! I think a lot of my issues are less IUD-related as my symptoms are not typical for an IUD, but that of my age, the stress on my body from the surgeries, weight, and premenopause. Now that everything is regulated I feel great! Thank you! 🙂