How To Reduce The Side Effects Of Progesterone Hormone Therapy

June 29, 2020

Progesterone is also known as Prometrium and is, by nature, a progestin. It falls under the classification of a female hormone and is responsible for several things. The hormone plays a crucial role in the menstrual cycle and is vital for both getting pregnant and maintaining the pregnancy. Additionally, the level of progesterone in individuals may vary. Most women maintain healthy standards; however, certain illnesses and conditions require external progesterone administration. While there are natural ways to increase your levels of progesterone, it’s also manufactured in a lab. Learn here what the symptoms of low progesterone are.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are several methods through which one can get their external dose of progesterone. It's available through injections that individuals can take once a day. If the needle sounds a little bit too intense, there are alternative methods that you can use that are much safer. These techniques are also available multiple times in the day, and they include a progesterone cream, a gel, suppository, or tablet. Tablets are the most common form of administration, and individuals have to take the dosage three times a day.  Additionally, there's a new technique that involves the use of progesterone capsules. These don't have FDA approval yet but are expecting to gain more traction in the coming years.

Why Take Progesterone?

When it comes to using progesterone, there are several reasons as to why women would take medicine. For women that suffer from irregular cycles, taking progesterone can induce periods. It also works effectively while treating any abnormal uterine bleeding related to a hormonal imbalance and is an effective counter of severe premenstrual symptoms. In these cases, progesterone is often taken orally, and in severe circumstances, it's administered via injection.

Confirmed Effective Reasons

Progesterone is also essential in the use of hormone replacement therapy and is used in conjunction with estrogen. This is because, without the administration of progesterone, there's a much higher risk of the individual suffering from the side effects of estrogen. These side effects also include an increased risk of cancer. Another common reason to take progesterone is a part of infertility treatment. Research on the subject matter suggests that the application of progesterone intravaginally and both injecting it through the muscle, showcase the same increase in pregnancy rates as oral administration. So, it becomes a matter of which particular method suits the patient the most. While these are categorizations for recognized and research-backed reasons women take progesterone, there are several other reasons why the hormone is taken.

Among these conditions include the treatment of endometrial hyperplasia. Endometrial hyperplasia refers to the abnormal thickening of the endometrium. It is thought that the application of progesterone in the vagina has a fair chance of preventing the occurrence of endometrial hyperplasia. Additionally, another train of thought supports the idea that progesterone's use may even result in the reversal of abnormal thickening of the endometrium.

Likely Effective Reasons

The use of progesterone is likely to help with mastodynia or breast pain. However, it only seems to be useful when dealing with non-cancerous breast disease. It's also commonly used to treat specific menopausal symptoms in women as well. In cream form, when applied to the skin, it will reduce symptoms of hot flashes, which menopausal women suffer quite frequently. Moreover, a small amount of research suggests that progesterone gel's application inside the vagina will help delay labor. It reduces the risk of premature delivery in women that are at high risk. However, a significant proportion of research also suggests that there's no impact.

Ineffective Reasons

These might be entirely sufficient reasons women take progesterone, but, in certain circumstances, it's taken despite research suggesting that it's ineffective. Primarily, it's proven to be ineffective when dealing with the withdrawal symptoms of certain drugs. These drugs include Valium, Xanax, and Restoril. Additionally, it's also shown to have no impact on the risk of miscarriage during the first trimester. It isn't useful in the form of an injection or as a steroid hormone. Specific clinical research might suggest that progesterone's application inside the vagina or the rectum may reduce PMS symptoms. Yet, studies state that the use of progesterone by mouth or rectally doesn't have an impact on PMS symptoms reduction.

Another common reason why women take progesterone is to ease the condition of vaginal irritation. The application of progesterone to the affected area will not improve vaginal irritation. There are a few other reasons behind why women take progesterone; however, the effectiveness of these hasn't been proven yet.

Unproven Effectiveness

Among these reasons is primarily the thought that the application of progesterone increases the exercise endurance of women. Its impact is similar to the effects of a steroidal drug. Additionally, a small amount of research indicates that the prolonged use of progesterone cream on the skin may help combat osteoporosis. The results get even better when the progesterone treatment is taken together with a combination of soy milk. Moreover, initial research indicates that the use of progesterone isn't effective at treating postpartum depression and pre-eclampsia. While there are also several other reasons why women may take progesterone, their effectiveness remains subject to future research.

Regardless of the reason, the benefits of taking progesterone are clear. It's proven to be effective at reducing the symptoms you face from a number of different conditions. At the same time, it's effective at suppressing certain conditions from happening as well. However, that doesn't mean there aren't any side effects.

 

Side Effects Of Progesterone

Before discussing progesterone's side effects, it needs to be clear that progesterone is clear for use by the FDA orally, as a cream, or as a shot. The only unapproved use remains as a progesterone capsule that's inserted vaginally.  However, all those that have been approved by the FDA are perfectly safe most people to use. That doesn't mean that there isn't any possibility of the user encountering side effects.

Direct Side Effects

These side effects include an upset stomach, appetite changes, weight gain, swelling, fluid retention, and swelling. More immediate symptoms may include fatigue, acne, drowsiness, insomnia, or an allergic skin reaction. It's especially recommended that individuals shouldn't take progesterone before going out to drive or doing anything that requires motor skills. Furthermore, there's also a chance that the administration of progesterone may lead to the development of symptoms that you would commonly find in PMS, altered menstrual cycle, irregular bleeding, and other different side effects. There are also specific special warnings where you shouldn't take progesterone under any circumstances.

Precautions

While it might be entirely safe for use as a part of infertility treatment and to prevent premature birth, it isn't the same case during pregnancies for any other purpose. There's also no reliable information that states progesterone isn't entirely safe to use when breastfeeding. The best thing to do is to stay on the safe side and avoid using progesterone during pregnancy.

 

Moreover, there are a few other significant conditions under which you should avoid taking progesterone. These include arterial disease, breast cancer, and depression. If you have a history of depression, or currently suffer from depression, it's best to consult your healthcare provider before starting any progesterone therapy.

How To Reduce Side Effects Of Progesterone?

While some women may not experience any side effects with the use of progesterone, there's a lot of women that do report troubles when taking progesterone. Most of these troubles arise because individuals decide to start their progesterone course without personally visiting a healthcare provider. This results in taking incorrect dosages or taking a form of progesterone that doesn't suit the individual.

 

Discuss with a healthcare provider

A patient may choose several different ways to administer the progesterone. However, the best way to avoid side effects is to discuss the options with a healthcare provider. Moreover, it's crucial to measure the progesterone levels in the individual before starting the progesterone course. Getting these results to give the healthcare provider an indicator of the patient's standards, and what form of treatment would suit them best.

 

Trial and Error Method

Additionally, if the patient isn't willing to take aid from a healthcare provider, the trial and error method is the best way of identifying which form of progesterone will suit you the best. The commonly available types of the hormone have all seen FDA approval, and are entirely safe for use. Each of the progesterone forms also come with dosage information that guides individuals on how to use the hormone properly.

 

Individual Side Effects

In the scenario that the individual has tried all forms of progesterone administration and are still experiencing the symptoms, their healthcare provider can provide them with several medicines. These medicines will work safely with the hormone to alleviate some of the more immediate symptoms like an upset stomach. Additionally, if the user is scared of taking too many drugs alongside the use of progesterone, they can turn towards the use of some natural remedies. These are entirely safe to use and don't interact with the drug in any way or form.

To reduce the impact of progesterone symptoms, healthcare providers also recommend an improvement in the diet. The use of the hormone will leave most users with an upset stomach at the very least.

Dietary changes that include the removal of caffeine, alcohol, and spicy foods can significantly improve the severity of specific symptoms. Moreover, for women that experience hot flashes after taking progesterone, there's relaxation training that can help make the condition much more manageable. In the case of fatigue or drowsiness, supplements work a treat in helping you feel more energized during your progesterone therapy.

However, the safest way to move forward is to take a natural supplement, or even find herbs that help increase levels. Make sure you run the supplement by your healthcare provider to ensure that there isn't any way it clashes with the progesterone. There are also significant advantages to the use of electrolytes. These help you combat several different symptoms by ensuring that your hydration levels are easy to maintain. You'll also feel more energetic throughout the day, and experience less of the fatigue that comes with taking progesterone.

Allergies

Moreover, another way to avoid any side effects is to ensure that you're not allergic to progesterone. Once you look at the label behind several progesterone products, you'll know that many other ingredients go into the product. It's crucial to identify whether you're allergic to any of the ingredients to avoid side effects. A lot of these issues are manageable by visiting a healthcare provider before beginning a progesterone therapy course.

Follow Schedule Accurately

Users must also take care of the fact that they follow their therapy schedule accurately. If they are to miss a dosage, it can result in complications that will lead to them experiencing side effects as well. In the case of missing a dosage, doctors recommend that you keep on track with your schedule. Under no circumstances is the user to engage in double dosing. Double dosing will typically result in excess levels of progesterone, which will trigger the onset of symptoms.

Vaginal Administration

While there isn't much research to back this up, many doctors recommend taking progesterone vaginally to reduce symptoms. Most women experience the most extreme symptoms while taking progesterone orally. As a result, doctors recommend that users who suffer from severe symptoms stick to vaginal administration. Whether it be in the form of a cream or a tablet, there's a significant reduction in the severity of symptoms. The idea is starting to gain so much traction; companies are developing progesterone capsules. These are capsules that are explicitly designed to be ingested vaginally and dissolve much quicker than regular tablets.

Conclusion

Anyone that's considering starting progesterone therapy should do a significant amount of research. Even though there some symptoms that come with using the hormone, it's definitely becoming increasingly manageable.

References:

https://www.webmd.com/vitamins-and-supplements/progesterone-uses-and-risks#1

https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-760/progesterone

https://www.drugs.com/sfx/progesterone-side-effects.html

https://www.drugs.com/progesterone.html

https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/progesterone-oral-route/side-effects/drg-20075298

https://www.rxlist.com/prometrium-side-effects-drug-center.htm

https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/progesterone-oral-route/precautions/drg-20075298

https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?contenttypeid=34&contentid=26606-1

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