With so many concerns about estrogen and menopause, many women either won’t or can’t take it. That’s why I’ve offered progesterone as a possible option to women in menopause for years. I think the risks are less and it works for many women.
Now a new study has looked at using micronized progesterone – a bioidentical progesterone in a gel cap – as a possible alternative.
133 women 44 to 62 years old and 1-10 years after menopause were given either 300 mg of progesterone at bedtime or a placebo. The women recorded their frequency of hot flashes and any side affects or complications.
The progesterone significantly reduced the number of hot flashes. There were no serious complications. This is good news for women who can’t or won’t take estrogen and offers an alternative I’ve found effective for many years.
Although the actual mechanism of how it works isn’t known, we do know that progesterone lowers the stress hormones that are released by women who have insomnia. It also does not increase the risk of blood clots.
This is an option you can discuss with your doctor if hot flashes are a problem for you.
Click here to get my free eBook on how to take HRT (hormone replacement therapy.
