When you are talking abou "natural progesterone" what is the source? Also, does it have the same possible side effects like possible blood clots, etc?
Thanks for your well thought out article.
> Dr John Lee reccomends NATURAL progesterone
> for PMS and menopause.

> "Question: Why is true progesterone
> good for us and the synthetic analogs not so
> good?

> Progesterone is the master 'starter' hormone
> from which the other great steroid hormones
> are made, i.e., testosterone, estrogens, and
> the adrenal corticosteroids. We're talking
> basic.** For example, Dr. Lee explains how
> cortisone's unique anti-arthritic,
> anti-inflammatory effects can take place
> only if enough progesterone is available as
> precursor to cortisone synthesis by the
> body.

> Progesterone's second indispensable function
> is the survival and development of the
> fertilized ovum. Ample amounts made by the
> placenta and ovary are essential for a
> full-term pregnancy.

> Far and beyond its role in pregnancy, Lee
> explains, are progesterone's multiple
> systemic functions, including these:

> *

> protects against breast fibrocysts

> *

> is a natural diuretic

> *

> helps use fat for energy

> *

> is a natural antidepressant

> *

> helps thyroid hormone action

> *

> normalizes blood clotting

> *

> restores libido

> *

> helps normalize blood sugar levels

> *

> normalizes zinc and copper levels

> *

> restores proper cell oxygen levels

> *

> protects against endometrial cancer

> *

> helps protect against breast cancer

> *

> stimulates bone building

> The fakes - progestogens, progestins, etc. -
> do two things well: they prevent ovulation
> and they stop ERT-induced buildup of uterine
> lining (endometrium) to cancer-promoting
> levels. The following fatal flaws, however,
> make it impossible for them to take on most
> of progesterone's functions:
> 1) They can't be converted in the body into
> sex hormones and corticosteroids.
> 2) All progestins have powerful effects when
> taken orally because they're not readily
> metabolized (broken down) by the liver for
> excretion in bile and urine - unlike
> progesterone. Not only do they persist in
> the body abnormally long, they occupy
> progesterone receptor sites in tissues,
> taking over for the true hormone but not
> capable of doing most of its jobs.

> Many of progestins' adverse effects are
> believed to arise from just this
> interference with highly complex natural
> processes. Reminds me of trans-fatty acids
> that get into our system after we eat foods
> prepared with margarine and other
> artificially hydrogenated oils. Trans fats
> displace vitally needed w3 and w6 fatty
> acids in the cell membrane, but then can't
> fish or cut bait!

> Question: Why are so many women beset after
> menopause with stiff, aching joints, and
> loss of springiness and muscular strength,
> while men generally retain not just male
> virility but physical power and vitality?

> Adrenal glands make progesterone for women
> and men both; but women depend on their
> ovaries for the main supply of progesterone
> (also estrogen). When at menopause the
> ovary's output of both drastically drops
> (but doesn't cease), the adrenal glands try
> harder but don't make up the difference. In
> contrast, older men maintain their usual
> progesterone levels, which in the U.S. tend
> to be much higher than in menopausal
> women!***

> For women, progesterone loss means a big
> drop in corticosteroids, which protect
> against stiffness, soreness, and weakness in
> joints and muscles. Men, on the other hand,
> continue to maintain their corticosteroid
> levels.

> Low progesterone also may lead to loss of
> bone density and ready fractures from
> physical exertions, so that many women fear
> to exercise or engage in sports, which only
> reinforces the stiffness, weakness, etc.

> Question: Why do many pre-and postmenopausal
> women develop excess facial hair and
> male-pattern hair loss?

> When a woman has too little progesterone
> with which to make the other steroids, the
> process has to proceed via an 'emergency'
> rerouting. This bypass relies more on
> androgenic (male type) hormones than the
> route where progesterone is the key
> precursor. Dr. Lee writes: "When this
> happens, the androgenic steroids along this
> pathway will become more dominant..."
> The good news is that with a number of
> patients "replacement of natural
> progesterone leads, in time, to
> disappearance of the facial hairs and the
> restoration of scalp hair."

> Question: Can young women also experience
> low progesterone levels? What are the
> effects?

> "...a good proportion of women in their
> 30's (and some even earlier) and long before
> actual menopause, will, on occasion, not
> ovulate during their menstrual month.
> Without ovulation, no corpus luteum results
> and no progesterone is made," Dr. Lee
> writes. Stress, poor nutrition, smoking, and
> toxic chemicals in the environment probably
> contribute to anovulatory periods. As these
> women approach the decade before menopause,
> "they are producing much less
> progesterone than expected but still
> producing normal (or more) estrogen."

> Estrogen without progesterone's balancing
> effects are not as benign as we're led to
> believe. As a matter of fact, he's convinced
> the discomforts young women are most
> familiar with arise from unopposed estrogen
> in the face of a relative progesterone
> deficiency.

> For example, "they retain water and
> salt, breasts swell and become fibrocystic,
> they gain weight (especially around the hips
> and torso), become depressed and lose
> libido, their bones suffer mineral loss, and
> they develop fibroids."

> Natural progesterone, he and other doctors
> find, gives young and premenopausal patients
> relief from any or all of these symptoms. It
> also tones down sweets cravings!"