Women Turn to Natural Progesterone Cream As Warnings Increase About Use of Synthetic Hormone Replacement

An estimated one million women discarded thier synthetic hormone replacement therapy (HRT) perscription drugs after "The Women's Health Initiative Study" reported in July that the tiny pills could increase the risk of breast cancer, heart attacks and blood clots.

PORTLAND, Ore.-An estimated one million women discarded their synthetic hormone replacement therapy (HRT) prescription drugs after The Womens Health Initiative Study" that was released in July reported that the tiny pills could increase the risk of breast cancer, heart attacks and blood clots.

Many of those who have been frightened by the WHI study are turning to natural products, like natural progesterone cream," said Lisa Dolezal, director of marketing, for Emerita® products, whose Pro-Gest® is the best selling natural progesterone cream in the nation.

Even though natural progesterone cream has been on the market for 25 years and has been tested and studied, it still is not widely known, Dolezal said. However, Pro-Gest and similar products have gained in stature since Dr. Christiane Northrup, a widely acknowledged menopause guru, recommended natural progesterone cream in her books and on The Oprah Winfrey Show, causing sales of Pro-Gest to skyrocket.

Natural progesterone cream is widely known among health care providers who practice integrative medicine. Physicians are finding that more and more of their patients are asking about options to synthetic HRT," Dolezal reported.

Dr. Jane L. Murray, director and practicing physician at the Sastun Center of Integrative Health in Overland Park, Kans., agreed. She said her patients are coming in clutching two print media articles-one about the dangers of synthetic hormones and the other about natural options.

Murray said women patients, the media and even some physicians are confused about hormones in general. The most widely distributed mistake is when references are made to progesterone" in combination with synthetic estrogen. The combination of hormones studied by the WHI was estrogen and progestin, not progesterone. Progesterone and progestin are often used interchangeably and inaccurately in the media," Dr. Murray noted.

The key to understanding what therapy will help a woman with perimenopausal or menopausal symptoms is to know the difference between the key hormones.

Progesterone: This is the female hormone that is produced naturally in the body and is identical to what a woman produces. Progesterone, which is manufactured in the United States by Emerita and others, is bio-identical or human-identical, which means it replaces whats naturally in a womans body.

Progestin: This is a synthetic hormone produced to mimic progesterone, but it is not identical to the hormone produced in a womans body. Progestin and estrogen (often made from pregnant mares urine) in combination, are what the Womens Health Initiative found to be potentially harmful to a womans health.

Dr. Murray said even though there is a great body of research showing the efficacy, safety and benefits of natural progesterone, synthetic estrogen-progestin has been widely prescribed because of the success of its combination in birth control pills. Once birth control pills were widely used, doctors began writing more estrogen-progestin HRT prescriptions.

Women should be advised on a case-by-case basis," Dr. Murray said. There is no one size fits all" when it comes to hormone replacement therapy."

Dolezal said Emerita has been providing natural options for women for 25 years and was the leader in developing natural progesterone cream, as well as an entire suite of products for women in midlife. Emeritas Natural Lubricant would fall in line with recommendations by The Food and Drug Administration which advised women to consider topical vaginal products for vaginal dryness and irritation.

For more information visit Emerita.com or call 1-800-455-5182.