NATURAL PROGESTERONE SKIN CREAM: The best plant source of natural progesterone is the Mexican wild yam (dioscorea villosa). It is available as PRO-GEST cream from Professional and Technical Services, in Portland Oregon. In Canada the product is distributed through Gahler Enterprises in Vancouver, BC.
The cream is available without prescription and has no known side effects. Occasionally there is spotting for the first few menstrual cycles, then it disappears. The cream is applied to the skin of the face, neck, back of the wrists, hands, chest or abdomen. The site where it is applied should be rotated daily.
For PMS you begin with 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of the cream applied to the skin twice daily, noting the time it takes for the cream to be absorbed. When you observe that the cream is absorbing in less than one minute you increase the amount and the frequency that you apply the cream. Faster absorption means that body requires more progesterone. In the one to two weeks before your period, you will usually require more cream, more often. Some women use up to one to two jars per month. The cream is stopped as soon as the period starts.
It is advisable to continue using the cream every month for three months to a year, then the dosage can be reduced or discontinued.
Dr. Raymond Peat used this progesterone skin cream to treat 200 women with PMS. He found that nearly all of the women, applying the cream themselves, were able to find exactly the right dosage that relieved their symptoms.
Reducing Stress And Getting Support
In addition to all of the above, taking practical measures to reduce stress in your life, learning and using relaxation techniques, enlisting the help of family and friends in coping with PMS times, and seeking counselling when necessary are all very important aspects of treating PMS.
One of the messages of PMS may be that you have to pay more attention to your natural rhythms and become less subservient to the needs of others. At times, this may require you to express your anger, clearly communicate your needs, insist others pull their weight in the household, and arrange privacy and quiet time alone.
Larrie Halliday Smith, former director of the PMS Clinic at Women's College Hospital in Toronto, said that one of the most useful things she provided to her clients was couple counselling, with an emphasis on communication. Marital problems are common in PMS.
Dr. Robert Reid, Professor of Reproductive Endocrinology at Queen's University in Kingston and one of the leading PMS researchers in Canada, says that education and reassurance alone help a lot of women. He believes that group or individual counselling by a psychologist experienced in PMS may also be very helpful.
Teenagers and young women in their twenties can get PMS, and the diagnosis is often missed. Dr. Wilson observed that some younger women and teens with PMS had a history of sexual abuse during childhood.
Many women have found great value in joining a PMS support group or starting one of their own. Check the women's center near you for information about the group closest to you.
Regular exercise increases endorphins in the brain, which in turn has a calming effect. Yoga and belly dancing can also be very helpful in reducing PMS symptoms.
The best tool for combating PMS is really educating yourself and those close to you as much as possible.
When Should You Use Drugs For PMS ?
Women with severe PMS that does not improve after trying diet, vitamins, stress reduction and counselling for at least three to six months, may want to consider trying some of the drugs used for treating PMS. However, this should never be the initial approach to PMS and is not necessary for the majority of women with PMS.
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