Low Progesterone and Allergies

I’m 48 yrs old & perimenopausal. I have hormonal headaches and breast tenderness. Recent symptoms - brain fog during my period, insomnia and itchiness (from the inside, out).  An antihistamine tablet will work for a day or two but then the itching returns. It is not due to dry skin or a food allergy. I have no hot flashes or vaginal dryness though I have had an occasional hot flash when under stress or excess sweating but not on a regular basis.

I have non-medicated osteoporosis & recently I did a bone density scan & my density had decreased - it had been stable since the first I had done 8 yrs ago. The last I did was 4 yrs ago.

Eight months ago I gave up sugar and refined foods totally. I eat healthy and exercise regularly.

I began using a natural product called Progesto-Mend and later natural Progesterone cream (for only one cycle so far) because from the symptoms I was having I figured I was Estrogen dominant. No headaches this month, the brain fog is almost unnoticeable though I have small memory/attention lapses, I seem to be sleeping better but the itchiness remains! I read that this was due to low cortisol levels because cortisol is made from Progesterone so if your Progesterone levels are low, your cortisol levels will be low and cortisol has an anti-inflammatory affect on the body.  Also Estrogen dominance promotes the release of histamine.

I started on 20mg of progesterone Kokoro cream twice a day because I am thin & I read that thin women need higher doses for 3 or 4 months to get progesterone levels up.  As I am doing this on my own because I live in Portugal and cannot find a doctor who has experience with BHRT, I am wondering if I am using enough cream. I'm afraid of overdosing. But the itching is definitely a symptom that cries out to be treated. Should I increase the amount of cream or will this just take time?

Can sensitivity to the cold be related to low progesterone? I have no thyroid issues but have been cold since my kids were born.

[Machelle Seibel, MD]

The best situation would be to talk with a doctor near you. But if none is available, I would try a few things. One is to get a blood test for Vitamin D. The level should be 40 and if it is below 30 it should be treated immediately. It might help the itching and some of your symptoms. If you can test for a blood level of progesterone, that would be helpful. Once it is in the normal range, more should not be necessary. Kokoro cream contains between 20 and 30 milligrams of progesterone per 1/4 teaspoon. You say you are using 40 mg per day. You might not need more but many women take up to 50 or 60 milligrams. I cannot say without more information. That much should not be a problem of "overdosing". Again, getting a blood level and working with a doctor near you is much preferred.
Best of luck
Machelle M. Seibel, MD

[heavencanwait]

Thank you for your quick reply.  I was planning to check my Vit D levels but not because I thought a deficiency might somehow be related to the itching I'm having so we shall see.  I also plan to consult a ginecologist as soon as I can find a good one. Your comments on progesterone cream dosages were very helpful.  Thanks.

[val1198]

I'm guessing your're approaching a quart low of estrogen.  I think "estrogen dominance" is a figment of some quack's imagination.

During my peri, I listened to John Lee's advice and slathered on that P cream.  I spent a miserable two years on it and then my DEXA showed more bone loss.  I've been on estradiol gel since with only enough Prometrium to cause a shed.  

BTW. are you aware that none of John Lee's "results" have ever been able to be duplicated in bona fide research?

[heavencanwait]

Thanks for your comments.  I am just beginning to study this so I appreciate advice from those who have been there already.  It's difficult to sift through all the info and decide what to do when even the doctors making the claims tell you it's based on anecdotal evidence, as John Lee and some others say.  I plan to have my hormones checked but even that seems to be tricky - saliva testing or serum testing??  I'm hoping to find a good gynecologist soon who has a lot of experience with the menopause and is open-minded to trying different approaches.

I have just read on another website about hormonal allergies being caused by an imbalance in hormones, any of the hormones, not just low progesterone, as claimed by Dr Lee and a few others.  And as you say, low estrogens as well.
Thanks