Kim, there are going to be two varieties to choose from. One is going to come in a little jar like cold cream, and have a name that sounds like the right product, but what it is, is ground up yams. Wrong product. Not processed at all like the yam-based product Carol mentioned.

The one CarolC is talking about will come in a tube and cost about $20-25. One brand is ProGest. The other... I can't recall... but the key, as Carol said, is to look to see if it says it is USP grade, and it will specify the percentage of progesterone in the formulation. You can also do an online search for ProGest and go to a site that has it, plus lots of information.

I strongly recommend Dr. Northrup's book, though, before you start self-medicating. There is SO MUCH to know, and she presents it elegantly and scientifically but with a warm personal touch.

To the degree stress is a factor, progesterone alone will not do what you hope, because your adrenals will also be involved. (For more on that, see me.) The progesterone is supposed to work in close harmony with several substances secreted by the adrenals... they really need to be treated together, and seldom are. Each substance can inhibit or increase the production or uptake of the others, when they are out of whack.

It is likely that if the estrogen dominance is great, there also have been problems with irregular, dangerously heavy, or prolonged bleeding. Dr. Northrup's book discusses a gentle long term approach to head off the more aggressive approaches gynecologists will recommend. (One is this cream.)

Progesterone is also a big factor in pre-menopause and menopause. Large women especially often find their estrogen-progesterone balance going out of whack for the first time before menopause, because at that time the estrogen levels don't necessarily just start to drop. They can go up, down, up, down... pore lil ovaries kinda flame out, see. So some women are taking soy-based estrogens when what they need is to REDUCE dietary estrogens and increase progeseterone.

Ovaries are not the only source for estrogen either. The uterus itself produces some, and our body fat produces estrogenic substances also. This is one reason why big girls often have an easier menopause once it's underway for real-- their estrogen levels can only drop so far. Once progesterone is added, in these situations, a lot of the menopausal symptoms are greatly reduced.

Testing for these things, by the gynies, usually involves a blood test. Guess what. These are almost useless if you are attempting prevention and health, as opposed to diagnosis of a crisis. Saliva testing is much more sensitive, and can be done from home with a kit. (The people who have ProGest have these too.) You can test female hormones or those plus stress hormones.

But if progesterone is prescribed for any reason, the gynies will tend to forget to tell you that there is a natural, plant-based version in addition to the inexpensive synthetic. (Oy the side effects!!!!!!) So for anyone being told to take progesterone-- ask about Prometrium, which is yam-based USP realdeal progesterone without the side effects associated with the synthetic. If your pharmacy does not carry it they can order it easily. And don't be intimidated by a gynie who is humoring you on this, or tries to jolly you out of the more expensive natural form-- it makes a HUGE difference which one you are taking.

~S~