The FAQs of how to use natural progesterone cream during the NPC Shutdown / Cleanse.
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Recap – The Purpose (read more on the full Purpose page):
1: To cleanse the major organs of the body which in turn affect the reproductive system and often allow the body to produce life again.
2: To restore cyst covered ovaries by shutting off FSH and LH surges for 3 months to restore the ovaries…
3: To lose weight or change eating habits and to give the body proper nutrition which again can make for a better ovulation and healthier baby.
FAQ on how to use Natural Progesterone Cream during the NPC Shutdown
Q: How do I use the Natural Progesterone Cream during shutdown?
A: Natural Progesterone cream may be used as a safe way to overshadow estrogen and to shut off ovulation during this time. If you have cysts and/or PCOS which are inhibiting ovulation, this method is highly recommended by Dr. Lee and others, noted in the field of hormonal health and women’s issues. If you have long cycles or periods of waxing and waning mucus without ovulation then it is helpful for you as well. If you have a short luteal phase it may be a consideration as well.
If you do not have cysts, anovulation or long cycles and will not be using Cycle Balance or Balance Cream you may skip this section. We believe it is best to use the cream during this time.
Q: Is progesterone cream a contraceptive?
A: It is important to understand that progesterone cream is not normally a contraceptive when used from ovulation until menses, which is the same time your body produces it, but when you use it earlier in the cycle it will override estrogen. This is a healthy way to shut off ovulation without drugs. Timing in the cycle is the key. There are no residual chemicals as with contraceptives.
Q: Can pregnancy happen during this time?
A: We have several testimonies of women who have begun shutdown with the progesterone cream and then became pregnant that cycle. The reason for this – Pay close attention – is that until then their bodies did not have a rest from a steady estrogen dominance; there could be no LH surge for ovulation. When progesterone cream was used it was just enough to balance the estrogen and they conceived. You will see a common scenario explained in the article “Is progesterone just a bandaid?”.
Q: Will I always have to use progesterone cream?
A: You might consider using progesterone cream until hormonal balance is achieved during the luteal phase (after ovulation); though progesterone cream is safe to use even well into your senior years. We have many, many customers who have been using it for 20 years since Dr. Lee first introduced it in cream form. They use it to help with osteoporosis etc. Don’t think of progesterone cream as a band-aid but rather to use to make up for what is, for most, impossible to attain in hormonal health in the industrial world. Definitely, use it while you are making your body healthy enough for a successful start; especially if you were to be low in progesterone at this time. Definitely consider it throughout your entire pregnancy.
Q: Will natural progesterone cream help me if I were to become pregnant during the shutdown?
A: Progesterone cream provides a safeguard until your luteal phase is strengthened and lengthened and will also produce enough progesterone for gestation. The most common cause for miscarriage is hormonal imbalance due to low progesterone so should you become pregnant during the shutdown you would be providing that healthy assurance.
Q: It is really necessary to shut down if I am infertile.
A: Many women will decide not to shut down completely but do cleansing herbs. We discourage this. It is our opinion that these three months can often encourage fertility and that the three months be seen as a positive, proactive move, not going backwards. It is surprising how many women drag their feet about doing it but then are happy they took the time to strengthen and help their body. The healthier feeling and then healthier pregnancy is then part of their joy.
Q: Are there other reasons for the NCP Shutdown?
A: It is also a positive thing to take time from TTC to strengthen your marriage and get healthy at the same time. Both the men and women have an opportunity to just enjoy each other and feel good about it all when the NPC Shutdown is over. The stress that infertility puts on a marriage depletes B Vitamins; especially B6 which is the vitamin necessary for pregnancy, ovulation, progesterone production, sperm production and much more. By taking a break to get healthier you give yourselves a chance to rekindle the fire rather than making love only for the sake of baby making.
Q: How much progesterone cream is needed?
A: The amount to be used is between 15 and 20 mg twice per day from day 5 to day 26 of cycle. Do this for the first month and then only once a day after that as long as your cycle was shut off from the twice a day. Women who are over 150 lbs will use more; up to twice as much. Allow the period to come and then restart on day 5 again. Not to belabor this but to be sure. Here is an example of how to use a cream, for example, like Cycle Balance. Month 1:
Use 1/4 tsp twice per day. With Cycle Balance there is little to put on your skin because it goes on so silky smooth. With Cycle Balance Cream or Balance Cream you would use the same 1/4 tsp twice a day. In months 2 and 3 just use the normal dose of 1/4 tsp of Cycle Balance Progesterone Cream or 1/4 tsp of Balance per day; after a shower if possible so that you do not wash it off.
Q: What if I am overweight, will I need more?
A: If you are overweight you will need more, as we stated above. This is because hormones like estrogen are stored in fat cells. Our rule of thumb has always been to consider what your ideal weight should be and double the amount of cream for every 50-100 lbs overweight. You will feel the difference as you find your own level. Write to us for any clarification. Search for NPC Shutdown at FB, like us and send us a post. We will invite you to the private NPC Shutdown group. We cannot give exact advice but only guidelines. It is not as simple as telling you how much cream per pound.
Q: How much progesterone cream will I need to purchase for the NPC Shutdown?
A: This shutdown is based on 1000 mg per 2 oz jar of progesterone cream. Cycle Balance Cream has 500mg per oz, 2 oz per jar and so you will need 4-6 bottles or jars for the 3 months depending upon your weight. Since there is a multiple bottle discount it is recommended that you purchase your products in advance to be sure to have what you need and to save money. We have a discount program for purchasing kits for the NPC Shutdown. For Happy PMS Cream it is close to the same amount but you would use a little less per month but Happy PMS Cream costs a little more. This means they will both cost about the same for the 3 months.
Q: What happens if my cycle starts before day 26?
A: If your cycle should end before day 26 simply begin counting to day 5 and begin again. This may happen to many because of short luteal phases. That means that you have not been producing enough progesterone in your eggs for some time and therefore you have been operating on estrogen overshadowing the progesterone and your cycle may have seemed longer. The correct amount of progesterone will begin to right things. Oftentimes one finds that with supplementation the cycles are shorter because your body is getting progesterone to oppose the estrogen. This is just enough for those who are very estrogen dominant to oppose the estrogen and cause breakthrough bleeding. Beyond Fertility . com has a category all about Understanding The Fertility Cycle
Q: What happens if I don’t start my period and day 5 comes around again?
A: If you do NOT bleed right away, count 7 days off the cream and give your body a rest from progesterone; only with this scenario count 7 days and start again on the progesterone cream. This would give you 3 weeks on and one week off each of the 3 months; trying to stay with your body’s cycle as much as possible. Oftentimes you will need to work on getting your body healthier to help produce better ovulation in order to menstruate properly.
Q: What happens if I get pregnant during the shutdown?
A: If for any reason you find yourself pregnant during this time DO NOT go off the cream abruptly. Just continue on the cream until at least 12-16 weeks when you can wean SLOWLY off if you would like. It IS recommended however, by Dr. Lee (and we, the women in my group and myself in my last 2 pregnancies, have used progesterone cream in our pregnancies as well as our infertile women for their pregnancies) that you stay on progesterone cream until the end of your gestation; until you give birth. You can continue until the end of your pregnancy or you may wean closer to 12-16 weeks. Most stay on the cream until they give birth.
If your body was low in progesterone and saw a sudden decrease in progesterone it may interpret this as time to shed the lining. In mainline medicine doctors will often only prescribe progesterone or progestin suppositories for the first trimester but this is a sure way to cause miscarriage.
Many have miscarried by going off suppositories too abruptly without knowing. Notice I said suppositories. We hear so often of doctors who recommended a woman stop her suppositories, thinking she should have enough progesterone at that point in her pregnancy. The body can see this as the “end of cycle drop” and “shed the lining” as I said above, but the lining includes a baby at this point. Instead take the safe route and continue until you are sure the placenta is fully operational and growing well.
The placenta is meant to pick up on production of hormones by week 8. When you are low in progesterone and imbalanced with estrogen your body will often not produce enough to balance the growing estrogen levels and this is one of the most common gestational points for miscarriages. Your body will not have the puffed up lining of blood to nourish the placenta and hold the baby in place.
Q: How will this all help my cysts?
A: The purpose of the natural progesterone cream shutdown is to give you a break from the vicious cycle of trying to ovulate before it is ready. You will be doing two things.
- The first is to stop ovulation from happening. Cysts on your ovaries are from immature follicles unable to burst forth from the ovaries. A lack of a proper LH surge keeps you from properly ovulating. The follicles become trapped under the lining of the ovary. A cyst forms around the follicle trying to absorb it but it does not. Cysts would continue to form and a crust around the ovary if conditions remain the same; building on top of each other. Ovulation becomes impossible. The idea is to shut this off so that your body can absorb the cysts.
- You will be giving your body progesterone which will convert to allow you to produce better follicles. Progesterone converts to other hormones which are useful in the beginning of the next cycle as well. The better the egg in one cycle makes an even better egg in the next. This will likely help you to have better ovulation when the shutdown is complete. Your body will thank you for it.
Q: After the shutdown, how will I know how much progesterone cream to use?
A: Follow your own body. You may find that you need more to offset your symptoms but the best way to tell if you have too much is if it makes you extremely tired in the day. Then you would cut back. According to Dr. Lee you will always need at least around 15-20 mg per day.
