How to choose a natural progesterone cream for the NPC Shutdown – cleansing program for fertility (infertility)
Let’s take a little longer and get to that place where you can see why it is important to get healthy and not just get a prescription for Clomid or Serophene (the brand names) or the generic name Clomiphene.
So let me teach you a little about how the body works and WHY cleansing is a good idea during this time. There is no pressure to purchase from our site but we do have our ideas of what products and companies have proven themselves worthy of noting.
This page has moved with the streamlining of our website. We are sure you will like it even better and understand more of the flow of the program. Thank you for your patience.
Start here if you want to start from the beginning: NPC Shutdown – How to Cleanse
Q: How do I use the progesterone creams on this site? How is progesterone cream applied? How do I know how much natural progesterone cream I should use? How do I choose progesterone cream?
A: The creams we like most are Cycle Balance Cream, Cycle Balance Plus, Balance Cream and Renewed Balance natural progesterone cream; in that order. These progesterone creams fit perfectly in the shutdown cleanse.
You want a cream that:
* has enough progesterone to be worth the price but not too much that makes the right dose possible
* does not have a lot of goopy ingredients – it is hard to rub into the skin if too thick.
* will penetrate the skin to get to the cells. cold-processed or at least with essential oils to draw it into the body works best. Cold-processed AND essential oils would be our top pick which is why we choose Cycle Balance Cream for our top pick.
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We stand by each of these creams. Use 1/4 tsp of either cream twice a day during the cleanse. All have excellent ingredients BUT.
Cycle Balance is cold – processed which means it goes into the skin better since the oils have not been changed. That makes it our choice of choices. Cycle Balance Plus has more progesterone per serving and has herbs as well to help with painful periods and irregularities.
Natural Progesterone cream may be used as a safe and natural contraceptive to shut off ovulation during this time. It is NOT a contraceptive per se but when used early in the cycle will act as one. We have an exact explanation of how this works in our NPC Shutdown – Progesterone Cream FAQ. If you have cysts and/or PCOS / PCOD which are inhibiting ovulation, this method is highly recommended by Dr. Lee and others. It is recommended also by those noted in the field of hormonal health and women’s infertility / fertility issues.
VERY IMPORTANT: Progesterone supplementation means different things at different times of your cycle. If you use it before you ovulate, during the FSH growth part of the cycle you will turn off ovulation. THAT is exactly the point here.
However, IF you use it following ovulation you make a stronger luteal phase, help to prevent miscarriage for those with low progesterone blood levels and it should convert into other helpful, healthful hormones.
Progesterone is a hormone that works best when kept even in your body. In an ideal world this would not mean having to use supplemental progesterone. Consider spreading the dosage out in 2 applications a day; morning and evening rather than just once. The labels may say once is sufficient but that is not when doing the Shutdown.
Now if you don’t have cysts (be sure), short cycles or long anovulatory cycles you may decide not to use progesterone. May we suggest using another effective form of prevention while cleansing your body? Your personal convictions may prevent the use of these alternatives. Remember that you are not trying to prevent pregnancy but to keep your baby safe while you are introducing cleansing herbs to your body. If you do not have cysts, irregular cycles AND will not be using natural progesterone cream you may skip this section.
We have several testimonies of women who have begun shutdown with the natural progesterone cream and then became pregnant that cycle. Here is why that often happens. See our FAQ about progesterone cream during the Shutdown.
Q: What if I conceive while on shutdown? Is it possible to get pregnant during the shutdown?
A: During the NPC shutdown a stagnant liver is given a chance to somewhat clear out. Many have long cycles or weak cycles from a continual low level of estrogen. These are “old” hormones lingering, of sorts in the liver or the colon. Our bodies get a rest from a steady estrogen; from being in a kind of constant follicular cycle state. Without the mature eggs there is not the progesterone needed in the cycle to start the next cycle off right. At this time, by clearing old hormones and offsetting the constant estrogens with small amounts of progesterone it often becomes just what is needed for an egg to mature and release. Oftentimes ovulation happens; followed by pregnancy. There is time to know if you are pregnant without going off the progesterone cream prematurely.
If you were to become pregnant you would be watching for signs, temp rises, ferning etc. and would not stop the progesterone cream but the other herbs. We do not suggest abortifacient herbs – see our Herbal Glossary – just in case. We are about MAKING babies! Remember that we are here for you.
You might consider using progesterone cream, until hormonal balance is achieved, during the luteal phase, each month even beyond the shutdown. We do not advocate the use of progesterone cream as a band-aid but rather while you are making your body healthy enough for a successful start IF you were to be low in progesterone at this time. This is a safeguard until your luteal phase is strengthened and lengthened; producing enough progesterone for gestation. The most common cause for miscarriage is hormonal imbalance due to low progesterone.
Natural progesterone has also been noted to help with premature labor. Many women have experienced their first full term pregnancy while using natural progesterone cream and been able to lengthen gestation to the third stage of pregnancy; beyond where they had been able to before.
You may be one of many women who will decide not to shut down completely and only 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 avoid this but then are happy they took the time; the help to the body is only part of the joy. It is also a positive thing to take time from TTC to strengthen the marriage at the same time and lowering stress which can come from too much pressure to conceive.
Read the whole story at NPC Shutdown – How to Cleanse