Progesterone is a hormone that women produce during their reproductive years. Your doctor may prescribe progesterone as part of a hormone-replacement therapy designed to minimize the symptoms of menopause. Natural progesterone creams are available without a prescription, but there is little evidence that they perform in the same manner as prescription progesterone.
Progesterone
As a prescription drug, progesterone can help promote menstrual periods in younger women and can play a role in hormone replacement therapy, known as HRT, in menopausal women. HRT normally includes estrogen, but may also include progesterone to help decrease the risk of uterine cancer. Hormone-replacement therapy involves taking synthetic hormones in place of those that your body produces. Taking progesterone medication may cause numerous side effects, such as irritability, runny nose, mood swings and breast tenderness. Serious side effects include chest pain, loss of vision and severe dizziness.
Yams
Wild yam is the main source of natural progesterone that supplies the active ingredient in creams and other topical preparations. The Mexican yam, or Dioscorea villosa, is different from the yams available in the produce section of grocery stores. Proponents of natural progesterone products claim that the ingredients in natural progesterone creams may provide a safe alternative to traditional HRT.
Evidence
Yams contain disogenin, a chemical that pharmaceutical companies use to produce the synthetic form of progesterone. Disogenin goes through a lengthy laboratory process to create the progesterone component of HRT. Over-the-counter or natural progesterone creams contain disogenin in its unprocessed form, as well as other ingredients. Although Mexican wild yams provide this main chemical ingredient, there is no evidence your body can turn the disogenin into a usable form of progesterone. Some natural hormone creams also include small amounts of synthetic forms of progesterone.
Precautions
Natural progesterone creams that contain wild yams are unlikely to provide medicinal benefits. While many pharmaceutical drugs contain plant chemicals, prescription medications require extensive testing to provide a level of safety. Dietary supplements do not need to meet the same strict standards as prescription drugs. Talk to your doctor before trying to treat menopausal symptoms with herbal remedies, such as natural progesterone creams that contain wild yam. Wild yam may cause allergic reactions, such as rashes and asthma.
