Women's Menopause Health Center July 16, 2003 Newsletter.

How to Choose the Best Progesterone Cream.

Almost weekly women call or email the Women’s Menopause Health Center asking for help selecting a good progesterone cream. Will the cheapest discount progesterone cream made of wild yam extract be effective? Is the most expensive progesterone cream therapy worth the money? What is the difference between Return to Eden  natural progesterone cream and Emerita, Elation Therapy, Fem-Gest and Serenity natural progesterone creams?

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Diosgenin cream ingredients | Benefits diosgenin cream | How to use diosgenin cream.  |  Return to Eden Diosgenin (nicknamed Progesterone) Cream. Sorry - Product Discontinued NEW!! NEW!!! BIG DRUG COMPANIES USING THE FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION IN AN ATTEMPT TO DESTROY COMPETITION FROM NATURAL HORMONE REPLACEMENT THERAPIES!!! Do you remember our newsletter last year detailing how Wyeth Pharmaceuticals was attempting to stop compounding pharmacists from prescribing natural progesterone (diosgenin) after their profits fell by more than 57%  from $2.07 billion in 2003 to $800 million in 2004 (after the WHI study had to be stopped)? Well, now they have gone after centers like ours making complaints to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).  The FTC's position backed by the big pharmaceutical companies is that Dr. John Lee, M.D.'s studies were not scientific and did not rise to the standard of FDA and National Institutes of Health studies, and that our claims about natural progesterone are false, unfair, deceptive, misleading advertising in violation of the law..  (Please read what Dr. Helen Pensanti M.D. has to say about this. Read on to how the study was conducted.)   This is an attempt to force women into taking unsafe proven cancer causing synthetic hormones using your tax dollar to harass natural hormone suppliers. We here at the Women's Menopause Health Center refuse to take away your choice of a healthy alternative to Premarin, Prempro and the other dangerous drugs. We are taking a stand against this heavy handed attempt to destroy competition. We are going to fight for your choice of a healthy way to get through menopause comfortably and safely. (Ed. note: This was from our newsletter last year. The continued harassment by the FTC has caused us to discontinue our wonderful product. DO NOT be forced into taking something that can kill you. You may purchase safe progesterone cream at your local health food store, or find it a lot less expensively on line at places like ebay and yahoo stores. Do not let these heavy handed tactics destroy your health!) Return to Eden Chemical Preservative FREE  Natural Progesterone Cream. ALL NATURAL INGREDIENTS - ARTIFICIAL AND CHEMICAL PRESERVATIVE FREE! HIGHEST QUALITY NATURAL INGREDIENTS USP PROGESTERONE CREAM ON MARKET TODAY. 500 MG/OZ USP  PROGESTERONE, 100% PHARMACEUTICAL GRADE.  1- 4oz jar     Return to Eden Progesterone Cream  MSRP $26.99    $19.95      2- 4oz jars    Return to Eden Progesterone Cream                                $35.95

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We just happen to think the Preserve progesterone cream is quite marvelous, but we do have a bias toward our progesterone cream!

With so many different vendors, manufacturers, ingredients, claims and creams, it can be difficult sorting out fact from fiction when choosing the best progesterone cream. This "How To" guide for choosing a natural progesterone cream, based on research by Dr. John Lee, will help you select the best natural progesterone cream for you.

What to Look for When Choosing a Progesterone Cream:

• Buy only creams made with USP progesterone. Looking for the USP label is the first and most important standard you should look for in a progesterone cream. USP (United States Pharmacopeia) products and ingredients conform to the legal requirements of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Products or ingredients labeled USP also mean that they are produced in accordance with the principles outlined in the FDA’s Good Manufacturing Practices.
• The USP label on progesterone cream also means that the cream contains a natural progesterone that the human body can assimilate. This is not the case with all "progesterone" creams - especially creams made from wild yam extract. Wild Yam cream IS NOT USP progesterone cream. This is an important point that will be addressed in greater detail later in this article.
• Select a cream with 500 mg to 1000 mg of progesterone per ounce. The correct dosage is as important as the quality of progesterone used. A natural progesterone cream can be made of the highest quality USP progesterone but if there is not enough progesterone per ounce, you will receive no benefit. Although clinical studies place the level of progesterone at between 500 and 1000 mg per ounce, some creams currently on the market contain only 20 mg per ounce. Ask before buying if the label does not clearly state how much progesterone the cream contains. Otherwise, you might be throwing your money away on a cream that cannot possible offer relief of your menopause, perimenopause and PMS symptoms.
• More is not always better though. Creams with over 1000 mg of progesterone per ounce could cause unwanted side effects like shortness of breath and depression.
• Ask for independent laboratory certification that verifies the level of progesterone. A retailer might say the progesterone cream contains a certain amount of progesterone per ounce, but how do you know if the statement is true? According to a recent study, there is a 50/50 chance that the claim is not true. A recent study of progesterone cream ingredients showed that half of the creams tested did not contain any measurable progesterone - none.
• This is yet another clear example of "Buyer Beware." The success of quality progesterone creams have brought vendors and "parking lot manufacturers" out of the woodwork. A reputable company tests each and every batch to assure that their product is what it claims to be and a reputable company will gladly provide a copy of the batch certification.
• Deal only with companies with a phone number to call and live support staff willing to answer questions. In other words, deal only with companies that can provide customer service. If you have questions about dosages, applications for your specific needs or any other question concerning progesterone cream and women’s health, you will want the ability to call and talk to a live person. You want to work with a company that understands the importance of educating women about natural hormone replacement, the need for hormone balance and understanding the perimenopause and menopause process.

Progesterone Cream Ingredients to Avoid:

• Wild yam extract - the body does not convert wild yam extract into progesterone. Again, more on this in greater detail later in this article.
   
• Stearal konium chloride - an emulsifier, is highly toxic and can be lethal if ingested.
   

USP vs. Wild Yam Extract - BIG Difference!

Wild yam or wild yam extract that has not been processed in a lab is not progesterone, is ineffective and can create unwanted side effects. Even though wild yam contains diosgenin, the base molecule for
progesterone, there are no enzymes in the human body that will convert diosgenin into progesterone.

Dr. John Lee, the leading authority on progesterone cream, states in his book "What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Menopause" that "there is no evidence that the human body converts diosgenin to hormones."

Here’s the confusing part; Almost every USP progesterone cream gets its start from soy or yam. However, in the laboratory some parts of the diosgenin are cleaved and progesterone is the result.

Creams marketed as "wild yam extract" progesterone creams missed the crucial laboratory processing step that allows the transformation of diosgenin into progesterone.

Yam extract IS NOT natural progesterone. Insist on USP natural progesterone. Just remember to buy only USP grade progesterone cream. Women who use a properly formulated USP progesterone cream almost
always experience benefits.

You get what you pay for and cheaper is not always better. Unconverted diosgenin is a cheap way to produce a progesterone cream so a markedly low price is usually a good clue that the cream has not been converted.

In general, a $10 jar of progesterone cream is not going to do you much good. A $50 jar of progesterone cream may provide the same benefits as a $30 jar of progesterone cream. Be a smart shopper and
take a good look at the ingredient list. Using the criteria above to select a couple of *quality* progesterone creams. Then you can let price decide between quality progesterone creams.

Preserve is:

• Formulated by a team of doctors and scientists based on Dr. John Lee’s research of progesterone cream.
   
• Carefully formulated with safety, function and aesthetics in mind.
   
• Made with  high quality USP progesterone, not wild yam extract.
   
• Independent laboratory certified for the quality of USP progesterone content.
   
• Backed by a medical board of directors.
   
• More than just an ordinary progesterone cream.
   
• Is designed as an all-natural, luxurious, anti-aging moisturizer with natural progesterone.
   
• A smooth and silky cosmetic cream that woman love to use.
   
• Made in small batches to ensure freshness and quality control..
   
• Free of Stearal Konium Chloride.
         

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