are you talking about bioidentical progesterone? I have not tried it however I have tried provera taking it nonstop for 3 months prior to my excision surgery. It helped but came with side effects of tender breasts, and some nausea. The problem with the bioidentical progesterone is getting the levels just right, they have to test your hormones and make the cream according to what is needed to help you. Only compounding pharmacies make it, and the costs can be quite high. Provera is a man made hormone progesterone and is covered by insurance and also on the 4.00 list at walmart. But you can write off the money spent on your taxes every year. I have heard several women say this helped their endo pain as the progesterone tricks the body into thinking its pregnant. during pregnancy your progesterone levels are very high. Good luck and keep us posted.

Thanks Frenchy. I know that the prescription he gave me was for a specialty pharmacy and it was about $30 a month. I didn't fill it because I always research what doctors suggest. I have never heard of Provera. Thanks for the info. I haven't had my hormone levels checked in awhile. I probably should do that. I have had problems with cysts this year. Errr!

Hi hun, let me just say that the creams are a total waste of money!!! I have spent a fortune on them and been convinced natural progesterone is useless. Until I listened to my fertility specialist and started on the pessaries. They are very small and inserted one per night like a tampon after ovulation until the start of your period. These were wonderful!!!!!!!!!!!! :) Really helped the symptoms (moodiness, vomiting, nausea, bloating, cramps etc) and has been the only 'medical' treatment to help. Progestins (like those in the Pill) are not like the progesterone our bodies make and I react very badly to them. They can also shut down your own progesterone production for some women!! Natural progesterone only ever adds to your own level and is bio-identical to it. I need to add that yes medical therapy tricks the body into thinking it is pregnant (or menopausal) as frenchy98 has written - however the way you use the creams or pessaries doesn't!! It is only taken from ovulation until the commencement of your period, then you stop. So all it is doing is regulating your progesterone level and not tricking the body into thinking it is pregnant. This can only happen when you suppress ovulation - natural progesterone doesn't. Provera gave me an 8 and 1/2 month long agonising period and severe pain plus awful PMS symptoms - and doesn't treat the disease! All it can possibly do is suppress symptoms for the time you are on it. If you want info on this I can send you links to explain in detail why this is the case. It is not identical to the body's suply of progesterone and can give severe side effects. Natural progesterone if used early enough into the development of endo, and if the endo is not too severe, can actually help to minimise the disease as it regulates the hormonal problem allowing endo to occur. For some lucky women, their endo disappears. For others, it becomes bearable. I actually need it to maintain my pregnancies - without it I miscarry. I have severe endo, endometriomas (cysts) a whole lot of scarring and have hap laparoscopies for it. The natural progesterone pessaries were a blessing!! The reasons the creams are nowhere near as effective are 1-you cannot regulate the amount you use (the applicator used is not a perfectly measured amount) 2-there is just simply not enough progesterone in the cream to fix the hormonal imbalance 3-the progesterone is distributed unevenly in the cream and 4-the bulk of the progesterone in the cream is not absorbed by the body. The pessaries are placed close to the uterus. The only way to get measured amounts of progesterone in enough concentration to help is through pessaries, troches (dissolve on the gum) and injections as it does not remain stable enough in any other form. The oral form is also ineffective as most of the progesterone is broken down and processed by the liver. So really, you will be wasting your money on these creams hun. If you want more info, I would be very happy to talk to you!!! xx

Also - if you are due an op like frenchy98 had they should be telling you to avoid ALL hormonal therapy for at least 2-3months prior to the surgery. These hormones shrink the deposits, but do not get rid of them. So - they are harder to find in the operation, but will flare back up after the medical therapy is stopped. As uncomfortable as it is, the best thing to do is come off all meds prior to the operation to give surgeons the best chance of clearing out as many endo deposits as possible. I am very suprised that this was not reccomended to frenchy, it is standard procedure with endo specialists here.

Thought I would add, by the time I bought all the creams and used the recommended dosages..... I spent less money on the pessaries! This is because you only use one per night from ovulation until your period begins. So you get more progesterone into you but it costs less then the huge amount you need to spend on using so much of the creams. Just a thought hun, if you are going to try using natural progesterone (and I am a huge advocote for it!!) I would suggest the pessaries as they are easiest to take with a very high concentration of progesterone which the creams just don't have xx

Thanks Ruth for the info. VERY informative. Again, this was only recommended by my regular doctor and I have never heard of it so I wanted to get some info on it. I have had several laps including excision by the CEC. My problem now is recurrent cysts on my left side. I am especially having painful/crippling ovulation on that side-every other month. For the first time in my life, my period has been a breeze since excision surgery (and LUNA) a year and half ago. Also, I am not taking BC or any suppression meds right now after taking them for 15 years straight. Just trying to figure out what the next step is-such as is it even worth removing my left tube and ovary?

Lindsay Dr Sinervo was the one that prescribed the provera for me. Have your problems and pain returned since your surgery with the cec? I had surgery back 8/21/08 with dr sinervo and dr yeung and my pain and symptoms returned 6mths after and since then progressively gotten worse. Just wondering if others who had surgery there had long term relief or if pain returned pretty quickly like with myself.

I had surgery in 8/08. For the first time ever my periods are a breeze! My daily Endo pain is gone, plus I had bad adhesions removed that no one else could even figure out I had. My problem now is recurrent cysts on my left side and painful ovulation. I also have Interstitial Cystitis. I can't blame Dr. Sinervo for any of that.

Lindsay,
did you use to post on endo@obgyn.net and womenofendo,yuku.com? Just curious because I did as well trying to figure out if you are the woman who I discussed the cec with back last aug and we recovered from surgeries around the same time. I know alot of us left the endo@obgyn.net because of a poster who became quite violent and hateful toward others but the board is now fully moderated. Kristy sokolol and I are the mods for it and its much better since they blocked the girl.

Frenchy: I don't think it was me; however, I have posted on other sites before.

I would give the natural progesterone a shot. My ovulation used to floor me just like the endo pains (which made knowing when I ovulate easy! lol I could pick my babies due date because of this!!) the pessaries really helped with the ovulation pain too, not entirely too sure how as you take it from ovulation until your period begins, but it did after the first month. Maybe it helped regulate the ovulation, or lowered the prostaglandin level as I know progesterone can? Really have no clue as to how it helped!! But I stopped vomiting and being incapacitated during ovulation like I was during my periods after starting. I really hope it works just as well for you if you try it!! I wouldn't remove my organs without first giving it a shot, any structural changes within a woman increases her risk of prolapse later in life....

Oh by the way - I had some endo specialists tell me that natural progesterone is no different to progestins!!! This is completely false, so the fact your doc is recommending you try it shows that they obviously have an understanding of how they are fundamentally different in their chemical make-up. That's great that you have a doc trying to help you!! :)

Hi, I'm a HUGE fan of natural progesterone (bio-identical progesterone) which means it is an exact chemical match to the progesterone our body makes (like the right key in a lock). Be careful - over the counter progesterone creams are not effective & those products are created from unknown sources. Best to get bio-identical progesterone from a compounding pharmacy (requires prescription) - just call around your city to find dr & pharmacies that specialize in bio-identical hormones. There are national ones if you want more information. My favorite is bio-identical progesterone sustanined release tablets - great for PMS, PMDD, migraines, insomnia, bloating, weight gain! We have so much estrogen with endo, we need to balance our hormones with bio-identical progesterone! Used for over 5 years! Doesn't help the endo, but does help with all other symptoms even ovuation pain! Hugs, endochick

Thanks Ruth and Endochick! I will talk to my doctor again about it. If it helps with migraines too then I definitely need to try it because they have been acting up again!

This is where I get mine from, just giving you the site link as it has info on how progesterone helps and also the section on hormone imbalance it will explain the problems of oestrogen dominance. Headaches are one of them!! :) On the bonus side, one that can be helped by natural (bio-identical) progesterone. The creams from the compounding pharmacy are much better, but still not as good as the pessaries.... anyway, here is the link xx

http://www.compoundingonoxford.com.au/