Menopause Creams

Although most women with low progesterone levels either during pre-menopause or menopause are prescribed oral hormones, hormone replacement therapy can carry with it a risk of heart disease, cancer, stroke and blood clots. The good news is that progesterone is also available as gel, patch, pill and cream form.

Progesterone cream is one of the most popular transdermal (which means its absorbed through the skin) menopause products on todays health market. It contains pregnenolone, DHEA (or dehydroepiandrosterone) and plytoestrogens. These ingredients restore sex drive, protect against bone loss and osteoporosis, prevent breast cancer, normalize blood sugar levels and protect against endometriosis (abnormal tissue growth). The cream is applied topically to the skin daily, and once absorbed it provides the progesterone a menopausal body needs.

Wild yam cream, an over-the-counter herbal menopausal cream, is said to contain progesterone as well, but the compound diosgenin, which is found in wild yams, is not as effective as actual progesterone cream. As a result, spending money on wild yam creams is often considered a waste.

Applying vaginal creams is another way to supply hormones and to heal vaginal dryness, and other uncomfortable vaginal symptoms that may occur during or post-menopause. Vaginal creams contain a mixture of estrogen-related chemicals, which are called conjugated estrogens. In the late 1930s, conjugated estrogens were approved for safety by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). Unbeknownst to many, these ingredients are derived from the urine of pregnant horses. Both oral and cream estrogens reverse the atrophy of the vaginal lining, and thicken the lining of the vaginal to increase its secretions post menopause. Most women taking estrogens orally dont need to take additional vaginal estrogens.