Is Low T Your Problem?

February 2, 2012
Ann Louise Gittleman, PhD, CNS

Ann Louise Gittleman, PhD, CNS

Award-winning nutritionist and New York Times bestselling author.

The natural solution to igniting the hormone of desire.

It’s February. Heart health month and Valentine’s Day just around the corner.

Now’s the time to start thinking about rekindling the hormone of desire. You know— the one we hear about on television so much these days. The truth is up to 13 million Americans may have low testosterone levels.

Low “T” is getting to be epidemic. Levels decline with age and as they decline, so does sexual desire and performance.

But testosterone is not just for men!

Boosting testosterone levels for women is absolutely critical to keep the fires of passion burning into menopause and beyond. One of the most effective and safest ways of restoring testosterone levels is to use the precursor to testosterone— natural progesterone.

So many of my clients have experienced a significant boost in their sex drive as well as improved mood, decreased anxiety, enhanced sleep, increased energy, and significant weight loss when they use progesterone.

An added perk: Studies suggest that natural or bio-identical progesterone stimulates new bone formation and protects against osteoporosis.

Many years ago, when I was writing my book Before the Change: Taking Charge of Your Perimenopause, I had the opportunity to interview the late Dr. John Lee. Dr. Lee was a pioneer for natural progesterone therapy. He believed that it helped offset estrogen dominance, burned body fat as fuel, stabilized blood sugar, provided antidepressant benefits, balanced the thyroid, acted as a natural diuretic, protected heart health and set the stage for testosterone.

Dr. Lee was such a strong proponent of the extraordinary benefits of progesterone therapy for women of all stages of life that he typically recommended a physiological dose of 20 milligrams to mirror the normal production of progesterone during the menstrual cycle.

The type of progesterone I recommend most for helping to increase testosterone levels is ProgestaKey. It is a transdermal crème that contains bio-identical progesterone which I developed based on Dr. Lee’s cutting edge research. Recommended dosages for women are specifically designed for each phase of the life cycle, from menstruation (apply once or twice a day starting on the 12th day after the first day of menstrual flow through the 26th day) to perimenopausal (apply once or twice a day starting on the 7th day after the first day of menstrual flow through the 27th day) to menopausal (apply once or twice a day for a maximum of 25 consecutive days. Resume after a five day break.)

To avoid saturating the receptors beneath the skin in any one area, apply the crème to different areas each day. Soft skin rich in capillaries is the most suitable, such as those found in the neck, upper chest, breasts, inner arms, palms, backs of hands and soles.

The progesterone from ProgestaKey is absorbed into the fatty layer beneath the skin. You will probably notice your skin becoming more resilient and moist in the areas when you often apply the crème. The progesterone is taken from the fatty layer beneath your skin by the blood stream, which distributes it throughout your system. This is not an overnight effect. It may even take several weeks, or occasionally a couple of months for the progesterone level to build in your tissues and make its effects felt— especially with regard to testosterone.

Whether you are approaching peri-menopause or are in the throes of menopause, or beyond, you owe it to yourself to give natural progesterone a try. Symptoms like loss of muscle tone, irritability, profuse sweating, and intolerance to heat —symptoms experienced by a variety of  women— can also completely disappear along with a lagging libido.

Related Articles and Podcasts

Ann Louise Gittleman, PhD, CNS, is an award-winning New York Times bestselling author of more than thirty books including The Fat Flush Plan series and her latest book, Radical Metabolism. She’s been rewriting the rules of nutrition for more than 40 years and is internationally recognized as a pioneer in the field of diet, detox and women’s health issues. 

For a FREE daily dose of tips and strategies for maintaining healthy weight, conquering insomnia, and much more…check out my Radical Health Tips.

I’d like to meet and greet you on my Facebook groups, so won’t you check us out at the Radical Metabolism RevolutionFat Flush Nation, or my Inner Circle!

23 Comments

  1. Alena

    Is this useful for postmenopausal women? What are the considerations, etc.? Thanks…

    Reply
  2. Danae

    I had a real positive experience with ProgestaKey a few years ago. More recently, I’ve read some work from Jonathan Wright, M.D. about applying natural progesterone to your mucous epithelial membranes and wondered if Dr. Ann Louise could comment regarding that. The theory is that natural progesterone effectiveness via the skin gradually declines and that application via mucous epithelial membranes doesn’t experience that same decline.

    Reply
  3. administrator

    Alena — ProgestaKey is very helpful for postmenopausal women as it helps to balance estrogen overload – a major consideration for postmenopausal women who have been exposed to a lifetime of artificial estrogens. If you take a salivary hormone test that Dr. ALG offers, you can assess your progesterone/estrogen ratio which will be helpful in monitoring levels once you know your baseline.

    Reply
  4. administrator

    Danae — I believe that Dr. ALG would agree with Dr. Wright’s recommendation 🙂

    Reply
  5. phylis

    If you use the progestaKey, do you also need something for estrogen?

    Reply
  6. administrator

    Hi Phyllis — Your question is a very valid one. Taking the salivary hormone test that Dr. ALG recommends is one way of assessing whether estrogen is needed or not but In most cases, just taking several tablespoons of high lignan flaxseed can balance out levels. Many women are super-sensitive to estrogenic herbs as well as bio-identical estrogenic cremes or patches. Estrogen – regardless or which type of delivery or form – tends to build up very quickly in the system based upon the blood tests and salivary hormone tests Dr. ALG has reviewed over the years. Typically, we have come to favor the food route OR the use of an estrogen suppository or creme (like estriol) several times per week to maintain tissue strength in the vaginal area if estrogen is required. Hope this helps 🙂

    Reply
  7. Terry

    Hi,
    Just wanted to make sure natural Progesterone DOES NOT CAUSE CANCER.. so many conflicting stories from doctors… thanks so much.. I felt wonderful on natural progesterone, but my doctors did not believe in it.. so they frightened me a little. I know most are not educated. I am miserable.. so could use advise I trust

    Reply
  8. Angie

    Hi,

    I’m a perimenopausal woman who was recently put on birth control pills to help control the heavy bleeding from my fibroids. Can I continue to use Progestakey?

    Reply
  9. Tony

    What about men?

    Reply
  10. administrator

    Terry: The only contraindication that we can find in the literature re progesterone is in regard to breast cancer tumors which are progesterone sensitive – which is rare but not uinheard of… Most doctors are simply not aware of Dr. Lee’s pioneering work on progesterone.

    Reply
  11. administrator

    Angie: We cannot give specific advice in this case but would very highly suggest that you consider a salivary hormone test offered through UNI KEY on behalf of Dr. ALG’s clients to assess your current ratio of progesterone to estrogen. Many women take ProgestaKey who are on the pill but monitor their levels by measuring just two hormones: estradiol and progesterone to obtain the optimal 300:1 ratio in favor of progesterone. Hope that helps 🙂

    Reply
  12. administrator

    Tony: Dr. Lee recommended progesterone for men, too. He felt it was very protective for the prostate. We might suggest that you consider a salivary hormone test to assess both progesterone and testosterone to better target dosage. A letter of recommendation comes back with the results. Thank you for your post.

    Reply
  13. Laura

    Is transdermal progesterone use a “one size fits all” approachand safe for everyone? Is it possible to get too much or too little in ones system or will a standard measure deliver balance of hormones to one and all? Any other tips for raising libido and increasing muscle mass?
    Thannks for your thoughts,
    laura

    Reply
  14. Laura

    Is transdermal progesterone use a “one size fits all” approachand safe for everyone? Is it possible to get too much or too little in ones system or will a standard measure deliver balance of hormones to one and all? Any other tips for raising libido and increasing muscle mass?
    Thanks for your thoughts,
    laura

    Reply
  15. lisa

    Laura: You can always take a Salivary Hormone test to find out if you are using the right amount. You may want to do this after a month or two of use. The Fat Flush Whey protein is also good for helping increase muscle mass.

    Reply
  16. administrator

    Laura: As the blog indicates, the keys regarding dosage and filling up receptor sites include rotating the areas of application frequently. The standard dose of 20 mg per day may not be adequate for someone experiencing severe perimenopausal symptoms of irritability and sleep deficit. That’s why there is a schedule for application based upon the age and stage of a woman’s life. Also — we love Fat Flush Whey to increase lean muscle mass and EFAs which are precursors for many hormones. Think GLA, ALA, DHA, and EPA – 😉

    Reply
  17. Sierra

    The Progesta-Key has been helping to lessen the severity of my periods. I get terrible cramping and fatigue, and those symptoms have lessened since I started using it a couple months ago

    Reply
  18. Myra

    I’m 49 and still have a cycle. In January i didn’t have one but it came on Feb.2. This has happen before and i had two cycles in one month. It was cycling. I mention this because my cycle usually comes on every around the 25th of the month. I don’t know if im perimenopausal or not. I don’t have a problem with my sex drive either. So i want to know if it’s alright for me to use the creme (Dr. Lee) anyway?

    Reply
  19. Laura

    Thanks for your reply:-)
    I just received your Whey Protein and will look into the EFA’s and Progesta-Key.

    Reply
  20. Sierra

    Myra- it sounds likely to me that you have an imbalance in your progesterone to estradiol ratio. A Salivary Hormone Test would be the best assessment, however you can try using the Progesta-Key and just monitor your symptoms for any improvement.

    Reply
  21. Susan

    I am 50 and menopausal (no period for 8 months) and started having vaginal tearing issues recently, even while simply wiping. I’ve heard a testosterone cream could help – would ProgestaKey work for this?

    Reply
  22. lisa

    Susan, Hot Times Testosterone creme for Women is a good option. It will be back in stock at UNI KEY by the end of next week. It stimulates the production of your own testosterone.

    Reply
  23. Regina

    Hello Iam 43 and had recent salivary hormone test/ blood work results states iam in menopause, I have all my female parts, according to salivary test my estrogen is really low, progesterone was 285, I have been using progesterone cream on and off for months how can I increase my estrogen to have a balance in hormones

    Reply

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