Wait... what???? What the heck Alison, this is not a cool gadget for the home, a beauty product, or a silk pillowcase. Are you really hocking progesterone cream on your blog?
I mentioned before my issues since getting an IUD and how my "new normal" still wasn't that enjoyable. I had become a walking Midol ad, and on top of that was dealing with insomnia, irritability, and the return of migraines.
If you follow me on Snapchat (which you should!) you may have noticed my diet and the supplements I have been taking. Around February, Karl started reading the book Foods That Fight Pain and convinced me for one month to change my diet to be more in line with the book. I ended up cutting out most dairy, all meat except seafood, most wheat (I knew it was an issue from my Whole30 experience but had been ignoring my body), and cut out all alcohol except the occasional white wine and even rarer vodka. We began having a plant-based vegan protein shake once a day, and started taking Hanah One, borage oil, and B6 along with our multivitamins and my fish oil pills. I felt a difference within a week, and it was a far more positive and transformative experience than my experience with Whole30.
Anyway, in Foods That Fight Pain, there was mention of progesterone cream. Karl mentioned it in April, and I started doing research on it which led me down an internet rabbit hole and had me ordering Dr. John Lee's book, What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Premenopause for my Kindle. Coincidentally I experienced insomnia that evening and gobbled up the first few chapters before the sun rose. Only halfway through the book, I went on Amazon, read pages of reviews, and ordered myself a tube of Emerita Pro-Gest Cream.
Since then, I have applied the cream almost every evening to my skin. I take it once my period stops until a couple days before the next one starts. I started with a teaspoon-sized dollop twice a day, but after a couple weeks went down to just at night, and now am down to a pea-sized amount. Sometimes I do it on my wrists, inner forearms and up into the crooks of my elbows. Sometimes I rub it on my stomach. I regularly deal with heavy achy breasts before my period and when I do I'll rub it that night onto my breasts. I've rubbed it on my thighs, my neck, you pretty much want to put it on the thinner skin, places where you naturally flush.
Within a week, I felt calmer. I was sleeping better, not waking up as often and when I did, it was easier to fall back asleep. I haven't had a migraine since. But the biggest change is my periods. I started the cream right after a period and if it weren't for my Period Tracker app on my phone, I would have hardly noticed my next one was coming. While that period was still heavy and long, the next month my period went down to five days and after the first day was light enough that I didn't have to use any protection overnight. I have fewer food cravings and no more breakouts on my chin, but I don't know if it's this or the change in my diet (and in the case of my skin, if it's the change in my skincare).
Before you take my word on it, I recommend you go down your own internet rabbit hole and do research. Read the book (FYI the last half to third is all about specific women's issues so if you don't have them you really don't have to keep reading), read other books and articles, read the negative reviews and warnings online, ask your doctor. Don't take a blogger's post (or all the reviews on Amazon) as some sort of gospel.
I'm writing this not so you'll run out and buy a tube, but because you may be like me and not know that there's such a product out there and may think you're just stuck feeling the way you do.Sure, as we get older our bodies change and we'll feel more aches, pains, and have issues. But some of them are preventable. The changes I've made this year with diet and supplements may seem extreme but they were easier to deal with and maintain than any diet I have tried in the past. I haven't lost a significant amount of weight, but at 41, my goal isn't to be thin or wear a certain dress size. It's to have the most enjoyable life I can have and experience things fully. I didn't realize I was in a fog until I started making these changes, I didn't realize I didn't have to deal with pain and discomfort, and much I didn't even realize I was experiencing until it was gone.
What can be a miracle for one may be seen as snake oil for another. But when it comes to your health, your happiness, and your daily comfort it's not about pleasing others. We're too old to care what others think, especially when it comes to our health. If you aren't feeling your best, don't chalk it up to age. Do some research. You'll research for the best price on a car, you'll research what to wear to a 7pm wedding in Texas that says, "festive cocktail," you'll research how to make a carb-free version of your favorite dessert. Next time you get on Google, research that twinge, that ache, that issue. You never know, there may be a simple solution that will completely change your life.
As for using Emerita Pro-Gest Cream, it's like a thick body lotion. It claims to be fragrance-free, but it has a bit of a scent that smells a bit like... like a medicinal cream. It smells a bit like a hospital, a bit like something minty, some say it smells a bit like wheat. I didn't notice the scent until after a couple of weeks, but the scent goes away. Karl has never noticed the scent. It absorbs well, it's not a lot you use so there's no sticky or tacky finish. I keep it on my bedside table and apply it at night after my lip balm and almond oil. Each person is different and uses it for different symptoms, it's something you should discuss with your doctor and adjust to what is best for you. Reading all the online reviews and the book helped me have a better conversation with my doctor. Remember the oxygen mask scenario - you need to take care of yourself first to be able to properly care for others. But also, take care of yourself because YOU DESERVE IT!
