Progesterone Cream, Pregnancy and Thyroid Disease

Updated on September 29, 2009
J.K. asks from Phoenix, AZ
7 answers

I usually have hyperemesis with my pregnancies to where I have to be on home IV's, bedridden, and unable to eat. I'm trying desparately to stay functioning, keep food down and stay out of bed. I teach ballet and homeschool 4 children so I must be able to function at least a little bit. I went to my chiropractor and he did acupuncture on my to balance my hormones and help me digest food since I wasn't keeping anything down. I'd throw up something 5-6 hours after eating or drinking. Nothing was staying down... it seemed to work but I'm still super sick. I'm taking ginger root, which seems to help a little if I can keep it down. Plus, I noticed that using natural progesterone cream really helps. In fact, the more I use of it the better I feel. I'm on thyroid medicine too (Armor Thyroid) but when I use the progesterone cream it makes my heart flutter and my thyroid swell. If I stop my thyroid meds, the symptoms are less. But if I stop using the progesterone cream, then I'm violently ill. I asked my Chiro about it but he couldn't tell me unless he did a full hormone panel on me, which I don't have the time (It would take a couple weeks) or the money for that. I see my OB tomorrow and I'm going to ask them to adjust my thyroid meds but even that takes a long time to do. They won't know much about Progesterone cream anyway... just wondered if there was anyone out there that was familiar with this and could give me advice or refer me to someone who would know about this. My nutritionist would have been great for this but I don't have her information anymore... Hopefully, my OB can help me but I'm having my doubts because usually they just want me to stick with meds that they're familiar with... this is over the counter Progesterone cream and I used it with all my pregnancies but this is the first time I noticed it helping with hyperemesis. This is also the first time that it messed with my thyroid... Thanks in advance!

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N.O.

answers from Phoenix on

Hello Jaimee,

You sound like me with my first baby!! I had hyperemesis with my first which I found out had to do with me being hyperthyroid when I conceived with using natural progesterone cream and then towards the end of pregnancy developed Hashimoto's Thyroiditis (hypothyroidism) for which I will have to take a synthetic hormone for the rest of my life. I am pregnant with baby #2 currently and thankfully had my thyroid under control before I was pregnant and this time I have no hyperemesis and am using no progesterone cream. My advise is...YOU NEED THE HELP OF A PROFESSIONAL. You really should have your hormones checked through a full blood panel. Do you not have insurance? Insurance will cover the cost of this lab work and it is as simple as going to the lab and having blood drawn. I have to every month with being pregnant because the balance can be so sensitive they need to make sure you and baby are where you both need to be. I went to the Southwest College of Naturalpathic Medicine (which, unfortunately, is not covered by insurance) and saw Dr. Schweiger who finally helped me with all of my problems. It is dangerous to try to balance over the counter medicine with prescription by yourself especially if it is relating to your hormones. You need to see an endocronologist or a doctor that has experience with hormone related disorders. A chiropractor and OBGYN are not going to know the ins and outs of the hormone/thyroid problems per it is not what they have been trained to know. Best of luck to you and please keep me posted on how you are doing. I feel for you as my first pregnancy was pretty miserable but the happiest day for me was getting professional help that reassured me I was not going crazy and that the problems could be fixed.

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S.C.

answers from Phoenix on

I seriously recommend is Don Matesz, nutritionist, acupuncturist, and extraordinary human being. VERY VERY VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE!! He is in Phx at Indian School and 36th St. He is worth the drive and very affordable. My husband, kids and I have seen him for everything. I consider him our doctor- he is NOT a doctor- but he has done FAR more for us and our health. We have had a 100% success rate with this man.

Don Matesz ###-###-####

If you find you need or want a doctor, I highly recommend calling Dr Brendan McCarthy, NMD. He is in Tempe. He has been through four pregnancies with his wife. He is very compassionate and fun. He's amazing. I have seen him for other things and I even worked at his office with him for a while before I had my baby girls. He doesn't take insurance, but he is worth calling if you can pay out of pocket. I feel for you, I know what it is like to deal with mysterious medical issues. Good luck to you, I will be thinking of you.

Dr Brendan McCarthy, Protea Medical Center ###-###-####

Sincerely,
S. Conkle

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L.M.

answers from Tucson on

Pregnancy can make your thyroid go wacky with all the hormones, so while nursing or post-partum it may not affect you the same way as it does now. That's definitely what I noticed with mine (on the same med by the way).
Listen to your body...I think you have a good plan going.

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L.M.

answers from Phoenix on

I would ask the OB about progesterone cream. I personally wouldn't want to mess with hormones during preg. Your body should be pumping out huge amounts of progesterone anyway being preg.

But one thing that worked really well for me with preg nausea was liquid bentonite clay. It absorbs anything which is in excess in the body (like hormones) and was the only thing that remotely touched my nausea. It didn't make it vanish completely, but it reduced it by half. Ginger, b-vit's, crackers, etc... did nothing for me. If you do get this stuff, make sure you have something natural to help you poop b/c if can reduce the flow a little. I took mg. malate, which is perfectly safe during preg.

Here it is online:
http://www.iherb.com/Sonne-s-7-Detoxification-Aid-32-oz-9...

I very highly recommend it. This is one of those ideas that most people don't know about. Mix it in apple juice, the consistiency is little wierd and juice helps.

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A.R.

answers from Phoenix on

I read in a magazine article about 2 ys ago about using liquid chlorophyll for severe nausea. Sorry, I don't have the reference anymore.

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S.S.

answers from Phoenix on

Jaimee,
Please feel free to call a coworker/nurse friend of mine who teaches natural hormone balancing classes (utilizing progesterone) for free from home. She has an amazing wealth of knowledge on the subject of hormones & thyroid. I give out her # all the time, lol! Shes helped changed sooo many lives for the better.
Leah Wehunt LPN ###-###-####

Unfortunately many Drs do not understand progesterone fully, sadly even OB's.
In addition, go to www.drlam.com who is a pioneer of progesterone. He will even reply to e-mails.

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A.V.

answers from Phoenix on

I'm sorry to hear that you are so ill during pregnancy. I know it is very difficult, but is sounds like you are really doing the best you can and have a positive attitude about it. That is half the battle!
I know that there is a medication you can take specifically for hypermesis. Sorry, I don't recall the name, but it is intended for this. I'm not big on medications at all, but sometimes we must do the next best thing. You need to be able to keep down food to nourish yourself and baby, and you want to feel better. Perhaps another mom knows the name of the medication for hypermesis.
Another thought I had was about your Thyroid condition.
I was talking to a Naturapathic Dr a few weeks ago and she told me that it usually is our adrenals that are out of whack and it's can be the underlying cause of Thyroid conditions. Our Thyroid, Adrenals, and Ovaries are part of the same system and if one is out of balance, they will all be out of balance. Sarv Varta K. Khalsa N.M.D. in Chandler can help you with this if you need somewhere to start, or I'm sure your chiro. will have a good recommendation. Usually women are on thyroid meds forever because it's just treating the thryroid, but not the underlying issue of the adrenals.
For a more "chicken soup" rememdy for pregnancy illness, try some really good peppermint tea. I bought some for my friend who is pregnant and sick all day, and she told me it's a life saver for her. Spend a little extra for the high quality organic loose leaf teas. I go to Souvia Tea in South Scottsdale. They also have a store in the MoonValley area in Phx.

Best wishes for this pregnancy, and I hope you can find some relief soon.

A.
mom of 4. Birth and Parenting Mentor
www.birthingfromwithin.com

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