In July 2023, the U.S. Meals and Drug Administration (FDA) foolishly accredited the harmful Opil (norgestrel) as an over-the-counter (OTC) every day oral contraceptive capsule.1 The contraception capsule is the primary contraceptive capsule out there in america with out a prescription and can be out there in retail pharmacies and on-line shops in March 2024.2 This can be a dereliction of obligation on the a part of the FDA and a violation of its obligation to guard public well being.
The drug’s producer, Perrigo, touts Opil as a handy choice for individuals who do not have medical insurance or lack entry to medical care. “No prescription, no appointment, no problem. FDA accredited,” its web site states.3 However Opil incorporates the hormone norgestrel, which is a kind of progesterone.
Norgestimate successfully prevents ovulation, thickens cervical mucus to impede sperm motion, and adjustments the liner of the uterus to stop implantation of a fertilized egg.4 Nonetheless, progesterone (the artificial model of progesterone) shouldn’t be advisable as a result of it doesn’t have the well being advantages related to pure progesterone and carries vital well being dangers.
What’s progesterone, the lively ingredient in Opil?
Opill is a progestin-only contraception capsule also known as the “mini capsule.” Not like mixed oral contraceptive tablets, which comprise each estrogen and progesterone, Opil solely incorporates progesterone. This single hormone preparation is usually stated to have fewer unintended effects, however it’s removed from a protected choice.
In 1943, chemist Russell Marker started extracting progesterone from wild Mexican yams. Nonetheless, oral progesterone is poorly absorbed, so girls should take massive, inconvenient doses.
In 1951, Syntex SA (later acquired by Roche) developed norethindrone, the primary artificial progesterone (lutein analog). A yr later, GD Searle (now a Pfizer subsidiary) launched its personal artificial progestin referred to as norethindrone. Norethindrone and norethindrone are each derivatives of testosterone, the primary male hormone.
Syntex and Upjohn Pharmaceutical additionally co-developed medroxyprogesterone acetate, which continues to be extensively utilized in hormone substitute remedy (HRT) and contraceptives, together with Depo Provera. Satirically, all of those progestins had been initially accredited by the FDA to deal with gynecological situations brought on by extra estrogen.
Artificial progesterone, whereas possessing among the exercise of progesterone, doesn’t have the identical physiological results because the endogenous progesterone produced by the physique. Progesterone is without doubt one of the most helpful hormones individuals can take, whereas artificial progesterone is without doubt one of the most harmful.
Progesterone will increase breast most cancers danger
The FDA says, “The most typical unintended effects of Opil embrace irregular bleeding, headache, dizziness, nausea, elevated urge for food, belly ache, cramping, or bloating.” Nonetheless, it additionally states, “Individuals who have or have had breast most cancers mustn’t use Opil .Customers with another type of most cancers ought to seek the advice of a doctor earlier than use.5
It’s because hormonal contraception, together with progestin-only contraception tablets, could improve the chance of breast most cancers. A case-control examine and meta-analysis printed in PLOS Drugs evaluated breast most cancers dangers related to several types of hormonal contraceptives, together with progestin-only contraceptives.6
Progesterone is a broad time period that refers to any synthetic or natural substance that has comparable results to the pure hormone progesterone produced within the physique. It contains artificial compounds comparable to progesterone. The examine discovered that present or latest use of hormonal contraceptives was related to an elevated danger of breast most cancers, with the researchers stating:7
“Our findings counsel that present or latest use of mixed oral contraceptives or progestin-only contraceptives is related to a relative elevated danger of breast most cancers of roughly 20% to 30%…
When our findings on oral contraceptives are mixed with these of earlier research that included girls throughout a wider age vary, they present that absolutely the 15-year extra breast most cancers danger related to oral contraceptive use ranges from 1 to 100,000 customers. 8 circumstances (elevated from 0.084% to 0.093% amongst customers aged 16 to twenty years outdated, and roughly 265 circumstances per 100,000 customers aged 35 to 39 years outdated (elevated from 2.0% to 2.2%).”
These dangers have lengthy been recognized. The Girls’s Well being Initiative, which started in 1991, discovered that girls who took Premarin (a weak estrogen) alone or together with Prevera (an artificial progestin utilized in contraception pictures) suffered from vascular illness, cognitive decline , most cancers and different illnesses are larger.8
In my interview with Dr. Susan Wadia-Ells, writer of “Break Most cancers: 5 Easy Steps to Preserve Breast Most cancers Out of Your Physique,” she additionally described how progesterone triggers breast most cancers:
“In 2010, an important examine was buried. The principal investigator was Josef Penninger. One of many worldwide researchers of about 12 individuals, one in all whom is now the CEO and president of Dana-Farber Most cancers Institute .
The researchers spent 10 years finding out mice in preclinical settings, making an attempt to determine why girls taking progesterone medicine, whether or not contraception tablets or menopause tablets, had a 26% to 8-fold elevated danger of creating breast most cancers.
They ultimately printed a examine in 2010 that mainly defined in additional element however not utterly how progesterone extracts or prompts RANKL, a protein. Apparently RANKL (though they did not say these phrases) can suffocate the mitochondria in girls’s breast cells, thus initiating the primary most cancers cells.
Sadly, no researchers within the area of breast most cancers prevention have cited this examine. For some motive they do not notice this. Nonetheless, it was printed in Nature in October 2010,9 Everyone knows that this can be a essential and well-known scientific journal.
Well being Advantages of Pure Progesterone
Progesterone doesn’t have lots of the helpful results of pure progesterone, which is the first endogenous, most direct and potent glucocorticoid receptor antagonist. Due to this fact, it is usually a cortisol blocker. Progesterone can also be a GABA agonist and estrogen blocker.
Estrogen is without doubt one of the main contributors to elevated most cancers danger, and plastic burden additionally contributes to xenoestrogens, as each scale back mitochondrial operate. Progesterone is the antidote as a result of not solely does it act towards estrogen, however as talked about above, it additionally suppresses cortisol and improves mitochondrial manufacturing of mobile power by blocking each estrogen and cortisol.
Progesterone is the first feminine hormone and the protecting hormone throughout being pregnant, however it is usually vital in males as a result of it’s a common brain-regulating and protecting hormone.
Nonetheless, girls who nonetheless menstruate should be cautious concerning the timing of progesterone supplementation. Progesterone is crucial for a profitable being pregnant, and if taken on the mistaken time, it could actually severely inhibit your potential to get pregnant. Due to this fact, whereas the artificial progesterone in oral contraceptives comparable to Opil must be averted, pure progesterone might be very helpful to well being when taken appropriately.
Easy methods to use progesterone
Earlier than you think about using progesterone, it is vital to know that it isn’t a magic bullet, and you will get essentially the most profit by implementing a bioenergetic dietary strategy that lets you effectively burn glucose as your main gasoline with out the necessity for backup in your mitochondria digital. My new e-book, Mobile Well being: A Unifying Idea of All Illness for Final Longevity and Happiness, can be printed quickly and particulars this course of.
As soon as you have adjusted your eating regimen, an efficient technique that may assist counteract estrogen extra is to take transmucosal progesterone (i.e., utilized to the gums quite than taken orally or transdermally), which is a pure estrogen antagonist. Progesterone is one in all solely 4 hormones that I consider many adults may benefit from. (The opposite three are the thyroid hormone T3, DHEA, and pregnenolone.)
I don’t advocate transdermal progesterone as a result of your pores and skin expresses excessive ranges of 5-alpha reductase, which causes a big portion of the progesterone you’re taking to be irreversibly transformed primarily to allopregnanolone and unable to be transformed again to progesterone.
The perfect technique to handle progesterone
Please notice that when progesterone is used on the gums as I like to recommend, the FDA considers it to be transformed right into a drug ultimately and prohibits any firm from stating this on their label. Because of this firms like Well being Natura market their progesterone merchandise as “topical” merchandise.
Nonetheless, please perceive that it’s utterly authorized for any physician to advocate a drug to a affected person exterior of its indications. On this case, progesterone is a pure hormone, not a drug, and could be very protected even in excessive doses. That is completely different from the artificial progesterone referred to as progesterone utilized by pharmaceutical firms however usually incorrectly referred to.
Dr. Ray Peat did groundbreaking work within the area of progesterone and might be the world’s biggest progesterone professional. He wrote his Ph.D. In 1982, he started finding out estrogen and spent a lot of his profession documenting the necessity to counteract the hazards of extra estrogen via a low-LA eating regimen and transmucosal progesterone dietary supplements.
He decided that the majority solvents didn’t dissolve progesterone effectively and located that vitamin E was the perfect solvent to optimally ship progesterone in tissues. Vitamin E additionally protects you from LA harm. You simply should be very cautious with the vitamin E you employ, as most vitamin E dietary supplements available on the market are worse than nugatory and can trigger you extra hurt than profit.
Any artificial vitamin E have to be averted (alpha-tocopherol acetate – acetate signifies it’s artificial). Pure vitamin E can be labeled “d-alpha tocopherol”. That is the pure D isomer and your physique can use it. There are different vitamin E isomers, and also you want the total spectrum of tocopherols and tocotrienols within the D isomer to be efficient, particularly the beta, gamma, and delta sorts.
There are different vitamin E isomers, and also you want the total spectrum of tocopherols and tocotrienols within the D isomer to be efficient, particularly the beta, gamma, and delta sorts. For instance of ultimate vitamin E, you possibly can view the vitamin E label in our retailer. You should utilize any model with the same label.
You should purchase pharmaceutical grade bioidentical progesterone as progesterone powder, bioidentical micronized powder, 10 grams at round $40 at many on-line shops together with Amazon. That is nearly a yr’s provide, relying on the dosage you select.
Nonetheless, you’ll need to buy some small stainless-steel measuring spoons since you’ll need 1/64 teaspoon (which is 25 mg) and 1/32 teaspoon (which is 50 mg). A traditional dose is often 25 to 50 mg and brought half-hour earlier than mattress because it has anti-cortisol properties and will increase GABA ranges for a great night time’s sleep.
Sadly, this provider usually runs out of product, and if that is so, then you should utilize Well being Natura’s Merely Progesterone. It’s pre-mixed with vitamin E and MCT oil. Likewise, though Well being Natura states that its product is “for topical use solely,” I like to recommend rubbing it on the gums and making use of it transmucosally.
If you’re a menstruating lady, it’s best to take progesterone throughout the luteal part, or second half of your cycle, which might be decided by beginning progesterone 10 days after the primary day of your interval and stopping when your interval begins.
If you’re a person or a lady with out intervals, you possibly can take progesterone every single day for 4 to 6 months after which cease for one week. The most effective time of day to take progesterone is half-hour earlier than mattress because it has anti-cortisol properties and will increase GABA ranges, permitting you to get a great night time’s sleep.
That is what I personally have been doing for over a yr with nice outcomes. I am a health care provider, so I’ve no downside doing this. If you’re not a health care provider, it’s best to discuss to your physician earlier than utilizing this remedy, as transmucosal progesterone remedy requires a health care provider’s prescription.
