[Pansy-Mae]

Okay, so, I have a question...How come a supplement (cream or pill) that is made of Wild Yam has no warning of progesterone causing cancer, BUT when the product says Wild Yam & Progesterone it does have the warning on it? Wild Yam is progestogenic. Does that mean that as long as the product does not say Progesterone the company is not required to say it causes cancer? Or does the word Progesterone mean that it is not natural, meaning that the products that consist of Wild Yam & Progesterone are composed of natural and synthetic progesterone? In other words, as long as the product consists of Wild Yam the risk of getting cancer should not be there, right?

I'm no expert, but my understanding is this:

Progesterone is natural hormone produced by the female body in varying amounts both during the month and during a lifespan. It is not in itself carcinogenic and I thought it helped to prevent cancer , not cause it.

Progestins are synthetic forms of progesterone and as, I think it was Chrishoney, said recently, they can't patent a natural product but make a few minor changes to the chemical structure and it can be patented and still bind to the same receptors. Some of these synthetic progestins definitely DO have some nasty side effects.

Wild Yam does not contain either progesterone or progestins, but it does contain diosgenin, which by a relatively simple process in a lab can be converted to nature-identical progesterone. i.e a chemical molecule which is identical in every respect the one produced naturally in the body. Note that the human body does not have any known mechanism to make this conversion by itself, so swallowing Wild Yam in any form will not enable your body to synthesise more progesterone for itself.

Progesterone is not very easily absorbed in the human gut, so up until fairly recently the only practical way to 'take' progesterone was by dispersing it a cream and applying it topically and hoping enough soaks through and gets absorbed by the blood stream. These are the "nature identical progesterone creams" such as Wellsprings Serenity, and others.
A few years back, it was discovered how to 'micronise' progesterone, ie disperse it so finely that it could be absorbed through the stomach wall and this is now available as a product called " Microgest" which is said to be very effective. Note that this is nature-identical progesterone, NOT synthetic progestin.

Why California has the cancer warnings on progesterone I have no actual information on, but I have seen some confusing and apparently incorrect definitions of diosgenin and progesterone being the same thing, which they are not.

[Rosance]

Mel: So as long at the PC states, Natural Progesterone (USP), it should be fine to use it? This is not a progestin, right?

Mae: I have heard about WY and its diosgenin effect; how it cannot be converted into progesterone by the body. I am currently taking it during my luteal phase along with Fenugreek and Saw Palmetto. I just LOVE the way it makes my skin look. I also have read about how progesterone can help prevent cancer; that is why I was like....wha? when I read it causes it. But now that you and Mel have brought up the topic of Progestins, it clears many things up.

[Rosance]

I'm sorry for all this big deal about PC, it is just that it SEEMS that women of Hispanic decent are the leading victims of breast cancer, SO, I am a little worried about that. Although my grandma (mom's side) never got breast cancer nor has my mom; this is why I am fine with taking PM. BUT, once your brain gets ninjad, you have that on the back of your head And that is why I ask a lot...

Here is an article I found regarding progesterone, progestins, and wild yam's take on progesterone.

[Rosance]

I have to share this with all of you. Awesome information regarding cancer and progesterone AND the ingredients to look for and avoid in a PC!