[Little_Kitten]

So I just bought a bottle of PM....and I think I'm going to return it. I read a lot more about it and its a little frightening. I'm only 20 and I read that this really isn't a good thing for younger women to be taking because my body could stop making these hormones. The whole thing is just kind of scary for me and I'm having seconds thoughts about this product.

[mochaccino]

Maybe you shouldn't give up on PM until you give it a try at a very low dose. Some people take as little as 1 pill a day for one week a month. Usually, if they're only taking if for one week per month, people chose to take it during the second week of follicular phase. People who are trying to be especially safe usually stop taking it 2 days before ovulation. So for example, you could take it from day 7 to day 14 or from day 5 to day 12, assuming that your ovulation occurs on the 14th day of your cycle.

[Little_Kitten]

My menstrual cycle is regular every 28 days give or take. I really don't want to risk it. I think I'll return it and get a progesterone cream instead, or something like that. I'm already taking so many pills daily, it just doesn't feel like a good idea.

[mochaccino]

Progesterone cream is actually A LOT more dangerous than almost any other form of hormonal NBE. Probably the only NBE methods that's more risky is taking a double or triple dose of BC, but thankfully that fad never gained much momentum and died out on the boards very quickly. Lately I've become more and more convinced that only people with confirmed progesterone deficiency should be using it, and even then they should still get a hormone test every 3 months just to be sure that they haven't tipped the scales too far in the opposite direction.

If you're still extremely worried about cycle length, there might be ways for you to avoid any issues. There's a group of Japanese NBE blogs that we've been talking about a lot on this board lately. The girls in those blogs were all taking low doses of PM and doing BBT charting to keep track of their cycles. They seemed to be able to completely avoid lengthening their cycles. Some of them have been able to use PM for years on end without having any cycle problems. Keep in mind, that some started out by taking as little as 165mg of PM for only 1 week per month. That's a much, much smaller dose than what's typically used by members of the English language NBE boards, including this one. None of the English language boards have a very high success rate when it comes to PM programs IMO. That means that a low dose might not just be safer, but also more effective. Only time will tell if there will be trend toward lower doses on this board, and if it actually produces better results.

I can understand if your dead set against using the PM, because it really is more dangerous than other sources of phytoestrogen, but please don't start using progesterone instead, unless you have a deficiency. If your worried about your health, it would be better to follow a typical herbal program of fenugreek, saw palmetto, and some other source of phytoestrogens (such as red clover, fennel, or alfalfa)

[Little_Kitten]

Ah I see, thank you for that enlightening information. That helps a lot. I'm going to see if I can find some saw palmetto then and maybe some fennel. I would take fenugreek but I've read that can induce lactation after a while, and I'm really not ready for that yet.

[mochaccino]

I've never heard of fenugreek causing lactation on it's own except in women who very recently stopped breastfeeding. I can't stress enough how incredibly unlikely it is that you would suddenly start lactating even you took a huge dose. The point I'm trying to make is that you're never going to find an herb that never has any negative effect on anyone ever. No matter what the supplement, there is always some percentage of people who have a bad reaction, even if it's a vanishingly small fraction of a percent. Fenugreek is by far one of the safest NBE herbs out there. Why not try a few relatively safe herbs at a low dose and stop taking them if you experience any weird side effects. There's no point in worrying about side effects that may not happen to you at all. I honestly hope this puts you at ease. Most NBE supps are not as dangerous as you think the are

[Little_Kitten]

Thank you very much I feel more at ease now. I'm just starting out on this so I'm rather nervous and not so sure what to do or what is good for me. I'll look into fenugreek more then Thank you.

[jiberish]

I'd keep the ainterol. You may want it further down the track. Not like the 10 bucks for the bottle is a bank breaker.

You could try 500mg a day during the first half of your cycle and lots of massage. That would have a very low chance of messing up your cycle.

[Little_Kitten]

Perhaps not, I'm not sure.
I've also been told now that flaxseed oil actually prevents breast growth....I would like to know where in the world this person heard that. All of this confusing information! Gah!

[jiberish]

Yeaaah, I don't think that is true. It can't prevent it. So many people have grown whilst using it. It either works (what I think) or doesn't and is just used to assist with the massage. My wife has had some growth again this month and has been using flax twice a day.