What Are Progesterone Capsules Used For?

Using Progesterone Capsules for Hormone Replacement in Postmenopausal Women

Menopause is a normal change in a woman's life when she stops having her period. That's why some people call menopause "the change of life." A woman has reached menopause when she has not had a period for an entire year and there are no other causes for this change. Menopause symptoms include:

 

For some women, these symptoms are quite severe, and some form of menopause relief may be necessary. This may include medications, natural menopause relief remedies, or non-medical ways to deal with the symptoms.

 

Estrogen medications are quite effective at relieving the symptoms of menopause. However, for women with a uterus (who have not had a hysterectomy), taking estrogen medications alone (without progesterone or a progesterone-like hormone) can cause the lining of the uterus to build up, which can lead to cancerous changes. Progesterone capsules are approved for preventing this buildup (known as endometrial hyperplasia) in postmenopausal women taking conjugated estrogen medications (Cenestin^®, Enjuvia^™, or Premarin^®). Although progesterone capsules are not approved for this use in women taking other types of estrogen, there is no reason to expect that the medication would not be effective for such use.