Progesterone Dose for Men

[BillyJ03z]

I just read through this entire thread and it was like reading a Thriller novel.. so many highs and lows... and at the end of this novel now I feel low.... smdh

Since starting TRT about 11 years ago (currently 48 yrs old), I have never once had the great feeling. My sleep is horrible, I have constant depression (up and down), lost interest in a lot of things I used to enjoy doing as I have no motivation to do anything, my libido is up and down (mostly down) but can still perform and I rely on viagra as a crutch, and now even more depressed because hair loss has kicked in which I was never prepared for. I just recently (last week) started Buproprion SR at 200 mg's per day to help with depression and I don't feel shit ( I know it's been only a week...)

I was hoping in the beginning of this thread that Progesterone was the missing piece, but it seems like the excitement has faded. I've had stints where I took Pregnenelone at varying doses but I never noticed any benefit or negative. Ive took DHEA and it definitely raised my low DHEA-S to the upper range but I never noticed any benefit physically from it... I've tried HCG and all it seemed to do was raise my estrogen and had no physical benefit. Regardless, I am going through my past 12 years of blood work to see if I had any pre-trt progesterone, preg, dhea lab tests to see what I was..

If anything, I'm thinking that since Progesterone is a 5ar inhibitor then maybe I can use the transdermal cream on my head for hairloss..

 

[Willyt]

Can someone help me on the nightly dosing of progesterone oil?

I bought Progestelle brand skin oil referenced in this thread. 1 dropperful contains 20 mg of progesterone.

What dose should I target if starting off conservatively?

What is the typical absorption rate? I have read 10% for cream, but don't know if that applies to oil. Does that mean that 20mg application only yields 2mg absorbed into the body?

 

[Cataceous]

I found that about 7 mg of that product applied scrotally at bedtime put my serum level at 0.3 ng/mL early the next morning. This is comparable to what I see with injections of 0.6-0.7 mg at the same times. So even though scrotal absorption is much more efficient in some cases, for me it was still around the nominal 10% figure seen generally with transdermal delivery. I think a conservative start is dosing with 5-10 mg per day.

 

[JA Battle]

I found that about 7 mg of that product applied scrotally at bedtime put my serum level at 0.3 ng/mL early the next morning. This is comparable to what I see with injections of 0.6-0.7 mg at the same times. So even though scrotal absorption is much more efficient in some cases, for me it was still around the nominal 10% figure seen generally with transdermal delivery. I think a conservative start is dosing with 5-10 mg per day.

* 5-10 mg topically if in oil
Oral absorption is around 8% so similar dosing.

 

[Cataceous]

* 5-10 mg topically if in oil
Oral absorption is around 8% so similar dosing.

The way progesterone is metabolized when taken orally could lead to different results.

The metabolism of progesterone is complex, and it may form as many as 35 different unconjugated metabolites when it is ingested orally.[R]​

​

As progesterone is rapidly metabolized in the intestinal tract, liver and many other tissues, its effectiveness is dependent on the galenic preparation, and – if administered orally or vaginally – on a high dosage. Therefore, most HRT preparations contain a synthetic progestogen (progestin) which can be used at relatively low doses because its inactivation is slowed down owing to structural peculiarities.[R]​

 

[Willyt]

I found that about 7 mg of that product applied scrotally at bedtime put my serum level at 0.3 ng/mL early the next morning. This is comparable to what I see with injections of 0.6-0.7 mg at the same times. So even though scrotal absorption is much more efficient in some cases, for me it was still around the nominal 10% figure seen generally with transdermal delivery. I think a conservative start is dosing with 5-10 mg per day.

Thanks Cat. How did you measure the 7mg? The dropper does not have any marked measurements as I recall.

 

[Cataceous]

Thanks Cat. How did you measure the 7mg? The dropper does not have any marked measurements as I recall.

I think I did some kind of initial calibration so that I knew what level in the dropper corresponded to the dose I wanted.

 

[BillyJ03z]

I started using Progesterone cream on head (hair thinning) for about 3 1/2 weeks at 20mg... here is test results...

Progesterone

0.76 ng/mL

0.28 - 1.22 ng/mL

 

[Gman86]

I started using Progesterone cream on head (hair thinning) for about 3 1/2 weeks at 20mg... here is test results...

Progesterone

0.76 ng/mL

0.28 - 1.22 ng/mL

What were ur progesterone levels before?

Seeing any results hair thinning wise?

Feeling any different after using the progesterone cream?

 

[BillyJ03z]

What were ur progesterone levels before?

Seeing any results hair thinning wise?

Feeling any different after using the progesterone cream?

Last time I had my Progesterone checked was about 14 years ago prior to starting TRT and it was in range...... No help with hair yet and/or no change in mood or well-being... I'm currently on Wellbutrin (past 4 weeks) hoping to improve my mood but no change.. however (on a side note) I have dropped 17 pounds in 4 weeks since being on Wellbutrin/bupropion...

 

[Gianluca]

@Cataceous @JA Battle I believe you guys are the only ones in the forum, who have tried both Transdermal and injection of Progesterone, did you notice any differences from the two different delivery methods?

@Gman86 can we have an update on your Progesterone injectable experiment, how is that going?

 

[JA Battle]

@Cataceous @JA Battle I believe you guys are the only ones in the forum, who have tried both Transdermal and injection of Progesterone, did you notice any differences from the two different delivery methods?

@Gman86 can we have an update on your Progesterone injectable experiment, how is that going?

I’ve also tried oral progesterone.

I notice a profound sense of calmness from topical.

Injection I don’t feel this calmness until I start dosing over 1mg. Then I’m in zone. More energy with injection route.

Oral I notice somewhere in between.

I believe all 3 give me side effect of lower sexual function. I also have naturally high progesterone and low e2.

 

[Cataceous]

@Cataceous @JA Battle I believe you guys are the only ones in the forum, who have tried both Transdermal and injection of Progesterone, did you notice any differences from the two different delivery methods?
...

I didn't notice any differences when serum levels were similar.

 

[Coconutz]

I’ve also tried oral progesterone.

I notice a profound sense of calmness from topical.

Injection I don’t feel this calmness until I start dosing over 1mg. Then I’m in zone. More energy with injection route.

Oral I notice somewhere in between.

I believe all 3 give me side effect of lower sexual function. I also have naturally high progesterone and low e2.

Are you still supplementing with estradiol? I'm still half way through reading this thread lol.

 

[JA Battle]

Are you still supplementing with estradiol? I'm still half way through reading this thread lol.

I’m currently not on estradiol. I’m not sure where my e2 sits but I presume it is on lower end. My most recent experiment involves 12mg of prop daily and 150mg of oral t base every 8ish hours
(3 times daily)

Erectile quality skyrocketed for first time since being on trt. Still seeing whether or not this is honeymoon or not.

 

[Gman86]

I’ve also tried oral progesterone.

I notice a profound sense of calmness from topical.

Injection I don’t feel this calmness until I start dosing over 1mg. Then I’m in zone. More energy with injection route.

Oral I notice somewhere in between.

I believe all 3 give me side effect of lower sexual function. I also have naturally high progesterone and low e2.

Wow, what an amazing anecdotal explanation of each form! Thanks so much for reporting ur experience. It’s also interesting, I’ve heard that oral prog should increase Allopregnenolone more, due to the liver apparently being required in the process of creating Allopregnenolone, but ur experience basically shows that this might not be correct, due to the topical increasing ur sense of calmness the most, which is most likely due to the Allopregnenolone that the prog converted into. I’ve talked to @Cataceous about this, and IRRC he basically said that as long as progesterone is increased in ur system, it will convert into Allopregnenolone just fine, regardless of the route of administration

 

[Gman86]

@Cataceous @JA Battle I believe you guys are the only ones in the forum, who have tried both Transdermal and injection of Progesterone, did you notice any differences from the two different delivery methods?

@Gman86 can we have an update on your Progesterone injectable experiment, how is that going?

So I’ve also tried topical and injectable prog. Didn’t notice anything from the topical, but I wasn’t on it long enough I don’t think. I find topical forms of things very inconvenient, and it’s hard for me to stick to them if I’m not noticing benefits right away.

Injectable prog is going well tho. Still on 1mg before bed SubQ every night. Don’t want to adjust my dose until I get my prog level checked, which will hopefully be soon. But ever since I started it, acne has gone away, sleep has been good (but sleep has always been pretty good), no negatives that I can think of, mood is good. Think I’m more calm and more comfortable socially since starting it. I also started vitamin E and vitamin D around the same time as I started the prog, so can’t really definitely say what’s doing what, but I just know I feel better since starting the 3, and acne has gone away since starting the 3, so I’m definitely gonna keep taking them all, and adjust my prog dose once I get labs done and see where my prog levels are currently at. Im assuming they’re lower in the range than I’d like, based on past labs while taking injectable prog. I’m assuming my ideal dose will be closer to 1.5-2mg/ day.

 

[Gianluca]

So I’ve also tried topical and injectable prog. Didn’t notice anything from the topical, but I wasn’t on it long enough I don’t think. I find topical forms of things very inconvenient, and it’s hard for me to stick to them if I’m not noticing benefits right away.

Injectable prog is going well tho. Still on 1mg before bed SubQ every night. Don’t want to adjust my dose until I get my prog level checked, which will hopefully be soon. But ever since I started it, acne has gone away, sleep has been good (but sleep has always been pretty good), no negatives that I can think of, mood is good. Think I’m more calm and more comfortable socially since starting it. I also started vitamin E and vitamin D around the same time as I started the prog, so can’t really definitely say what’s doing what, but I just know I feel better since starting the 3, and acne has gone away since starting the 3, so I’m definitely gonna keep taking them all, and adjust my prog dose once I get labs done and see where my prog levels are currently at. Im assuming they’re lower in the range than I’d like, based on past labs while taking injectable prog. I’m assuming my ideal dose will be closer to 1.5-2mg/ day.

I also find myself being more comfortable socially with the Progesterone, currently on 12.5mg 2 x day cream on the scrotum. Last time I checked it come back at .5 on the LabCorp scale. I do feel the cream may be a bit inconsistent, some day I felt to drowsy from it, and some other day like doing nothing. However, a few days ago I increased my Pregnenolone cream again to 50mg 2 x day, too soon to say it, but I seem to have a pretty good synergist effect between the two, I feel the Progesterone is working better with enough Pregnenolone on board, and the Pregnenolone as well is working better with the Progesterone cream. I definitely need more time to confirm this

 

[BillyJ03z]

Wow, what an amazing anecdotal explanation of each form! Thanks so much for reporting ur experience. It’s also interesting, I’ve heard that oral prog should increase Allopregnenolone more, due to the liver apparently being required in the process of creating Allopregnenolone, but ur experience basically shows that this might not be correct, due to the topical increasing ur sense of calmness the most, which is most likely due to the Allopregnenolone that the prog converted into. I’ve talked to @Cataceous about this, and IRRC he basically said that as long as progesterone is increased in ur system, it will convert into Allopregnenolone just fine, regardless of the route of administration

I tried the nightly topical (on head) Progesterone @ roughly 15-20 (dosing pump is sporatic) and my penis lost obvious sensitivity when having sex with my wife... the stimulation/feeling was there but just noticeably desensitized and numb which was a very weird feeling... and I think it made me more tired the next day...

 

[Gman86]

I tried the nightly topical (on head) Progesterone @ roughly 15-20 (dosing pump is sporatic) and my penis lost obvious sensitivity when having sex with my wife... the stimulation/feeling was there but just noticeably desensitized and numb which was a very weird feeling... and I think it made me more tired the next day...

I feel like I’ve heard guys say that their sensitivity decreases with progesterone. I’m hoping that if this is the case, and is caused by the prog in these men, that it’s due to their levels just being too high. I’d hate for progesterone to give guys positive benefits, but also some negative symptoms like decreases penis sensitivity, and there being nothing we can do to get all the positives without the negatives. I’m really hoping that as long as we keep progesterone in our own individual sweet spots, that we can receive all the benefits, without any of the negatives. Prog has such a tight range, so I just feel like it might be a difficult hormone to dial in perfectly. Especially if someone is using a topical version, which will probably give someone the most inconsistent and unpredictable levels, out of all the forms of progesterone I would imagine