Review (5/5): This product lets me feel normal!!
I have not purchased this thru Amazon yet, but I will start doing so (I use it regularly and buy from a compounding pharmacy--I would like to continue supporting the local pharmacy, however when I look at the price, I am currently paying $15+ more per bottle than the list price here...I can't justify NOT buying it thru Amazon from now on). Anyway: I started this product more than 10 years ago when I was in my mid 30s and started having severe perimenopausal symptoms that are NOT the typical. No hot flashes, for instance. Instead, I had symptoms of too much estrogen. (The pharmacist recommended this version with phytoestrogens for me as she said that the phytoestrogens would do something like block the receptors for the estrogen in my body, helping to normalize the estrogen/progresterone balance--or something like that! Don't quote me. LOL) My breasts were enlarged and extremely cystic (and CRAZY painful), I was almost catatonic mentally--couldn't think, didn't care about anything...but had no reason to believe I was actually "depressed." There were some other symptoms as well, but those were my two most debilitating ones. Within a few weeks of starting this cream, I saw relief. With my compounding pharmacist's suggestion, I upped the dose to two full pumps, which I use *almost* always on my breasts. At that dose, the cystic nature DISAPPEARED. The pain DISAPPEARED. The brain fog DISAPPEARED. My GP and naturopath are perfectly fine with me using this product. A couple times a year I reduce my dosage down to 1 pump in order to "test" to see if I'm far enough in peri to keep the dose down. After about a month of that, I start finding that my breasts are painful again (not like before, but mildly sore as my cycle approaches) so I go back on the 2 pump dose. I truly feel like this product has been a LIFESAVER for me and I will continue to use it, testing a few times a year to see if I can reduce the dosage.
As far as some people's comments on stickiness and smell: it's a beige cream and you are using a small amount. Like all supplements, you should consider this a "medicine" and not exceed the dosage unless you've talked to your doc, etc. It feels a little tacky at first, but I do not notice any lingering scent OR strange feeling on my skin. My pharmacist recommended putting it on at night before bed as it *could* have a mildly sedative effect (I don't notice this). You also want to be sure to wash your hands afterwards, etc. so you're not exposing other family members to small amounts of hormones, even if they ARE "natural."
Hope this helps if you're struggling with perimenopause and aren't getting any relief from other products are aren't sure where to start. You don't HAVE to suffer through this time in our lives!! I wish you lots of relief and a normal, enjoyable life again!!!