Any woman using synthetic hormonal contraceptives is exposed to:

• allergies
• dryness of the vagina and frequent infections, burning
• Arrhythmia, heart attack
• doubled risk of Candida hypertrophy
• decreased ability to build muscle
• dysbiosis, or imbalance between good and bad bacteria in the gut
• synthetic oestrogens cause weight gain through disruption of sugar metabolism in the body, which contributes to excessive fat deposition
• an increased risk of gestational diabetes
• infertility
• headaches
• gall bladder disease
• greater predisposition to insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is often associated with PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome). When untreated it may lead to type 2 diabetes.
• ovarian cysts
• cervical dysplasia
• pituitary gland tumours
• hypertension
• osteoporosis
• synthetic progesterone and its synthetic counterparts drastically reduce the amount of serotonin, vitamin C, B6, B5, B12, D, E, folic acid, magnesium and trace elements of calcium and phosphorus
• epilepsy
• stroke
• a reduced amount of thyroxine binding protein (TBG -thyroid binding globulin) which consequently decreases the levels of thyroid hormones in the tissues
• loss of ability to experience orgasm and loss of interest in sex
• mental disorders
• neurological disorders
• eye disorders
• blood clots
• increased frequency of birth defects and congenital malformations in babies
• increased risk of breast, uterine, ovarian, thyroid, and liver cancer – confirmed by the World Health Organization WHO

Progesterone’s contraceptive mechanism.

The menstrual cycle is a biological mechanism that repeats regularly in a woman’s body, occurring in a fixed biological rhythm, under the influence of the nervous-hormonal system.
The occurrence of the menstrual cycle is regulated by the woman’s hormonal system, working on the principle of positive feedback and negative feedback. The system consists of:

• hypothalamus,
• the frontal pituitary gland,
• ovaries.

In the menstrual mechanism, the hypothalamus plays the role of the main coordinator of the whole process. This is possible due to the fact that the hypothalamus is an organ which is very sensitive to external information, such as light, stress, environmental factors, well-being, as well as internal signals, because it reacts to hormones secreted by other organs, including ovaries. Thanks to this coordination, the hypothalamus affects the work of the pituitary gland and ovaries, sending neurohormonal signals (GnRH) to them, stimulating or inhibiting the production of hormones by the pituitary gland and ovaries.
At the start of the cycle beginning on the first day of menstrual bleeding, when a woman has a low level of oestrogen and progesterone hormones, the pituitary, stimulated by the hypothalamus, secretes an ovarian stimulating hormone called follitropin (FSH). Due to the secretion of follitropin, one of the follicles begins to mature in the ovary along with the egg inside. The follicle is an endocrine gland, emitting, among others, hormones called oestrogens. These hormones affect the woman’s body through the bloodstream, also reaching the hypothalamus and pituitary gland. The high level of oestrogen stimulates the release of a hormone called lutropin (LH) accumulated in the pituitary gland, whose task is to break the ovarian follicle and release the already mature oocyte, or cause ovulation (ovulation). Then there is positive feedback between FSH, oestradiol and LH hormones.

In the place of the broken vesicle, under the effect of lutropin (LH), a transitional gland is formed, corpus luteum also known as the “yellow body”. The yellow body produces progesterone, a hormone that, among others, stops the process of maturation of other eggs and also, through information sent to the hypothalamus, inhibits the secretion of pituitary hormones, such as follitropins and lutropin (this mechanism is used as a contraceptive, thanks to the natural progesterone, which inhibits the secretion of FSH and LH) as part of negative feedback. The yellow body stays active for about two weeks, then it disappears. During this period, the level of progesterone falls, which is a signal for the hypothalamus to start a new cycle.

For natural progesterone to work as a contraceptive, it should be taken from the 6th day of the cycle to the 26th day of the cycle (assuming a 28-day cycle). The use of natural progesterone from the 6th day of the cycle inhibits the secretion of hormones produced by the pituitary follicle and lutropin. A low level of FSH results in the lack of maturation of the egg in the ovary and slows down the growth of oestrogen. A smaller amount of oestrogen reduces the growth of the endometrium (endometrium), in which the embryo is implanted. In addition, a smaller amount of oestrogen prevents the growth of LH lutropin responsible for ovulation. As a result, no ovulation occurs. In addition, progesterone has a huge impact on the quality of cervical mucus. Progesterone mucus closes the cervical canal, blocking the possibility of sperm penetration into the uterus. Infertile progesterone mucus is opaque, cloudy, whitish or yellowish, dry, tearing when stretched, with pH 4.5-5.5. At pH of mucus below 5.5, sperm are able to survive just under an hour because of too acidic environment for them, and in such conditions it is difficult to fertilise. The optimum conditions for fertilisation are pH of 7.2-8.2.

To summarise progesterone’s contraceptive effect:

• it blocks the secretion of follitropin (FSH), thanks to which it does not ripen the egg
• blocks the secretion of lutropin (LH), which prevents ovulation
• reduces the growth of the endometrium, which makes implantation of the embryo in the uterus difficult
• changes the properties of cervical mucus on the so-called infertile progesterone mucus

How can you check the effect of progesterone.

Many women would benefit from this form of contraception, but they do not fully trust this method because they do not have adequate knowledge on this subject and do not know how to check if this method actually works properly and doctors do not say anything about it. However, this method is very simple, cheap and possible to use at home as an effective form of contraception.

Analysis of cervical mucus.

A very simple and clever sampler can be used for collecting and analyzing cervical mucus at a specific time, as well as its basic analysis (ph measurement, tensile test, color and transparency assessment). The sampler for collecting and analyzing cervical mucus is used for the natural method of family planning. It allows determination of fertile days and infertile days in a very effective way. The sampler for collecting and analyzing cervical mucus can not be included in the method of contraception, but it allows avoidance of unwanted pregnancy and also supports many couples in their efforts to conceive. Women who do not have enough room for themselves to feel safe can also protect themselves with natural progesterone for contraception, instead of adding additional health problems from synthetic hormones that are commonly used in contraceptive pills.

Dr Dalton and Dr. John R. Lee believe that the dose of natural progesterone at 100 mg / day (from the 6th to the 26th day of the cycle) is quite sufficient and safe for the contraceptive effect to be achieved. However, there are those who think that you should take 150 mg / day or even 200 mg / day. This is a very individual matter, so in order to be convinced and feel confident, in the first 3 months of using natural progesterone do PH measurements of the cervical mucus, between the 8th and the 20th day of the cycle. The cervical mucus should be collected with a special sampler, which was described earlier.
Under normal conditions, when a woman does not take any specifics and has a normal menstrual cycle, ovulation and conditions conducive to fertilization occurs in the so-called ovulatory period, which usually occurs between the 12th and 16th day of the cycle. Usually it is the 14th day of the cycle at the 28-day menstrual cycle. However, in women who have short menstrual cycles, maturation of the egg can occur so quickly that the fertile days will begin as early as the end of menstruation. In the case of such short menstrual cycles, sexual intercourse, even during menstruation, may result in a woman becoming pregnant.

Between the 12th and 16th day of the cycle there is a proliferative cervical mucus, produced by oestrogen, which is characterized by its consistency which resembles raw egg white. It is a transparent, stretchy, liquid with pH 6.2-8.2. It is accompanied by feelings of wetness, slipperyness and the cervix is ​​open, extended into the vagina and very soft, like the lips or the earlobe.

There is also the second type of mucus – infertile progesterone, which occurs after ovulation. Progesterone mucus is cloudy, glutinous, dense, non-extensible, white or yellowish with pH 4.5-5.5. Symptoms associated with sensations for this type of mucus are humidity or dryness, and the cervix is ​​short, hidden and closed.

When a woman applies natural progesterone from day 6 of the cycle, then between the 12th and 16th day of the cycle, when oestrogen prolonged mucus should normally occur, infertile progesterone mucus will appear instead. In addition, the neck should be closed to prevent sperm from moving to the uterus. Women who take natural progesterone can use their probe to check their cervical mucus during this period and measure its ph. If it is at pH 4.5-5.5, women can be almost certain that progesterone has worked properly.

An ovulation microscope and ovulation tests can also be used to check the effects of progesterone. An ovulation microscope detects oestrogen “fibrils” during ovulation. Due to the fact that progesterone is an oestrogen antagonist, and the fact that blocking FSH secretion slows down as a consequence of oestrogen release, before ovulation (between 12-16 days of the cycle) during the test under the microscope there should not be oestrogen “bugs”. The lack of adequate oestrogen levels also has an inhibitory effect on LH. In the case of ovulation tests, the result should also be negative.

However, the most effective, but the most expensive and practically unavailable in Poland (home) method may be the examination of the ovulatory cycle using vaginal ultrasound. In many countries there is an alternative – relatively cheap sets for home ultrasound examinations (for example: SonAura). They serve basic home preventive diagnostics. Such a kit can also be used to check whether the egg has matured in the ovary and ovulation has occurred. If not, it will mean that progesterone has worked properly contraceptively.