Topical progesterone creams and gels have been successfully used for treating menopausal
related symptoms and conditions, but their widespread acceptance as standard of care
for preventing estrogen-stimulated cell proliferation has been hampered because it
results in very little increase in serum progesterone levels. Instead, FDA-approved
oral progesterone therapy has remained the mainstay of conventional progesterone therapy
for countering estrogen-stimulated proliferation of the endometrium. Venipuncture
serum is considered the gold standard for testing sex-steroid hormone levels in the
body. It is widely believed that progesterone is poorly absorbed through the skin
based on pharmacokinetic studies showing that only about 10% of progesterone delivered
topically is detected in serum.
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: October 28, 2013
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© 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
