I am turning 54 soon and think I might be finally going into menopause. Other than getting really, really tired in the afternoon and sometimes feeling hot and cold it hasnt been horrible so far. I have a friend who is in her early 60s and looks amazing (like...45) and has lots of energy. I know she uses progesterone cream that she buys online and has for years. Her mom is in her mid 80s and looks amazing so I think genes probably factor into looking great and she has very olive skin which seems to age better then my pale but sun abused Irish skin lol. I was looking it up online and seeing that its either great or very scary. And also been reading about all the bioidentical hormones. Is there anyone on here in their 50s and using hormones or has tried them? I'm not looking for medical advice but just curious, thanks!!
I have used them in the past for non-menopause issues (I'm only 41), and would be fine with using them in the future.
The key is to use only bioidentical progesterone, not a "progestin". Progestins are not exact chemical repicas of natural progesterone, and they can lead to cancer. This is why birth control pills have cancer warnings: they all have progestins in them. The old hormonal treatments from the 1980's that led to a lot of breast cancer featured progestins, too.
Bioidentical progesterone, such as prometrium, is an exact chemical replica of the natural progesterone your body produces. I would not trust any over-the-counter cream to deliver the right or consistent amount to my body, though. I would only take it with a prescription, and via pills. (Yes, pills do work, even though they require higher doses than creams. They were completely effective at regulating my out-of-whack menstrual cycle, for instance. My doctor said a cream likely wouldn't be strong enough to be effective for me.) You have to find the right dosage over time (too much made me feel like I would pass out, whereas too little was ineffective). I found that the "right" amount had a wide enough range that it was not hard to figure out, though.
Aside from temporary effects from taking too much, progesterone never made me feel "bad", like one poster had said she read. In contrast, it made me feel calm and peaceful. Think of it this way: women have the highest progesterone levels of their lives during pregnancy. After childbirth, your levels suddenly drop, and the abrupt loss of progesterone leads to postpartum depression in some women, which gradually improves as progesterone levels gradually normalize.
I used an estrogen patch, because unlike progesterone, estrogen is not effectively metabolized orally. The brand I used was Vivelle dot, and it worked well for me.
I'm off them now because it was a temporary problem that required them, but I wouldn't hesitate to use bioidentical progesterone in menopause. I might not do estrogen, due to the increased breast cancer risk of high estrogen levels (progesterone actually reduces this cancer risk as it helps keep estrogen levels in check). I would of course talk to my doctor, anyway.
You might need to find an MD who is somewhat alternative/open-minded, for him to oversee your hormonal supplementation, as bioidentical hormones are not actually drugs, and many contemporary MDs only want to prescribe drugs.
Best of luck in sorting all this out. I do recommend bioidentical progesterone to anyone going through menopause, rather than just "toughing it out".
I was a raging beast before. Seriously, I was exhausted all the time. I had about 1 week out of the month I felt normal. My Mom(72) has been taking hormone shots for about 15/20 yrs. I can't tell you what though. We all will tease her when she starts getting testy...we'll ask her if she's had her shot yet 
