I have been taking a "natural" progesterone cream from Nature's Sunshine off and on (usually more off than on) since before I had my amalgams out. I used the cream pretty faithfully before amalgam removal to help with really bad PMS mood swings and cramps. However, after I got my amalgams out, I found that the mood swings and cramps got much better all on their own. Now, I use the cream only a few times a week, or more regularly if I've had a lot of caffeine (from tea) or sugar. I've found that if I don't have any caffeine or sugar for 3-4 weeks, I'll have virtually no cramps and no mood swings.

The cream I used contains no "synthetic" progesterone, plus other herbs that help with PMS-related symptoms like bloating, breast tenderness, etc. It's called Pro-G-Yam-500 Cream.

By the way, research has confirmed that there are no actual hormones present in wild yam. This is a big misunderstanding. Wild yam actually contains a substance (a saponin) called diosgenin, which can be used to create progesterone.

I haven't found any scientific studies to confirm that wild yam has "estrogenic" effects. In fact, I've found the opposite. One safety study published in the International Journal of Toxicology reported no estrogenic effects for wild yam extracts concentrated with up to 3.5% diosgenin content. Another study, published in the International Journal of Clinical Chemistry, actually measured anti-estrogenic activity from wild yam root.

Other herbs that help support female glandular function and may help to regulate menstruation and/or even promote the re-emergence of a menstrual cycle are:

Black Cohosh
False Unicorn
Wild Yam & Chaste Tree (also known as Vitex)

Hope this information helps! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />