Cenestin is fairly similar to Premarin, but made synthetically from plant materials. Cenestin is formulated to release its hormone slowly, just like Premarin theoretically should although the shellac on Premarin has caused some problems with reliably dissolving. Also, Premarin has a number of unknown hormonal molecules in it whereas Cenestin is completely analyzed.

Hi Kristy, Some of us have hormonal headaches that we just can't get rid of, even after trying different types and amounts of estrogen. I am wondering what drugs you use for your headaches. I got in a bad situation using Fioricet too often, and it made my headaches worse ("rebound headaches") and sometimes other pain meds have the same tendency, if used more than 2-3 days a week. Have you been worked up by a neuro doc who specializes in headache management? That might be a good thing to do. I am in perimenopause and have been on premarin in the past, which, in retrospect, caused alot of my headaches. I am presently on combi-patch, but I still get headaches for about 10 days around my period (or even when I'm due for a period, but don't get one). I take Exedrine Free and when that doesn't work, I use Maxalt. There is a good headache forum at Braintalk.org. There are several women there who have really bad hormonal headaches who have tried tons of medications. They might be good people to ask. I haven't tried many different meds or hormones. It's a great site and you might get some good ideas there. Some of us there have found that during about 2 weeks around our periods, lots of things become "triggers" for our headaches, and we have learned to avoid them around that time. I have a friend who has migraines and she thought they would go away after her hysterectomy, but they didn't. My neuro doc said that this is often the case......That there are so many other things involved (like your pituitary and hypothalamus), that just by removing your ovaries and uterus many times doesn't stop hormone-related headaches. I hope you find something that helps.

Hi, i have been researching natural progesterone creams for a week or so now, and they all say that progesterone cream rubbed into fatty areas of your body, thighs, upper arms and lower abdomen are fully absorbed into the body, and used as your body needs it, but estrogen will be produced by the body by taking progesterone, and its quite unusual for people to need to take extra estrogen, its also not advisable, as this has been the many problems for years in that women have been given estrogen by Drs thinking that it needs to be replenished during menopause, whereas now the general way of thinking is that this actually procudes estrogen dominance, Dr Lee goes into this in great detail and by eck it all makes sense at last. Good luck. Fiona (UK)

I have been using an estrogen gel for several months. It does help moisturize the vaginal tissues. I used it daily for I think a week, then cut back to a maintenance dose of once a week. I noticed a difference after a few weeks. The gel is a bit messy as it liquifies quicker than the cream, but I had a reaction to the cream. I get the gel from a compounding pharmacy. The gel doesn't tackle my other symptoms, the main one being hotflashes, so I take a low oral dose of estradiol daily. The only side effect is breast sensitivity(from the oral med), but I can live with that. I can't live with the hotflashes. I've been on HRT for several years. I tried many types of estrogen after trying natural remedies(and other meds)first with no success. I get my blood tests done regularly and take the lowest dose that stops my symptoms. I would go ahead and try the cream to see if it helps. Just pay attention to how your body reacts and let your doctor know how it's going.