Special attention should be given to the fact that the progestin component of the HRT, medroxyprogesterone acetate, which is branded under the name Provera, is NOT the same thing as bio-identical or natural progesterone, produced by a human body. The two are vastly different chemicals.

Provera has an additional medroxy acetate chemical group added to the original progesterone molecule. This changed the activity of progesterone into something that is not natural and, as the WHI study showed, has caused numerous side effects.

Prometrium, made by Solvay Pharmaceuticals, contains the hormone progesterone. It is structurally identical to the progesterone made naturally in the body. In fact, Prometrium is the only hormone replacement therapy medication with bio-identical progesterone that has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It is sold in caps.

But the OTC hormone creams bypass the liver which is preferable