It happens to all of us, you read the instructions, then you lose them, or can’t remember exactly what they said when you need to apply your cream.

This is one of the most common questions I am asked, so together with Dr Tony Coope I devised an updated simple regime that I thought would be helpful to share with you.

Firstly, do remember that everyone is different and your response will be as unique to you as are your symptoms and their severity.

Some women require more hormone cream to help alleviate severe symptoms, while others can use less, and factors such as stress will impact your hormones and mean your symptoms may need extra help.

On first starting the cream make sure you begin with the recommended double dose of two pea sized amounts of cream twice daily for the first month of use to establish good hormone levels.

After the first month, if your symptoms are coming under control, you can go on to the maintenance dose of just one pea sized amount of cream twice daily on your regime and once they are fully controlled then try cutting back on the amount each month and monitor your symptoms.

If your symptoms are severe, or return, then either stay on the initial double dose or go back to a slightly higher dose than the maintenance amount. Monitor your progress and go to the maintenance dose when you feel symptoms are under control.

If using the pump, not the jar, then the  initial double dose is one full depression. After that for the maintenance amount you depress the pump just half way each time.

A simple application routine

All hormone creams should be gently stroked onto the skin, they do not need to be rubbed in vigorously.

You need to apply to a different area each day and a twice daily application gives a more even distribution over each 24 hours.

To optimise absorption, it makes sense to rotate applications through different sites, avoiding the possibility of saturation if only one or a few are used. 

A convenient, easy to apply and to remember, routine is:

               Morning                     Evening
Day 1.    L inner thigh             R inner thigh

Day 2.   L half of abdomen    R half of abdomen

Day 3.    L inner forearm       R inner forearm

Day 4.    L inner upper arm    R inner upper arm

You then continue this rotation until the month’s cycle of two or three weeks application is completed and then take a break of two or three weeks as appropriate for your routine.

The principle here is that all the the sites are thin tissue areas with smooth skin which optimises absorption through the epidermis into the capillary layer.

How many days do I apply?

If you are still having regular periods on a regular 28 day cycle, you apply on a 2 week on and 2 week off routine.

Day 1 is the first day of your period and you don’t apply the cream when bleeding. You then follow that with a one week break so you would apply the cream from days 14-28 of your cycle.

This means you are following as close as is realistic to the body’s natural hormone production.

However if your cycle is not 28 days then adjust this so you always have two weeks of application. So if you have a 24 day cycle you would have days 1-9 for your bleed and a break and then apply cream from days 10-24.

If  irregular or no cycle at all  as can occur at Perimenopause, Menopause, Post Menopause and after a hysterectomy you apply twice daily for 3 weeks and have a 1 week off break is best.

Start the cream at any point when not bleeding and use for the 3 weeks, but if you get a bleed at any point in the 3 weeks then you stop the cream. You then wait for 1 week and start a completely new 3 week cycle.

If you are finding your symptoms returning during the break then it can be shortened. Initially you can go for up to 3 months without a break to get severe symptoms under control when using skin application.

Do I really need a break?

Whatever your age or circumstances, whether you have had a hysterectomy or very irregular periods, or no periods at all, it is very important to take the break.

This will allow the cell receptors time to rest and prevent the chance of you overusing any single one and saturating it.

If you do not take the break you run the risk of absorbing less hormone to deal with your symptoms, as once that site is ‘full’ it can’t take the hormone.

This means it can’t use it to relieve your symptoms which is why it is so important to apply the cream on the correct rotation.

More information:

If you need more assistance please email support@wellsprings-health.com for individual help with your symptoms or application usage.

Wellsprings have also developed a range of supplements that can be used in combination with either our Serenity or 20-1 creams.

You can find details of all of our products here, along with more information on hormone health that you might find useful:

https://www.wellsprings-health.com