Why Choose a Natural Estrogen Cream Over a Synthetic One?
Let’s be real—when it comes to hormone health, most of us just want something that works without messing with our bodies. The truth is, synthetic estrogen creams CAN come with a mix of side effects. From bloating and mood swings to blood clot risks and increased cancer concerns, they can feel like trading one problem for another. Especially, depending on the ingredients.
Natural estrogen cream alternatives, on the other hand, are designed to support the body—not override it. Instead of forcing hormone levels up artificially, a truly natural-based product works with your body’s rhythm, gently nudging it back into balance.
Think of this like, giving your body a reminder of what it already knows how to do—rather than trying to take over the controls.
What Exactly Is a Synthetic Estrogen Cream?
Most mainstream estrogen creams (sometimes also called "natural estrogen cream" mind you) are made using lab-synthesized hormones designed to mimic the effects of estrogen in the body. These are usually prescribed for things like vaginal dryness, hot flashes, and bone loss. You’ll often hear them called "bioidentical," but let’s not confuse “chemically similar” with “natural.”
Synthetic estrogen creams are typically made from isolated hormones derived from plants or even pregnant mare’s urine (yes, really). Then they’re chemically altered and combined with stabilizers, preservatives, and penetration enhancers that aren’t exactly kind to your skin—or your endocrine system.
Is a “Natural” Estrogen Cream Really Natural if it Contains Estrogen USP?
This is where things get muddy. A lot of creams on the market call themselves “natural” because the estrogen USP (United States Pharmacopeia) in them is started from a plant source—like soy or yams. But by the time that estrogen has been extracted, synthesized, purified, and standardized, it’s a far cry from the original plant.
So, while the final hormone may be bioidentical to the estrogen your body makes, it’s no longer in a natural state. And if it’s suspended in a cream full of parabens, PEGs, alcohols, or synthetic fragrance? That’s not something we’d call “natural” in any good conscience.
What Is USP—and Why It Doesn’t Mean Natural
You’ll often see the term USP on labels for hormone creams—like “Estrogen USP” or “Progesterone USP”—especially in products calling themselves bioidentical or natural. But here’s what most people aren't told:
USP stands for United States Pharmacopeia—a pharmaceutical standard that ensures a substance is pure, potent, and chemically identical across batches. It’s a registry of drug-grade, highly processed ingredients that have been manufactured in a laboratory, not gathered from the earth.
So while the original source of that estrogen might have been a plant (like soy or wild yam), it has gone through such an intense chemical transformation—stripped, isolated, and reconstructed molecule by molecule—that it is now lab-made and patentable.
That’s the catch:
If it’s USP-approved, it’s no longer in its natural form.
And if it’s patentable, it’s not natural—because you can’t patent something that grows freely in the ground.
How Exactly Is Natural "Estrogen USP" Made?
Great question. Here's the short version:
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The process starts with diosgenin, a compound found in wild yams or soybeans.
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Chemists then convert this into estradiol, estriol, or estrone in a lab through multiple chemical reactions.
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The final product is purified and standardized to meet pharmaceutical-grade standards.
Yes, it’s technically bioidentical. But by the time it's ready for your cream, it’s been stripped from its whole-plant context, processed with chemicals, and rendered into a substance that acts more like a drug, rather than a nourishing botanical.
That’s the key difference—we believe in giving the body the building blocks and signals it needs, not just handing it an artificial template.
A True Natural Estrogen Cream Alternative
At MoonMaid Botanicals, we don’t believe your only option is synthetic or semi-synthetic estrogen. We have simply had too many report beneficial results, to limit ourselves only to products that are patented and mass-produced.
ProMeno Wild Yam Cream
Made with wildcrafted herbs, including Wild Yam and Chasteberry, ProMeno supports your body’s ability to balance its hormones naturally. It’s not about giving you estrogen—it’s about supporting your body to do what it’s designed to do: make its own. This is ideal for women navigating hot flashes, mood changes, and other symptoms of estrogen dominance or progesterone deficiency.
What it Does: Helps support your body’s own production of progesterone, which naturally balances excess estrogen and soothes hot flashes, irritability, and cycle shifts.
Vital V Wild Yam Salve
For vaginal dryness, atrophy, or thinning tissues—especially after menopause—Vital V is your daily go-to. It’s deeply moisturizing and soothing to the delicate tissues that estrogen usually nourishes, but without actually supplying estrogen. Instead, it encourages your skin to regenerate and maintain elasticity—naturally.
What it Does: Deeply hydrates and nourishes thinning or fragile vaginal tissue, easing dryness and restoring elasticity—just like estrogen creams aim to do, but without the hormone or prescription. Also known to regenerate skin tissue, which some creams do not focus on.
Read Our Reviews for Examples of How Our Products Work as an Alternative to Estrogen Creams
It’s not only the estrogen itself that makes you feel better—it’s also the relief from what low estrogen causes: dryness, mood swings, poor sleep, discomfort during intimacy.
Our approach is different:
We don’t override your body. We remind it how to thrive.