Your symptoms sound very much like PMS symptoms to me, from a drop in estrogen. Please contact your doctor ASAP if symptoms persist.
Cream may not be an effective route for adequate absorption in the blood, especially as compared to factory made, standardized gels and patches. The base used in cream preparations is also important and determines extent of absorption. One should apply in the right areas, as advised by pharmacist/doctor, and follow instructions (i.e. clean area before, etc.)
Menopause. 2013 Nov;20(11):1169-75.
Percutaneous progesterone delivery via cream or gel application in postmenopausal women: a randomized cross-over study of progesterone levels in serum, whole blood, saliva, and capillary blood
The serum levels of progesterone were, on average, with cream and gel (doses comparable to oral),
0.5 ng/ml (Cmax of 0.6 ng/ml) and 0.35 ng/ml (Cmax of 0.4 ng/ml), respectively, during a 24 hour period.
On comparable dose with oral progesterone, in another study, Cmax was found to be 17.3 ng/ml and average levels to be 4.33 ng/ml for the first 10 hours.
CLIMACTERIC 2005;8(Suppl 1):3–63
"The efficacy of transdermally administered progesterone is contested."
Sometimes, the dose may also be too weak. Or, another possibility, progesterone is too high relative to estrogen so that progesterone, being somewhat anti-estrogenic (downregulates estrogen receptors, increases conversion of estradiol to estrone and sulfates), is opposing E too strongly and has resulted in a drop in E.
Do realize that salivary levels, often praised by some, are not an accurate indication of blood levels. Symptoms alone, however, can reveal what is going on without having to resort to blood levels which can take longer to get, prolonging unnecessarily your suffering.
As mentioned above, do discuss with your doctor ASAP if symptoms persist.
P.S.: Personally, I would never go this route as I don't trust its effectiveness based on various reports and studies I read. A few have had success though, it seems.
