Pregnancy/progesterone/autoimmune diseases

I was just thinking how during pregnancy I felt so good and at about 2 months postpartum the proverbial crap hit the fan. My buttocks ached, my hips hurt, I could not get comfortable even in bed, I hobbled like mad in the morning, my shoulders and neck were horribly stiff and sore. This has been my lot in life pretty consistently since then, over a year and a half ago. And 4 months ago the GI issues led me to the Crohn's dx.

So since then I've learned that autoimmune diseases can be triggered by pregnancy in those susceptible. It's not uncommon to see RA or Crohn's rear its head for the first time or flare after pregnancy because the hormones that have kept the immune system in check (so that the fetus won't be rejected) suddenly normalize after delivery. There is lots of room for error in this normalization, I'm guessing.

I read a few threads about progesterone cream possibly helping with autoimmune diseases. It made me wonder if anyone had tried anything like this or had any general knowledge on hormones they cared to share. I would love to slather on some cream and feel half as good as I did when I was pregnant but I suspect I would be messing with nature and only inviting more trouble.

Thanks for reading. Kind of a bizarre post, I know.