Progesterone
Introduction
Sources of progesterone
Women - Symptoms of progesterone deficiency
Women - benefits of progesterone supplementation
Progesterone for men
Which progesterone is best?
References
Introduction
Progesterone is a hormone found in men, women and children. Everyone needs a small amount of progesterone for good health and longevity. However, women of reproductive age need much more. Progesterone plays an essential role in a woman's reproductive cycle and her ability to have children, and if she does not produce enough many serious problems can occur (see Symptoms below).
Postmenopausal women and children tend to have the lowest levels of progesterone. Adult males have a similar level to that in women during the follicular phase of their menstrual cycle. When a woman ovulates, the level of progesterone in her blood more than doubles. During pregnancy, her progesterone level goes up by one to two hundred times.
Progesterone is not a "feminising" hormone. That reputation belongs to estrogen. Excess estrogen or estrogen imitators cause many problems both in men and women. Progesterone is a natural antagonist to estrogen. Progesterone helps to balance and neutralise the powerful effects of excess estrogen in both men and women. Without sufficient progesterone in the body, estrogen becomes harmful and out of control ("unopposed estrogen").
Progesterone is produced in a woman's body in quantities a thousand-fold greater than estrogens. Progesterone is a pivotal building block for the production of other hormones, including estrogens, glucocorticoids and corticosteroids. Without progesterone there would be no menstrual cycle or reproduction. Progesterone plays an essential role including keeping the stimulatory effects of estrogen under control.
In the 1990's an American medical doctor, John R. Lee, pioneered the use of natural progesterone in treating breast cancer, PMS and menstrual problems. Dr Lee emphasised the use of natural progesterone with its dynamic and holistic properties, and warned doctors to avoid synthetic progesterone lookalikes or analogs, because they were not as effective and have serious side-effects. Unfortunately many doctors are not aware of the distinction because pharmaceutical companies promote their more profitable patented lookalikes.
Sources of progesterone
- Small amounts of progesterone are produced by everyone's adrenal glands
- Progesterone is made in men's testes
- Progesterone is produced by the corpus luteum in the ovaries after ovulation
- At about 8 to 10 weeks of pregnancy, large amounts of progesterone are produced in the placenta
- Dairy products contain progesterone, because on dairy farms cows and other animals are milked during pregnancy (when the progesterone content of their milk is high)
- Progesterone used to be harvested from animal ovaries or human placentas. These sources were limited, expensive, and subject to the health of the donors
- Today, progesterone is mostly made from sigmasterol sourced from soya beans. Smaller quantities of diosgenin from yams and other plants in the tuber family are also used. No plants contain progesterone - the steroid substrates in these plants have to be converted into real progesterone in a laboratory. The human body cannot convert diosgenin into progesterone - a point often misrepresented by marketers of wild yam products
- Synthetic progesterone lookalikes or analogs. These lookalikes are favourites of the pharmaceutical companies, because they are not naturally occurring and can therefore be patented. The best-known analogs are progestin or progestagen. These lookalikes are not nearly as effective as the real thing, and come with some serious side-effects
Women - Symptoms of progesterone deficiency
- Mood changes, anxiety
- Breast disorders, pain, tenderness
- Depression
- Headaches, migraines
- Hot flashes
- Endometriosis
- Menstrual problems such as irregularity, heavy bleeding
- PMS
- Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)
- Postpartum depression
- Weight gain
- Peri-menopause problems
- Menopause problems
- Infertility
- Miscarriage
- Night sweats
Women - benefits of progesterone supplementation
- Heavy menstrual bleeding. Using natural progesterone during the luteal phase of the cycle will usually regulate and control bleeding within two or three months. It is important that uncontrolled bleeding be fully investigated by a gynaecologist to exclude serious underlying uterine disease
- Restores libido
- Stimulates bone growth, protecting from osteoporosis
- Helps to burn body fat for energy
- Normalises insulin blood sugar control
- Anti-depressant
- Maintains the uterine lining during the second half of the menstrual cycle (the luteal phase)
- Assists the thyroid
- Helps avoid early miscarriage (propagates an embryo)
- Protects against endometrial and breast cancer
- Protects against fibrocysts
- Used for building other essential hormones
- Normalises blood clotting
- Diuretic, normalising body fluid and salt levels
Progesterone for men
As most men age, the level of estrogens, estrogen lookalikes and xenoestrogen toxins in their bodies rises. This assault of all these estrogens in aging men is responsible for a variety of symptoms: Symptoms of estrogen dominance in men
As the level of estrogen rises in men, their testosterone level falls. Their testosterone level falls naturally with aging, but the high level of estrogen makes the aging symptoms much worse.
Progesterone opposes and balances excess estrogen. It is progesterone that inhibits the harmful effects of too much estrogen (unopposed estrogen) more than anything else.
As estrogen levels rise in older men, there is no parallel rise in progesterone to balance this. For men progesterone is anti-feminizing rather than being a "female hormone". Any adult man showing these estrogen dominant symptoms, especially those over 50, should use a small amount of transdermal natural progesterone daily to offset the excess estrogens in his blood.
Progesterone is a powerful 5-alpha reductase inhibitor. 5-alpha reductase is an enzyme that turns beneficial testosterone into unwanted and dangerous dihydrotestosterone (DHT). High levels of DHT are associated with baldness, prostate disease, and a host of other illnesses as men age.
Progesterone raises the level of androstenedione in the prostate gland. A healthy prostate needs an abundance of androgens such as testosterone, androstenedione, and DHEA to function as well as it did in their youth.
A healthy prostate needs a small amount of progesterone, and actually has progesterone receptors. Studies on laboratory animals have reduced the weights of their prostates just by giving them natural progesterone.
Which progesterone is best?
Progesterone is poorly absorbed when taken orally, being broken down by the liver instead of being bio-available. However, progesterone is well absorbed transdermally (through the skin). It is essential to use only high quality pharmaceutical grade natural progesterone cream. Homeopathic progesterone products and wild yam creams do not work. Low quality products and creams containing insufficient progesterone are unlikely to be effective.
References
1. Anasti J. N, Leonetti H.B, Wilson K. J.
Topical progesterone creme has antiproliferative effect on estrange-stimulated endometrium.
Obstet & Gynecol. 2001. 94(4 Suppl.): 10S and Fertil Steril. 2004. 79 (1): 221-2.
2. Baulieu E., CSchumacher M.
Progesterone as a neuroactive neurosteroid, with special reference to the effect of progesterone on myelination.
Steroids. 2000. Oct-Nov; 65 (10-11): 605-12.
This paper reviews the effects of progesterone on the brain, with special focus on its role in the formation of the myelin sheath
surrounding nerve fibers. Other roles of progesterone in the brain include evaluating activating GABA receptors, which induces a
calming effect
3. Cowan L. D., Gordis L., Tonascia J. A., et al.
Breast cancer incidence in women with a history of progesterone deficiency.
American Journal of Epidemiology. 1981; 114:209.27
4. Dennerstein L., Spencer-Gardner C., Gotts G., Brown J. B., Smith M.A., Burrows G. D.
Progesterone and the premenstrual syndrome: a double blind crossover trial.
Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1985. Jun 1; 290 (6482): 1617-21.
5. Goodman & Gilman.
The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics.
6th edition, 1980: Chapter 61 (Estrogens and Progestins: 1420), 1085-1171
6. Lee, D. R. M.D.
Osteoporosis reversal: the role of progesterone.
Intern Clin Nutr Rev 10: 384-91. 1990.
7. Lee, D. R. M.D.
Is natural progesterone the missing link in osteoporosis prevention and treatment?
Medical Hypotheses 35:316-18. 1991.
8. Lee, D. R. M.D.
Natural Hormones for Men: What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Prostate Health and Natural Hormone Supplementation.
Hormones Etc. p. 5-24. 2003.
9. Lee, John R.
Natural Progesterone - The Multiple Roles of a Remarkable Hormone.
1993.
10. Lee, John R.
What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About PREmenopause.
1999.
11. Lee, John R.
What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Breast Cancer.
2002.
12. Lee, John R.
Hormone Balance for Men.
2003.
13. Lee, John R.
What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Menopause.
2004.
14. Lee, John R.
Hormone Balance Made Simple.
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15. Leonetti H.B., Longo S., Anasti J. N.
Transdermal progesterone cream for vasomotor symptoms and postmenopausal bone loss.
Obstet Gynecol 1990. Aug; 94(2): 225-8.
16. Mauvais-Jarivs P., Kuttenn F, Gompel A.
Antiestrogen action of progesterone in breast tissue.
Horm Res. 1987. 28 (2-4): 212-8.28
17. Prior, J.C.
Progesterone as a bone-trophic hormone.
Endocr Rev 11:386-98. 1990.
18. Prior, J.C., Y. M. Vigna, and N. Alojado.
Progesterone and the prevention of osteoporosis.
Candian Journal of Obstetrics/Gynecology & Women's Health Care 3:178-84. 1991.
19. Rylance P. B., Brincat M., Lafferty K., De Trafford J. C., Brincat S., Parsons V., Studd J. W.
Natural Progesterone and antihypertensive action.
Br Med J (Clinical Res Ed) 1985. Jan 5; 290 (6461): 13-4.
20. Stevenson, J. C., K. F. Ganger, et al.
Effects of transdermal versus oral hormone replacement therapy on bone density in spine and proximal femur in postmenopausal
women.
Lancet 336: 256-26. 1990.
21. Sherwin B. B.
Progesterone use in menopause. Side-effects, mood and quality of life.
J. Reprod Med. Feb; 44(2 Suppl): 227-32. 1999.