Why take progesterone?

As cited above, progesterone down-regulates estrogen. Other reasons are listed below:

Progesterone deficiency may possibly lead to:
1. Irregular and heavy menstrual bleeding
2. Osteoporosis
3. Heart disease
4. Decrease in libido

Progesterone supplementation has been used for:
1. PMS syndrome
2. Infertility
3. Supporting healthy pregnancy

Other potential benefits
1. Benefits against certain cancers
2. Prevents osteoporosis
3. Improves well-being, antidepressant
4. Helps restore sex drive
5. Helps convert fat to energy.

Warnings
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists warns that there is no proof bio-identical hormones are any safer than the combination estrogen/progestin therapy.

Although there are no long-term studies on prolonged effects of progesterone, it appears that Progesterone therapy is a safe therapy, when indicated. Improper use of progesterone can lead to irregular menses and bleeding. This should be reported to your physician immediately.

SELECTED RESEARCH
Hot Flashes
Haimov-Kochman R, Hochner-Celnikier D.Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand. 2005 Oct;84(10):972-9.

Hot flashes revisited: pharmacological and herbal options for hot flashes management. What does the evidence tell us?

Background: Hot flashes are the most frequent symptoms of menopause and the most common reason for climacteric women seeking medical advice. Estrogen therapy is by far the most effective therapy. However, fears of side-effect of estrogen therapy urged many patients to seek alternative modalities for symptomatic relief.

Results and Conclusions: A critical review of the literature shows that progesterone may have an independent effect on relieving hot flashes.

SELECTED RESEARCH
Effects on Skin
Holzer G, Riegler E, Honigsmann H, Farokhnia S, Schmidt JB. Br J Dermatol. 2005 Sep;153(3):626-34

Effects and side-effects of 2% progesterone cream on the skin of peri-and postmenopausal women: results from a double-blind, vehicle-controlled, randomized study.

Background: For many years topical progesterone has been prescribed by gynecologists as an antiageing and skin-firming treatment, without any clinical scientific evidence of its effects, tolerability and safety when applied to skin.

Objectives: To evaluate the influence of 2% progesterone cream on function and texture of the skin in peri- and postmenopausal women.

Results: The study demonstrated a significant…increase of the elastic skin properties in the treatment group, as demonstrated by objective measurements of three skin elasticity parameters, whereas in the control group no such effect was observed. This effect in the treatment group was further paralleled by the results of the clinical monitoring, where the 2% progesterone cream yielded consistent superiority over vehicle in counteracting different signs of ageing in the skin of peri- and postmenopausal women.

Clinical monitoring showed a greater reduction in wrinkle…around the right eye, a greater decrease in nasolabial wrinkle depth…and a significantly higher…increase in skin firmness…in the treatment group. Epidermal hydration and skin surface lipids did not change significantly in either group during the study. Progesterone was well absorbed in the systemic circulation…No serious side-effects of the treatment were observed.

Conclusions: The results of this study demonstrate that topical 2% progesterone acts primarily in increasing elasticity and firmness in the skin of peri-and postmenopausal women. These effects in combination with good tolerability make progesterone a possible treatment agent for slowing down the ageing process of female skin after onset of the menopause.

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Progesterone and Hormone Supplementation

Progesterone is a female sex hormone produced in the ovaries, and in smaller quantities, in the adrenal glands. During the last two weeks of the menstrual cycle, progesterone becomes the dominate female hormone as it prepares the body for pregnancy.

Progesterone is the counterbalance of estrogen and regulates the effects of estrogen in a woman’s body. Progesterone and estrogen are designed by nature to work together. This is why many physicians treating hormonal problems include it in their regiment guidelines. We do not prescribe estrogen without progesterone.

When it was found that Estrogen replacement alone, without concomitant progesterone supplementation, could increase a women’s chance of contracting uterine cancer, researchers and physicians thought to counteract this risk by prescribing progesterone in the form of a synthetic version called “progestin.”

Why? The issue of patentable versus non-patentable. Progestins can make a lot of money for the manufacturer, progesterone can not. It didn’t take long for the side-effects of progestins to become known: Weight gain and bloating, anxiety and high-blood pressure, PMS-like symptoms and more.

Is Progesterone safer?
Not all doctors and researchers agree that progesterone is any better or any safer than progestins.

Progesterone and hormone supplementation.
Progesterone is almost mandatory in many women, progestins are not.

In July 2002 when the Woman’s Health Initiative released their findings that hormone replacement therapy (HRT) was dangerous, somehow, progesterone was singled out as being the cause of excessive breast cancer risks by the general media. This was not the case at all. A portion of the study cited above, was discontinued because of breast cancer risk in those women using a combination of synthetic hormones; that derived from horse urine mixed with progestins, not progesterone.

How different are progestins from progesterone?
In pregnancy, progesterone protects the human fetus and maintains a healthy pregnancy. Progestins cannot be taken during pregnancy because they can cause birth defects. Progestins are used in birth control pills to prevent pregnancy.

Do progestins and progesterone sound like the same hormone to you?
Further, the side effects of progestins can include breast tenderness, depression, edema and bloating. Progesterone does not seem to cause any of those side effects. In fact, it usually reduces such symptoms.

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