Progesterone

Progesterone is a hormone that is primarily made by the ovaries before menopause, and then after menopause, the body begins to rely on the adrenal glands to help produce it.

There is a common misconception that if someone was to have a hysterectomy, that there is no need for progesterone anymore, this is actually a gross misunderstanding.

Almost every cell in the body has receptors for the progesterone molecular, and just because a surgical intervention was made that lead to a sudden decrease in the production is no reason to think the body does not need it anymore.

It would be like removing a pancreas. We know the pancreas is responsible for producing insulin, although if you removed it or if it began to dysfunction, you would surely give someone insulin.

When the need for progesterone supplementation arises, it can be given in the form of a pill or a capsule or topically through the skin in the form of a cream.

Taking progesterone orally will give a lower level of absorption, although will create a metabolite that acts on GABA receptors in the brain. This produces a calming effect and allows you to sleep better.

In either case, the dose should be customized to the patients needs, allowing a compounding pharmacist to create the exact dose that a patient needs.

Bio-identical progesterone does come commercially in the form of Prometrium in capsule dosages of either 100 mg or 200 mg. The down side might be the individual needs a different dosage; the fact that these preparations contain peanut oil which many people are allergic to; or someone might do better on a sustained release for which would need to be compounded, opposed to the immediate release of Prometrium.

Other commercial preparations contain what are called progestins, which is a synthetic form of progesterone. A progestin does not have the same structure as progesterone, thus will act differently at the receptor site, thus leading to different results in the body.

We will speak more of the effects of stress when we get to the section on cortisol, although it is important to mention that when adrenaline surges, in the case of stress, these surges can actually block the progesterone receptors, thus not allowing for the benefits to occur.

For more information such as Functions, Benefits, Signs and Symptoms as well as the importance of the estrogen to progesterone ration check out the FULL VERSION of iHormone in the app store.