6 Ways Progesterone Benefits the Brain

Author: Angela Foley, PharmD, RPh

You probably already know that progesterone is an important hormone during pregnancy, but did you know that it is also essential for your brain? The brain is highly sensitive to progesterone, so ensuring that you have optimal levels of it can be very beneficial.

Progesterone is a hormone that is produced by the ovaries and adrenal glands in women, and during pregnancy by the placenta. Men also make progesterone in smaller amounts in the adrenal glands and testes.

Your brain has many progesterone receptors and it is a site of synthesis and metabolism. Progesterone has a broad spectrum of actions in the brain and is neuroprotective. (1)

Here are 6 ways that progesterone benefits your brain:

1. Progesterone has a calming effect because it stimulates the brain’s GABA receptors (those feel-good, calming neurotransmitters). (2)

2. Because progesterone levels fall after childbirth, supplementing with bioidentical progesterone can both prevent and alleviate postpartum depression.

3. Progesterone helps regulate cognition. (3)

4. Progesterone helps relieve anxiety. (4,5,6)

5. Progesterone can help relieve irritability and mood swings. (7)

6. Progesterone has a protective effect by reducing swelling and improving mental clarity after a traumatic brain injury. (1)

To find out more about how bioidentical progesterone can benefit you or to order a refill of your progesterone, contact Physicians Preference Pharmacy today at 281-828-9088. It will be our privilege to serve you!

Research
1. Progesterone in the Brain: Hormone, Neurosteroid and Neuroprotectant
2. Administration of Progesterone Produces Mild Sedative-Like Effects in Men and Women
3. Progesterone Receptors: Form and Function in Brain
4. Nutritional Factors in the Etiology of the Premenstrual Tension Syndromes
5. Anti-Anxiety Effects of Progesterone and Some of its Reduced Metabolites: An Evaluation Using the Burying Behavior Test
6. Anxiolytic Activity of the Progesterone Metabolite 5 Alpha-Pregnan-3 Alpha-o1-20-one
7. Efficacy of Progesterone Vaginal Suppositories in Alleviation of Nervous Symptoms in Patients with Premenstrual Syndrome