5 Amazing Benefits of Progesterone in Women

Author: Lori Brannan, RPh

October is Women’s Health Month. We all want our moms, aunts, grandmothers, sisters and friends to stay healthy and well, and hormone balance is a big part of that. Today we are going to talk about one of women’s favorite hormones: progesterone.

Progesterone is a steroid hormone produced by the ovaries and adrenal cortex. During pregnancy, it is also produced by the placenta. It is often known as the hormone of pregnancy, however it also benefits women’s health in many other ways.

5 Amazing Benefits of Progesterone in Women

1. Relieves PMS

If you’ve ever suffered from PMS, then you will really learn to appreciate bioidentical progesterone! Progesterone relieves the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome and regulates the menstrual cycle. Research shows that progesterone therapy for PMS resulted in much lower depression, irritability, anxiety, mood swings, abdominal bloating, sleeplessness, and breast tenderness. (1)

2. Promotes Sound Sleep

Progesterone has a calming effect that helps you sleep well.  Studies show that decreases in progesterone levels can cause disturbed sleep. Progesterone has both sedative and anti-anxiety effects, stimulating benzodiazipine receptors, which play an important role in the sleep cycle. Progesterone treatment helped decrease the prevalence of breathing irregularities, arousal from sleep, anxiety, and memory impairment. (2) A decline in progesterone levels in postmenopausal women is one of the causes of sleep apnea. (3)

3. Improves Bone Health

Progesterone promotes bone building. Research demonstrates that progesterone is  extraordinarily effective in reversing osteoporosis. (4, 5) Progesterone stimulates osteoblasts (cells that make new bone) and prevents bone loss in women. Studies indicate that progesterone – likely working through bone formation pathways – plays an active role in maintaining women’s bones and in helping to prevent osteoporosis. (6)

4. Essential for Fertility and Pregnancy

A progesterone deficiency can cause a miscarriage. Progesterone promotes survival of the embryo and fetus throughout pregnancy. It is important for the process of normal embryo implantation and early embryonic growth and development. (7,8)

5. Cancer Prevention

Research demonstrates that progesterone protects against endometrial and breast cancer. The conclusion of the 1981 Johns Hopkins study found that infertile women with progesterone deficiency had a premenopausal breast cancer risk that was 540% greater than that of women whose infertility was not related to their hormones. Not only that, but these women had a 1,000% greater risk of death from all types of cancer. (9) Research shows that progesterone suppressed the cells from spreading and induced cell death in malignant mesothelioma cancer cells (10) and that it also can inhibit growth and cause cell death in two types of breast cancer cell lines. (11)

Bioidentical Progesterone vs. Progestins

Bioidentical hormones are the exact molecular structure as the hormones that are produced by your body. (12) You want to use bioidentical progesterone and be sure to avoid progestins, such as Provera, which are not the same as progesterone. They are medroxyprogesterone, a chemical that is foreign to the human body, and it has many negative side effects, including increasing your risk of cancer. Many birth control pills contain progestins, as well. This is why it is important to use hormones which are biologically identical to what your body produces.

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 Treatment of Premenstrual Syndrome with Progesterone in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
2 Effects of Hormone Therapy with Estrogen and/or Progesterone on Sleep Pattern in Postmenopausal Women
3 Sleep Disorders in Postmenopausal Women
4 Is Natural Progesterone the Missing Link in Osteoporosis Prevention and Treatment?
5 Osteoporosis Reversal with Transdermal Progesterone
6 Progesterone and Bone: Actions Promoting Bone Health in Women
7 The Clinical Relevance of Luteal Phase Deficiency: A Committee Opinion
8 Progesterone Implantation in Habitual Abortion
9 Breast Cancer Incidence in Women with a History of Progesterone Deficiency
10 Progesterone Induces Apoptosis in Malignant Mesothelioma Cells
11 Progesterone Inhibits Growth and Induces Apoptosis in Breast Cancer Cells: Inverse Effects on Bcl-2 and p53
12 Point/Counterpoint: The Case for Bioidentical Hormones