Guide to Using Progesterone for Women’s Health
As I describe on this blog and in my books Period Repair Manual and Hormone Repair Manual, bioidentical progesterone is a viable treatment for women’s health conditions such as PCOS, PMDD, migraines, endometriosis, adenomyosis, and perimenopause.
Progesterone is available as “oral micronized progesterone,” and requires a doctor’s prescription. Brand names include PrometriumⓇ, UtrogestanⓇ, TevaⓇ, and FamenitaⓇ, depending on your country. Alternatively, progesterone cream is available over-the-counter in some countries and can help with mild symptoms but is generally not as effective as capsules.
Here’s what you need to know.
How Testosterone Can Cause Weight Gain in Women
Too much testosterone can cause insulin resistance and abdominal weight gain in women.
That’s why androgen excess is a factor in the weight gain associated with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), menopause, and some types of birth control.
PCOS Cannot Be Diagnosed (or Ruled Out) by Ultrasound
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) cannot be diagnosed by ultrasound because polycystic ovaries are not cysts. They’re follicles or eggs which are normal for the ovary.
It’s normal for all women to sometimes have a higher number of follicles. It’s normal for young women to always have a higher number of follicles because young women have more eggs. That’s why the new international PCOS guidelines state that “ultrasound is now not recommended in diagnosis in those within 8 years of the start of periods.”
What Are Bioidentical or Body-Identical Hormones?
Bioidentical or body-identical hormones are estradiol and progesterone that are molecularly identical to human hormones. Most (not all) modern menopause hormone therapy is bioidentical. Keep reading for a list of brands.
The difference between “bioidentical” and “body-identical” is that body-identical is the preferred conventional term and bioidentical the term traditionally applied to customised hormone formulas dispensed by a compounding chemist, back in the day when compounding was the only way to obtain hormones identical to the body’s own hormones.
Why Progesterone Is Just as Important as Estrogen
It’s time to bring progesterone into the conversation about women’s health. That’s according to Canadian endocrinology professor Jerilynn Prior, who just released an important paper called “Women’s Reproductive System as Balanced Estradiol and Progesterone Actions—a revolutionary, paradigm-shifting concept in women’s health.” In the paper, Professor Prior makes the case that historically there has been a “cultural over-emphasis on estrogen” while “progesterone tends to be ignored or associated with negative effects.”
Natural Treatment of Menstrual or Hormonal Migraines
Several factors contribute to menstrual or hormonal migraines including estrogen-induced high histamine and the change to neurotransmitters when both estrogen and progesterone drop at the end of the cycle.
The best natural treatments for hormonal migraines include natural progesterone and magnesium. Hormonal birth control is usually not a good idea.