Lara Briden - The Period Revolutionary
Leading the change to better periods
Progesterone is the hormone women make after ovulation and is important not just for fertility but also to help to prevent osteoporosis, stroke, dementia, heart disease, and breast cancer. Regular ovulatory cycles are beneficial for general health. Progesterone can also be taken in the form of micronized progesterone to relieve heavy periods and the symptoms of perimenopause.
High estrogen can contribute to heavy periods, breast pain, fibroids, and premenstrual mood symptoms. It can also suppress thyroid function and increase the risk of breast cancer.
To lower estrogen, you need to understand all the types of estrogen and why they’re high.
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It’s time to bring progesterone into the conversation about women’s health. That’s according to Canadian endocrinology professor Jerilynn Prior in her paper “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.”
In your forties, you may find you don’t cope as well with stress. It happens because losing progesterone during perimenopause can destabilize the HPA (adrenal) axis or stress response system.
This recalibration of the nervous system is why perimenopause is associated with an increased risk of anxiety, depression, and insomnia.
Body-identical or bioidentical progesterone can treat women’s health conditions such as PCOS, PMDD, migraines, endometriosis, adenomyosis, and perimenopause.
Progesterone is called 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 progesterone capsules.
Here’s what you need to know.