My story

Menopause

Products I Use for Menopause

Perimenopause

Progesterone

Estrogen

What are bioidentical hormones?

What forms do bioidentical hormones come in?

Transdermal vs. oral use

How do I get bioidentical hormones?

How do I use bioidentical hormones?

Nutrition and exercise

Herbal remedies

Helpful Links

What is Progesterone?

Progesterone is one of a woman's reproductive hormones. It plays a vital role in menstrual cycles, pregnancy, bone growth, skin elasticity, and a host of other things. There are progesterone receptors in cells throughout the body, not just in cells in the reproduction system. The brain has the next highest concentration of progesterone cell receptors besides the reproduction system.

First of all, let's get the terminology right. The terms "progesterone" and "progestin" are often interchanged, which is confusing and incorrect.

Progesterone refers to the natural progesterone a woman produces in her body. Men produce it too, but in smaller quantities. Bioidental progesterone is just that. Molecularly identical to the progesterone produced in the human body.

Progestin refers to synthetic progesterone produced by pharmaceutical companies. Progestins mimic natural progesterone and will attach to progesterone cell receptors but are not an exact match, which causes side effects. Drug companies make synthetic progestins so they can patent them. They cannot patent a natural substance like progesterone. Progestins are 10 to 100 times more powerful than progesterone, which is why they are used for birth control.

The word progestigin is a blanket term that can refer to any kind of either natural (bioidentical) progesterone or synthetic progestins. I fell this is misleading, since bioidentical progesterone and synthetic progestins are not molecularly the same and affect the body differently.

Origin of Bioidentical Progesterone Production

Bioidentical progesterone is made from plants, most commonly the wild yam and soybeans. In the 1930's, a chemistry professor, Russell Marker, discovered a chemical process to convert diosgenin (a plant steroid) into progesterone that is molecularly an exact copy of the progesterone in the human body.

Progesterone and the Menstrual Cycle

There are three phases of the menstrual cycle: the follicular phase, the ovulatory phase, and the luteal phase. The follicular phase is the first half of the cycle and begins with the first day of your period. The main purpose of this phase is to stimulate the growth of ovarian follicles for the purpose of releasing an egg during ovulation. One follicle becomes dominant and begins to produce estrogen and the other follicles break down. The estrogen causes the lining of the uterus to proliferate after menstruation. The follicular phase lasts about 13 or 14 days. During the ovulatory phase, which lasts about 16 to 32 hours, the dominant follicle ruptures and releases an egg (ovulation). The luteal phase begins after ovulation. It lasts about 14 days. The ruptured follicle forms a new structure called a corpus luteum. The corpus luteum then produces progesterone.

The progesterone prepares the lining of the uterus for fertilization by opposing estrogen's affect on its growth. Instead, the progesterone causes the uterine lining to fill with fluids and nutrients in prepartion for a fertilized egg. If fertilization does not occur the lining is then shed during menstruation and the cycle begins again. The structural changes progesterone creates in the lining also allows the lining to shed uniformly and adequately during your period.

We can see that without progesterone or with inadequate progesterone during a menstrual cycle, there are going to be problems with the uterine lining continuing to grow unopposed by progesterone and not shedding properly. This is exactly what happens during perimenopause when women stop ovulation some or all of the time. No ovulation, no progesterone.

Progesterone and Pregnancy

The topic of pregnancy may seem an unlikely topic for this web site. But I will be making a point shortly that relates. If fertilization occurs, progesterone continues to be produced to maintain the pregnancy. The placenta produces large quantities of progesterone throughout pregnancy. Low progesterone is often found to be the cause of miscarriages.

Is Bioidentical Progesterone Safer Than Synthetic Progestins?

I can't tell you if bioidentical progesterone or BHRT in general is completely safe. No one really knows. The medical profession says there is no reason to believe that bioidentical hormones, including bioidentical progesterone, are safer than synthetic hormones. Well, let's go back to what I just said about progesterone and pregnancy. Bioidentical progesterone is a common treatment for pregnant women with a history of miscarriages because of low progesterone to help maintain their pregnancies. This is usually in the form of a bioidentical progesterone vaginal suppositories in high dosages. This works and it is safe for the embryo or fetus. However, the use of a synthetic progestin for this purpose would cause birth defects. Which do you think is safer? Doctors must think women have no ability to think logically if they expect us to believe bioidentical progesterone is not safer than a synthetic progestin.