Progesterone helps thin the uterine lining and prevents endometrial hyperplasia (a uterine lining that's too thick). Doing so helps reduce the risk of developing endometrial, or uterine, cancer. There's also evidence that taking estrogen and progesterone together may reduce the risk of getting colorectal cancer.
Taking progesterone after menopause offers several benefits. Experts say that progesterone therapy can improve many of the discomforts of menopause. It can reduce or eliminate hot flashes and night sweats, enhance sleep quality, increase libido, help stabilize mood, and decrease discomfort with intercourse.
Progesterone is used to help prevent changes in the uterus (womb) in women who are taking conjugated estrogens after menopause. It is also used to properly regulate the menstrual cycle and treat unusual stopping of menstrual periods (amenorrhea) in women who are still menstruating.
In other words, bioidentical progesterone triggers a metabolic response allowing weight loss to occur. When progesterone is added back into the body via bioidentical progesterone cream, it acts as a natural diuretic, thereby reducing the bloating.
For most women, progesterone is good for mood because it converts to a neurosteroid called allopregnanolone which calms GABA receptors. Progesterone's calming neurosteroid effect is why progesterone capsules are usually tranquillizing and why times of high progesterone (luteal phase and pregnancy) can cause sleepiness.
It plays an important role in brain function and is often called the “feel good hormone” because of its mood-enhancing and anti-depressant effects. Optimum levels of progesterone promote feelings of calm and well-being, while low levels can cause anxiety, irritability, and anger.
In all these effects note that progesterone does not directly cause weight loss. Instead it reduces the effect of other hormones in the body which are causing the weight gain. Think of it as allowing rather than causing the body to lose weight.
Progesterone also decreases your body's reliance on the hormone cortisol, which ages the skin. There are many benefits to balanced progesterone that affect aging. It is a natural antidepressant and anti-anxiety hormone and a sleep aid – all of which affect how your body ages.
Estrogen and progesterone have many characteristics that aid in preventing aging signs on your skin. For example, they naturally increase hyaluronic acid (HA) and prevent the loss of collagen and elastin.
Commonly reported side effects of progesterone include: abdominal cramps, depression, dizziness, and headache. Other side effects include: anxiety, cough, diarrhea, fatigue, musculoskeletal pain, nausea, bloating, emotional lability, and irritability.
Progesterone can help increase your mood. Progesterone and mood go hand in hand. Progesterone acts as a natural antidepressant to lower anxiety, help with mood swings, and can even aid in relieving postpartum depression. Progesterone can relieve menopause symptoms.
While progesterone doesn't directly cause weight gain, it does increase your hunger levels which may make you feel like you're eating more and therefore gaining weight. But progesterone is just a small player in hormone balance and weight management.
Systemic estrogen therapy remains the most effective treatment for the relief of troublesome menopausal hot flashes and night sweats. Have other symptoms of menopause. Estrogen can ease vaginal symptoms of menopause, such as dryness, itching, burning and discomfort with intercourse.
Progesterone stimulates the production of sebum or the oil glands in the skin. It can cause the skin to swell, and compress the look of pores. Too much of it, however, can lead to oil build up.
In clinical practice, micronized progesterone (MP) is frequently recommended to treat signs and symptoms of skin and hair aging in menopausal women.
Another hormone that affects your skin is progesterone. It works by stimulating sebum production and releasing natural oil into the skin, making it plump and smooth.
Can the progestogen-only pill make you gain weight? Whilst weight gain is listed as a common side effect for the progestogen-only pill and may affect up to 1 in 10 people, it's important to remember that pills like Hana can affect people in different ways.
Progesterone stimulates deposition of body fat but had catabolic effects on protein metabolism. Provisional evidence is offered that the steroid may influence ketone body production by the liver as well.
During peri-menopause, the first hormone that decreases is usually progesterone. This can lead to estrogen dominance, a common symptom of which is weight gain, causing you to store more fat around your stomach area.
Estrogen and Progesterone
These hormones also help with hair growth. Estrogen and progesterone can help keep your hair in the growing (anagen) phase. Therefore, these hormones can help your hair stay on your head longer and may even help your hair grow faster.
Of course, in some cases you might take progesterone on its own without estrogen. For instance, some women use progesterone therapy during menopause when they cannot use estrogen. Bioidentical progesterone comes from plants like soy and wild yams. It's then made into a medication your body can metabolize.
Progesterone also stimulates GABA, the feel-good/stay-relaxed neurotransmitter that's also affected by the thyroid. When progesterone levels drop, GABA levels can drop too leading to feelings of both anxiety and depression.