In a woman’s body, oestrogen and progesterone work together to ensure ovulatory monthly cycles. An ‘ovulatory’ cycle is where an ova or egg is released from the ovary in preparation for fertilisation.
However, not every cycle actually releases an egg. This can occur when there are imbalances or insufficient levels of hormones, especially progesterone.
Estrogen and progesterone work together to build long-term health
It’s time to bring real progesterone (not progestins) into the conversation because oestrogen and progesterone together work as a team. For example, the pre-ovulatory surge of oestrogen (in the form of oestradiol) is necessary for ovulation and the manufacture of progesterone. Estrogen also upregulates progesterone receptors.
In turn, progesterone counterbalances oestrogen in all parts of the body, including:
the uterus, where progesterone thins the lining while estrogen thickens it. the brain, where progesterone is calming while estrogen is stimulating. the breasts, where progesterone helps to slow cell division, while estrogen increases cell division.
Progesterone can also promote ovulation in a subsequent cycle by providing important hormonal feedback to the brain.
On a blood test, a good peak luteal phase progesterone level is 80 nmol/L, 100 times more than an average peak oestradiol level of 800 pmol/L (0.8 nmol/L).
Together, estrogen and progesterone promote the long-term health of the brain, bones, and cardiovascular system. In the words of Professor Prior, “ovulatory cycles across a woman’s long reproductive life span are needed to prevent osteoporosis and fracture, heart attacks, and breast and endometrial cancers during women’s older years.“
Every ovulatory cycle is like a deposit into the bank account of long-term health.
Real versus synthetic
Progesterone has been both ignored and mistakenly blamed for side effects it does not cause. How did that happen?
For one thing, progesterone was discovered shortly after oestrogen. Thus, missing out on the tidy hormone dichotomy of “testosterone for men and estrogen for women,” pointed out endocrinology professor Jerilynn Prior. Also, progesterone could not (at first) be made into a medication that could be absorbed orally.
Because progesterone could not (at first) be made into a medication, it was replaced by synthetic progestins in research and treatment. Unfortunately, progestins have different (and sometimes opposite) effects than progesterone, and (sadly) many of the side effects and risks of progestins have been mistakenly attributed to progesterone. For example, progestins increase the risk of breast cancer, but progesterone reduces the risk.
By the time progesterone could be made into a medication (with the invention of oral micronized progesterone), it was too late; progesterone was left behind.
So, it is important to note that should you ever require additional progesterone, insist on the bio-identical form and never take progestin.
As with many things that just happen in our body, our hormones tick along sometimes in balance and other times not. The best method to assess hormone levels, and different types (of oestrogen) as well as how your body is synthesising (making) and clearing them is with a saliva and/or urine test. The gold standard is the DUTCH which is available from your qualified naturopath. This test is available for both women and men.
Remember, every function in the body is linked and the best way to find out if there are any imbalances is to test.
Above information is courtesy of Dr Lara Briden
