Ep. 614 "The Progesterone Conversation We've Been Missing" | Menopause, Perimenopause, Progesterone

Welcome to this week’s Midlife Minute. In this episode, we’re focusing on progesterone, exploring the differences between progesterone and progestins, how progesterone is used in clinical practice, and how individual responses can vary significantly. IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN: Why bioidentical progesterone and synthetic progestins are not interchangeable How early synthetic progestin studies continue to shape how progesterone is viewed How different routes of progesterone administration produce different effects  Why do some women experience stronger neurological or physical effects than others on the same progesterone dose How cyclical versus continuous use can affect how progesterone is used in the body  Why some women experience sleep or mood changes on oral progesterone The importance of personalized decision-making Connect with Cynthia Thurlow   Follow on X, Instagram & LinkedIn Check out Cynthia’s website. Submit your questions to support@cynthiathurlow.com  Join other like-minded women in a supportive, nurturing community: The Midlife Pause/Cynthia Thurlow.  Purchase Cynthia’s book, The Menopause Gut. Cynthia’s Intermittent Fasting Transformation Book The Midlife Pause Supplement Line Resources:  The pharmacodynamics and safety of progesterone doi:10.1016/j.bpobgyn.2020.06.002 Profiles of plasma estrogens, progesterone and their metabolites after oral or vaginal administration of estradiol or progesterone doi:10.1016/0378-5122(93)90064-O Pharmacokinetics of progesterone and its metabolites allopregnanolone and pregnanolone after oral administration of low-dose progesterone doi:10.1016/j.maturitas.2005.11.005 Allopregnanolone and mood in the peripartum: a longitudinal assessment in healthy women doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2019.104465 Behavior of Male Gamete Fusogen GCS1/HAP2 and the Regulation in Arabidopsis Double Fertilization doi:10.3390/biom13020208 Tolerance to allopregnanolone with focus on the GABA receptor doi:10.1111/j.1476-5381.2010.01059.x Effects of exercise training on the cardiovascular system: pharmacological approaches doi:10.1016/j.pharmthera.2007.03.010 Sex steroid induced negative mood may be explained by the paradoxical effect mediated by GABA modulators doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2009.02.003 Paradoxical effects of GABA modulators may explain sex steroid induced negative mood symptoms in some persons doi:10.1016/j.neuroscience.2011.03.061 Progesterone selectively increases amygdala reactivity in women doi:10.1038/sj.mp.4002030 Progesterone and allopregnanolone neuroprotective effects in the central nervous system doi:10.1016/S0006-8993(02)02366-5 Allopregnanolone and mood disorders doi:10.1016/j.pneurobio.2013.07.005 GABA receptor plasticity and neurosteroid cell withdrawal during the estrous cycle doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2800-09.2009 Unequal risks for breast cancer associated with different hormone replacement therapies: results from the E3N cohort study doi:10.1007/s10549-007-9523-x Management of Menopausal Symptoms: A Review doi:10.1001/jama.2022.24140 Progesterone vs. synthetic progestins and the risk of breast cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis doi:10.1080/13697137.2018.1467611 Progesterone prevents sleep disturbances and modulates GH, TSH, and melatonin secretion in postmenopausal women doi:10.1210/jc.2010-2558