Hormone Testing at Access Medical Laboratories

HORMONE INFORMATION - PROGESTERONE

What is it?

Progesterone is one of the hormones in our bodies that stimulates and regulates various functions. Progesterone plays a role in maintaining pregnancy. The hormone is produced in the ovaries, the placenta (when a woman gets pregnant) and the adrenal glands. It helps prepare your body for conception and pregnancy and regulates the monthly menstrual cycle. It also plays a role in sexual desire.

During the reproductive years, the pituitary gland in the brain generates hormones (follicle-stimulating hormone [FSH] and luteinizing hormone [LH]) that cause a new egg to mature and be released from its ovarian follicle each month. As the follicle develops, it produces the sex hormones estrogen and progesterone, which thicken the lining of the uterus. Progesterone levels rise in the second half of the menstrual cycle, and following the release of the egg (ovulation), the ovarian tissue that replaces the follicle (the corpus luteum) continues to produce estrogen and progesterone.

Estrogen is the hormone that stimulates growth of the uterine lining (endometrium), causing it to thicken during the pre-ovulatory phase of the cycle.

Progesterone's Functions

One of progesterone's most important functions is to cause the endometrium to secrete special proteins during the second half of the menstrual cycle, preparing it to receive and nourish an implanted fertilized egg. If implantation does not occur, estrogen and progesterone levels drop, the endometrium breaks down and menstruation occurs.

If a pregnancy occurs, progesterone is produced in the placenta, and levels remain elevated throughout the pregnancy. The combination of high estrogen and progesterone levels suppress further ovulation during pregnancy. Progesterone also encourages the growth of milk-producing glands in the breast during pregnancy.

High progesterone levels are believed to be partly responsible for symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS), such as breast tenderness, feeling bloated and mood swings. When you skip a period, it could be because of failure to ovulate and subsequent low progesterone levels.

The word "progestogen" refers to any hormone product that affects the uterus in much the same way as our natural progesterone. Effective synthetic versions of progesterone, called progestins, have been around since the 1950s. A micronized capsule version of natural progesterone (derived from wild yams) was developed.

HORMONE IMBALANCE SYMPTOMS IN WOMEN Allergy symptoms Depression, Fatigue, Anxiety Endometriosis Fibrocystic breasts Hair loss, facial hair growth Headaches, dizziness Low sex drive Osteoporosis PMS Urinary tract infection Weight gain Wrinkly skin

HORMONE IMBALANCE SYMPTOMS IN MEN Difficulty passing urine Mood swings Inability to lose weight Fatigue Foggy thinking, Memory loss Lack of interest in sex Reduced muscle strength Erectile dysfunction Enlarged prostate Burning sensation urinating Panic, weeping Blood sugar imbalance

RESOURCES:

1. NIH Clinical Center (2004-08-16). "Progesterone Historical Reference Ranges". United States National Institutes of Health. http://cclnprod.cc.nih.gov/dlm/testguide.nsf/Index/CB26894E1EB28DEF85256BA5005B000E?OpenDocument. Retrieved 2008-03-12.

2. Luconi M, Bonaccorsi L, Maggi M, Pecchioli P, Krausz C, Forti G, Baldi E (1998). "Identification and characterization of functional nongenomic progesterone receptors on human sperm membrane". J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 83 (3): 877­85. doi:10.1210/jc.83.3.877. PMID 9506743.

3. Jang S, Yi LS (2005). "Identification of a 71 kDa protein as a putative non-genomic membrane progesterone receptor in boar spermatozoa". J. Endocrinol. 184 (2): 417­25. doi:10.1677/joe.1.05607. PMID 15684349.