by John R. Lee, M.D. and Virginia Hopkins

Q: What is progesterone?
A: Progesterone is a steroid hormone made by the corpus luteum of the ovary at ovulation, and in smaller amounts by the adrenal glands. Progesterone is manufactured in the body from the steroid hormone pregnenolone, and is a precursor to most of the other steroid hormones, including cortisol, androstenedione, the estrogens and testosterone.

In a normally cycling female, the corpus luteum produces 20 to 30 mg of progesterone daily during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle.

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It helps prevent osteoporosis in a manner that complements estrogen. While estrogen prevents bone breakdown, progesterone actually promotes bone rebuilding by stimulating the osteoblasts (the cells that create the bone fabric itself). As with many things that progesterone does, the effect when used in conjunction with estrogen is stronger than when progesterone is studied on its own.
It has a number of metabolic and nutritional effects. It promotes the use of fat for energy, thus opposing the estrogenic tendency to fat storage. It normalizes blood sugar levels, but can cause insulin resistance at high levels by interfering with the action of insulin. It has a thermogenic effect—it makes you warmer by increasing blood flow to the skin. It counters estrogenic binding of zinc and copper, thus normalizing those levels.
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I was over the moon when, in 2002, the first ever independent, randomised, double blind study ever done on oestrogen  was stopped after only 5 years because the risk of breast cancer had doubled.  This was the famous WHI (Woman’s Health Initiative), a government study that showed that HRT (Hormonal Replacement Therapy drugs), taken by millions of women, could expose them to higher risks cancer. A year later, in 2003, another huge study in the U.K. was also halted.  Taken together, these two studies showed that the combination of the drugs oestrogen with progestins (a so-called drug equivalent to progesterone) exposed women to far higher risks of heart attacks, strokes and breast cancer. Many medical scientist began recommending against the combination HRT as the risks outweigh the benefits. Another recent finding provides evidence that the combined HRT significantly boosts the risk of dementia and strokes in post menopausal women.
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