Estrogen is an excitatory hormone, stimulating the body in various ways. Another hormone relating to female reproduction is progesterone, and it is a calming hormone. Without significant levels of progesterone, women have difficulty either getting pregnant or carrying a pregnancy to term. The term itself means “gestational promotion.”
Both estrogen and progesterone used in oral contraceptive pills. So why does a postmenopausal woman need an adequate level of progesterone in her body?
Progesterone can help protect a menopausal woman from developing uterine cancer, a type of cancer more common once a woman is past her childbearing years. Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy is a safe, natural way to ensure a woman has the right level of calming hormones in her system. Contact a skilled doctor to discuss your options for therapy right away.
In the brain, progesterone metabolizes into the neurosteroid allopregnanolone. This neurosteroid has anti-anxiety and calming properties, and also affects memory and cognition. It is well-known for inducing sleep.
As perimenopause and then menopause begins, the ovaries no longer produce as much estrogen and progesterone as they formerly did. The brain also creates progesterone, but not in the quantities produced by the ovaries.
After menopause, many women experience issues relating to anxiety, depression, memory loss, cognition, and insomnia. The proper level of calming hormones can restore mood and improve memory and thought processes, as well as allow a woman to achieve adequate sleep.
New research indicates that progesterone may help patients with brain injuries, such as stroke, have a better outcome. Progesterone has long been known to possess protective effects for the brain in cases of traumatic brain injury resulting from accidents.
Besides its calming and brain protective functions, progesterone – often in connection with estrogen – boasts many other benefits for menopausal women. These include:
Note that these benefits all involve bioidentical, not synthetic, forms of progesterone and estrogen.
Although synthetic progesterones, known as progestins, are available, the body does not metabolize them in the same way it does the natural hormone. In fact, synthetic progestins may negatively affect estrogen benefits. Bioidentical hormones, made from plant materials such as wild yam and soy, possess the same molecular structure as a woman’s natural hormones, and the body recognizes them as such. Bioidentical progesterone, along with bioidentical estrogen, does not increase a woman’s risk of breast cancer as synthetic hormone replacement therapy does.
Calming hormone therapy via bioidentical hormones may take the form of a pill, injection, patch, implant, or cream. Each individual prescription is created by a compounding pharmacy. Patients are regularly monitored via saliva, urine or blood testing to ensure they receive the appropriate, minimal dose to address their needs.
Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy is part of a holistic approach to health. Along with a custom-tailored bioidentical hormone replacement regimen, the doctor will also devise a diet plan and exercise routine addressing each patient’s individual needs. Additional nutritional supplements may aid a patient in attaining a peak quality of life.
If you would like more information about calming hormones in general and bioidentical hormone replacement therapy in particular, then call Dr. Edward Jacobson’s office today and arrange a consultation.