Progesterone Deficiency: What you need to know | Felice Gersh, MD
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 12 มิ.ย. 2024
- Progesterone might be the most misunderstood and undervalued female hormone, even more so than estradiol -- is it possible?!?
Progesterone plays a critical role in the health of the brain, the immune system, cardiovascular system, and bones.
And women only make it for the 2-ish weeks of the menstrual cycle after ovulation. Any woman who isn't ovulating regularly is progesterone deficient to some degree. This includes women on hormonal birth control, women with PCOS who have irregular cycles, women in perimenopause who have missed periods, and all women in menopause.
Progesterone receptors are widespread throughout the body. Many people know that progesterone helps a woman shed the uterine lining during menstruation and it is critical to maintaining a healthy pregnancy.
But did you know that progesterone
* is neuroprotective
* anti-inflammatory
* lowers blood pressure
* supports strong bones
* protects against cancer
* lowers anxiety
* promotes sleep
Watch my talk to learn more about this essential hormone!
Watch for my latest Instagram live at / dr.felicegersh
I am a full time practicing doctor. I see patients in my office in Irvine, CA and worldwide via telemedicine. If you need more healthcare assistance than I can provide in a video series, please contact my office:
integrativemgi.com/
---- Contents of this video --------------------------
00:00 - Intro
00:33 - What is progesterone
03:34 - Making progesterone in the reproductive years
07:12 - Progesterone's roles throughout the body
07:51 - It's anti-inflammatory
12:27 - It's neuroprotective
13:57 - It's a muscle relaxant
15:40 - It helps build strong bones
17:34 - It protects against cancer
20:35 - Lowers anxiety and promotes sleep
21:13 - Oral vs transdermal
22:26 - Pulsed, not static dosage
23:15 - It lowers blood pressure
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Invaluable information which empowers me to go back to my obgyn and have to walk her through the rationale of why I should be prescribed progesterone . I had previously asked and was told it’s no longer necessary and that makes me pretty angry
This was the most thorough and outstanding video I have ever listen to regarding progesterone and what it does for the female body. Thank you, Doctor
In Canada, doctors have been prescribing 300mg of progesterone over a decade now, for the very reasons you have described.
I appreciate this free education that you are giving women. I love this channel and am binge watching your videos ❤
Never new Progesterone is anti inflammatory.
You are an excellent educator!
Thanks so much for educating us all on the multiple roles that different hormones play in our bodies. I so appreciate you, Felice, and am grateful for how you are working so hard to educate other medical professionals about how hormones really work and how they ought to be prescribed. You are a treasure!
Can't thank you enough for all the education 🙏 ❤
Thank you so much...this is so helpful to me at this time....
Beautiful! And timely for me. Thank you! 🙏
Thank you Dr gersch for this data driven deep dive into the uses and benefits of progesterone. You are a gem!!!!! 💎
I would like to know how estradiol and progesterone affect the lining in post menopause? How does the pulsing affect the lining? If we pulse the progesterone how does it keep the lining from thickening?
And why do most docs advise continuous progesterone?
Thanks for all the info you’re sharing ❤
I’d love to hear the answer to this question as well.
Me also, so confusing since most doctors don’t adhere to these theory!
Estrogen grows the lining, progesterone sheds it. Take both together and you keep the lining in check.
Wow thank you for your wisdom and explaining it ❤
Thanks Felice. Do testosterone next, please?!
Dr Louise Newson, and Newson Health, have several excellent vids on testosterone. 😊
Is there ever a situation where continuous progesterone would be advised?
I wonder about that too. In my country women are given continuous progesteron combined with estrodiol (Netherlands).
Can you also discuss about using IUD for menopause women as a way to take progesterone?
Following. My Dr took me off my progesterone pill after I had an IUD placed. my research shows that the progesterone in the Mirena iud is not helping the redtbof our body it is only helping the uterine area. I will be asking my Dr again for progesterone if she says no I will find a Dr that will understand the needs of my body needing progesterone. Fyi.this is the progesterone in my iud
..levonorgestrel, a synthetic form of progesterone Basically this synthetic progesterone is The same as the plan B pill that helps a person to abort an unwanted pregnancy.
How would You pulse it in a practical way?
If we take it vaginally will we still have the benefits. Ty
I am post menopause, I always feel bloated during the time that I take progesterone. I would love to hear more about how can I take progesterone vaginally so it doesn't go thru my system.
Me too. And is that enough to counter the Uteral cancer risk of estrogen
From what I've read, if you're experiencing bloating from it then you're not on a high enough dose.
You're insulin resistant. You must go keto or carnivore. Bloat is the hormonal domino effect that stems from insulin resistance. See Dr. Berg on YT. I use Source Naturals Progesterone and it works very well for me since I'm estrogen dominant which creates IR. I also took Shiitake Mushroom extract and cinnamon. Eat leaner mean and less than 20 grams of carbs. Carbs is what bloat you. Progesterone and low/zero carb will minimize bloat. No need to insert Progesterone vaginally.
What is your thinking on a pill like Ginet 35 to help control PCOS and hair growth on the face (and control acne). Is this damaging long term to the person or helpful between the ages of 20-23? What category is cyperotone acetate?
Very useful information. Thank you . I am peri-menopause and have uterus, and don’t suffer from hot flashes, only insomnia.
Can I take micronised progesterone 100mg (Utrogestan known in uk ) orally every night without estradiol ,Is it okay to take it? Any advise would be great help. Many thanks!!
I am 60 as of today 🎉 i was taking progesterone pill then my doctor placed a IUD and took me offy progesterone pill . The progesterone that is in the iud is Not the same our body needs especially for the brain My fr says i no longer need the progesterone pill! I had brain tumor removed in 2017 and feel that being on the progesterone helped me feel souch better. Thank you for this video and kind information it has helped me so much. Im going to find a dr who will listen and put me nack on progesterone OR if anyone can recommend a progesterone id greatly appreciate it ❤
Happy birthday from Norway!! 🎂💌
@ingerlenestordrange219 Awww Thank you so very much 💖 How ironic My great grandparents were from Norway 🫶💖 Your kind message made my heart smile along with making my day 😀 Peaceful day to you ✨️ 🙏 🦋
The post menopausal women on continuous micronized progesterone are generally advised that we don't need to stop it at all.
The leaflet says take it for 25 days each month.
Is that actually beneficial then, to have a few days break from progesterone? Even if you're using continuous oestradiol (eg patch)?
I'd like to do what's best for my body ( but also don't want to be bleeding if I can help it) 😊xx
Dr Gersh believes in cycles ie bleeding
@@iss8504 I'm going to try 5 days off micronized progesterone, I think I can manage a few days of uterine shedding. But let's see.
Not sure what to do about the continuous estradiol, I don't want night sweats back (at all). 😊xx
My friend has cysts on ovaries that cause a bit of pain, had them checked out & dr says they are cysts…….will natural progesterone cure these cysts or shrink them.
Would love a video about your opinion on HRT and Suzanne sommers - what went wrong as she died of breast cancer after many years of HRT. Maybe interview her husband to educate us. ❤ so we don’t walk through the chemical booby traps and die trying to do the right thing.
Cancer can develop independently from hormones . I had triple negative cancer so without estrogen and progesterone receptors. If you listen to Dr Gersh talks she says human identical hormones are not carcinogenic . It is possible to develop cancer while on HRT but not because of it .
Speculating about a celebrity is not appropriate and interviewing her husband would be an invasion of privacy
SS had many cancers incl skin when she was young. Something about her. Highest rate of breast cancer is 70 years and older....20+ years after your estrogen stops.
I don’t think her taking hrt contributed to her passing
Our beautiful Suzanne had a horrible fall a couple years ago. She fell down her deep set stairs broke her neck and shoulder i believe one other area. Shortly before or after that she had a hip replacement. She never really fully recovered from all the surgeries, that is my belief. Yes she also struggled with breast cancer but I don’t believe that is what took her.
I thought her breast cancer metastatized to the brain
Thank you so much for this valuable information. I am late 40ies and in perimenopause. Trying to learn as much as I can about HRT as I am considering starting it both for mitigation of symptoms as well as long term health. Your videos have been an absolute treasure!
Would you mind please sharing how best to “pulse” the progesterone? Should I try to time it with my menstrual cycle now? Or should I try to take it 2 weeks out of every 4 weeks?
My hope is to create a course on use of progesterone.
@@FeliceGershMD That would be very helpful. I would be very much interested in going through such a course. Thank you. 🙏
@felicegershmd I would love to hear more on pulsing progesterone! My OB-GYN has me taking 200 mg daily; Even taking it at night makes me feel groggy part of the day
Recently diagnosed with Estrogen positive BC and blood test showed SHBG hormone out of whack high...is there any correlation?
So, taking progesterone during perimenopause or post menopausal won’t lower your testosterone and estradiol? I had a complete hysterectomy and I’m starting bio progesterone but I don’t want it to deplete my testosterone or estradiol. Thank you so much for the information!
I don't expect a response from Dr Gersch but maybe someone else could comment. She says in this video when using transdermal progesterone be sure you are getting a uterine response. How would one know this? Blood work? Uterine ultrasound?
Progestins are as good as progesterone? Norethindrone a good option?
Is it ok to take 200mg daily? I can’t sleep without it and it also helps my brain activity. Thanks
When I had my cycles, I had PMS and PMDD. Now menopausal, I have progesterone intolerance (Sleepiness, bouts of depression, bloating, constipation and sluggish liver). When I stop taking the progesterone, all of these things disappear. And when I start again, all is coming back.
So, I can't take the right dosage of oestrogens because if I don't take enough progesterone I have signs of oestrogens dominance and I not feeling well. I currently take 1/3rd of the oestrogens minimum dosage daily and around 5 mg of progesterone every other day or third day.
I feel that this dosage of oestrogens is not enough for me to feeling well (Have a clear mind, energy, sex drive...)
Am I doomed to not feeling well and myself the rest of my life?
Nobody seems to talk / care about this.
I would like to try the cyclic HRT because it makes sense to me but I don't think I could take this form of treatment.
In young women you said that in there cycle when the estradiol dros there lining sheds. Yet i understand that in women on hrt when you cycle off the progesterone (as you recommend doing) this causes a bleed which i assume is shedding the lining. Why isnt it recommended for women on Hrt to cycle off the estradiol? To also thin the lining?
Im not sure what you mean by pulsed? Im in post menopause?
But what if we had a bilateral oophorectomy, no ovaries but still have uterus?
What about progesterone intolerance? I'm deficient but have horrible reactions to prometrium, compounded progesterone and prog cream.
Do you happen to know what kind of progesteron is better: micronized progesteron or prometrium?
@@user-xs9835one and the same. Prometrium is just a brand. I have the generic form of micronized progesterone and my insurance covers it. My naturopathic dr prescribed it for me for sleep issues and night sweats and it works.
Same question 🙋🏻♀️
It’s the same. Use cream option.
Prometrium is micronized progesterone.
I have had a radical hysterectomy due to cervical cancer last year. I am on hrt estrodial only. I have purchased progesterone cream and am using this. I do notice I am calmer while using it. Since I am not menstruating and have no uterus, how should I best use this. It is a cream created by doctor Lee. It says for non menstrating women. 25 days of using and than 5 days off. Can I follow this lead or do you recommend sonething else? I am not good with oral progesterone. ( utrogestan 100mg, we do not hae 50 mg in this country) It makes me depressed when i use it 3 days in a row for instance. I had pms in the past. Had symptoms like bloating. Fluid retention. Feeling very sad. Especially irritated at night one to two weeks before menstruation. Acne and everything. Once the menstration came through. I was totally fine again. I do notice I gave to keep the cream also at a relatively small dose ( 20 to 40 miligrams) or I indeed get this hangover feeling. How many days a month should I be using it as a woman who has no ovaries and no uterus? I am 45 years of age btw. Thank you for your video! It's very helpful so far!
What is the best way to pulse progesterone? If using cream is it best to do daily for 3 weeks and one week off? Or every other day?
My Medicare advantage will not pay for progesterone
I started the cream a few weeks ago, it's quite miraculous stuff.
What one works for you?
Do you mind sharing?
@@lolasen1206 I use Pro-Gest by Emerita, off I-herb.
Can you share which one you use please
@@thesorensens4849 I can recommend, either Pro-Gest by Emerita, or Platt-Pro, they are both really good. I did buy another brand and I could tell the progesterone didn't absorb at all, so it's good to go with a trustworthy brand.
@@lolasen1206 Hi, the replies to my comments sometimes switch off for no reason. I have mentioned 2 brands in my comment below.
I heard a doctor once say women that are going through postpartum depression do well when given progesterone.
The terms "bioidentical progesterone", and "micronize progesterone " are not based on scientific evidence , but are based on marketing strategies of these synthetic hormones in the competing market.
What are the size of these synthetic micro hormones in comparison to their receptors?
I think you are confusing progestin (MPA- medroxyprogesterone acetate ) with real progesterone
If you're not supposed to have these hormones as you age, why would you supplement them, just accept that you're getting older and live with it!
Then why not just live on booze, junk food and cigarettes, too!
I agree with GinaR21212. All these women messing around with their hormones. If a breast or ovarian cancer cell develops for whatever reason, estrogen will fuel it! Our grandparents didn’t have HRT and lived long lives. You have to get THROUGH menopause symptoms. They don’t last forever! Yes the transition sucks. Insomnia, hot flashes, weight gain, etc. But there is an end. If you eat clean, avoid sugar, exercise and lift weights, it makes the transition easier. I promise you the treatments for cancer are so much worse than losing your hormones in menopause.
Love the fact you mentioned that you dont want to be on progesterone constantly. Men dont ovulate or have this so maybe men on TRT need to consider not taking progesterone constantly.
I know that TRT caused my progesterone and DHEA to fall greatly and I just didnt feel right and my teeth started weakening fast. Not knowing; I just took up to 200 mg of progesterone cream for 2 months strait and while it helped my teeth; I got bloating.
I am wondering aloud if Men need to ramp progesterone up and down during a month to prevent this bloating but still get the bone and sleep benefits
It helps your jaw bone or helps your gums?
@@anne-louisegoldie It helps everything in your mouth. I used it for jaw, gums and the teeth themselves. Teeth are living Bone and have blood supply to the. I had lost a filling from when I was 12 and that tooth cracked. I had to have that one pulled but I notced others were loose and gums receeding. 160-200 mg a day of progesterone for 2 months cleared all that mess up. But at that level; some weird side effects for a man [ LoL; no erections downstairs but my nipples got erect and sensitive when I was happy. Also I got quite moody...dancing one minute and crying at sad songs an hour late] Not at 60 mg a day, that doesnt happen but I sleep much bettee.
Im a man and I take 60 to 80 mg a day as micronized progesterone USP cream on my skin each day.
Progesterone IS THE MOST IMPORTANT HORMONE FOR REVERSING BONE LOSS for women and some men.
If you have osteopenia, massive tooth loss, joint pain, arthritus or even osteoporosis......you have been progesterone deficient for probably 5 years or more....sonetimes even 15 years plus.
I haven't heard of men taking extra progesterone before. Very interesting. Are men talking about this? 😊xx
@@anne-louisegoldieIt is a shame that progesterone has been pigeon-holed to only women and mainly only for those with uteruses and pregnant women.
Men need progesterone too and many dont know that. Granted men dont generally need much unless they are really stressed or on TRT. too much can give men erectile disfunction. But progesterone does help reverse bone loss and promotes good sleep. It also protects mens prostates
@@anne-louisegoldie Well i dont think men normally need progesterone unless it goes low. My experience is TRT for men does make progesterone go low. Malneutrition due to older age, stress also probably contributes to lower progesterone in men. Im 57