Fertility & Body-Identical Progesterone
The word progesterone is given its name because of its vital supportive role in gestation (Latin:
gestare), a fact that sheds insight into its vital role in the reproductive process.
Modern science confirms that insight, as, of
all female hormones,
progesterone is the one most essential for conception, survival of the fertilized egg and the birth of a healthy baby.
At ovulation, progesterone levels rapidly rise from 2-3 mg/day to an average of 28-30 mg/day, peaking as high as 32 mg/day. If fertilization does not occur in 10-12 days, progesterone levels fall dramatically, triggering the shedding of the lining, the secretory endometrium (the next menstrual cycle)
If Pregnancy Does Occur:
Progesterone levels uniformly increase from about 30 mg a day for the next 40 weeks. At approximately week 18, progesterone production is taken over by the placenta, which secretes increasing levels of progesterone, reaching 300-400 mg/day during the third trimester!
On about week 40, progesterone levels drop to 0, triggering the birth of a healthy baby.
So think about it, if a drop in progesterone triggers the lining to shed when there is no pregnancy and a drop in progesterone triggers the birth of a healthy baby on or about week 40, how does a sharp drop in progesterone affect the developing fetus during the first trimester?… The second trimester?
Miscarriage or Early Term Birth…
(These principles apply to chemicals that block progesterone receptor sites)
Overview of Progesterone’s Role in a Successful Pregnancy:
- Progesterone Surge at Ovulation is the Source of Libido in women
- Progesterone Supports Survival of the Fertilized Egg
- Progesterone Maintains the Secretory Endometrium which Feeds the Ovum & Resultant Embryo
- Research by British Gynecologist, Dr. Katarina Dalton has shown that women who supplement with progesterone during pregnancy produce healthier, more intelligent children
References:
Use of progesterone supplement therapy for prevention of preterm birth: review of literatures – Obstet Gynecol Sci. 2017 Sep; 60(5): 405–420. Published online 2017 Sep 18. doi: 10.5468/ogs.2017.60.5.405
Neonatal Progesterone Programs Adult Uterine Responses to Progesterone and Susceptibility to Uterine Dysfunction. Pramod Dhakal, M. A. Karim Rumi, Kaiyu Kubota, Damayanti Chakraborty, Jeremy Chien, Katherine F. Roby, Michael J. Soares
Endocrinology. 2015 Oct; 156(10): 3791–3803. Published online 2015 Jul 23. doi: 10.1210/en.2015-1397. PMCID: PMC4588825
Does elevated progesterone on day of oocyte maturation play a role in the racial disparities in IVF outcomes? Micah J Hill, G. Donald Royster, IV, Mansi Taneja, Mae Wu Healy, Shvetha M Zarek, Alicia Y Christy, Alan H DeCherney, Eric Widra, Kate Devine
Reprod Biomed Online. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2018 Feb 1. Published in final edited form as: Reprod Biomed Online. 2017 Feb; 34(2): 154–161. Published online 2016 Nov 16. doi: 10.1016/j.rbmo.2016.11.002 PMCID: PMC5292078
Rethinking progesterone regulation of female reproductive cyclicity. Kaiyu Kubota, Wei Cui, Pramod Dhakal, Michael W. Wolfe, M. A. Karim Rumi, Jay L. Vivian, Katherine F. Roby, Michael J. Soares. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2016 Apr 12; 113(15): 4212–4217. Published online 2016 Mar 28. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1601825113 PMCID: PMC4839436
Role of nuclear progesterone receptor isoforms in uterine pathophysiology. Bansari Patel, Sonia Elguero, Suruchi Thakore, Wissam Dahoud, Mohamed Bedaiwy, Sam Mesiano. Hum Reprod Update. 2015 Mar; 21(2): 155–173. Published online 2014 Nov 18. doi: 10.1093/humupd/dmu056 PMCID: PMC4366574