PROGESTERONE MENUBAR
PROGESTERONE - Sex Steroid Hormone - About
PROGESTERONE - "Precursor to
Androgens , Estrogens and
Corticoids"
The progestagens
are 21-carbon steroids, and include
PROGESTERONE, 17a-hydroxy-PROGESTERONE ,
PREGNENOLONE and
17a-hydroxy-PRENENOLONE .
PROGESTERONE
is the precursor to the
sex hormone androgens (E.g.
TESTOSTERONE , DHEA) and estrogens , the
glucocorticoids CORTISOL), and the
mineralocorticoids (including
ALDOSTERONE , the main fluid-regulating
hormone).
PROGESTERONE is NOT exclusively a
female hormone and technically is NOT even a sex steroid hormone - since it does not have a direct role in determining secondary sexual
characteristics in puberty.
Steroid Hormone Conversion Chart
PROGESTERONE production
Where is PROGESTERONE
made in the body?
PROGESTERONE
is produced in the
ovarian corpus luteum ,
testes
and adrenal cortex (in small amounts) - when stimulated
by pituitary luteinizing hormone (LH), which is itself stimulated
by hypothalamic GnRH .
GnRH ▲
→ LH ▲ →
PROGESTERONE ▲
PROGESTERONE
can be stored in adipose tissue.
Adrenal exhaustion from aging /poor nutrition reduces
PROGESTERONE
production
-
also reduces
anti-inflammatory cortisone.
Inhibitors of
PROGESTERONE synthesis -
include:
Sunlight
deficiency Iron excessCarotene Free radicals.
There are no food sources of ready-made
PROGESTERONE,
but plants do contain
PROGESTERONE -like substances (so called
phytoprogesterone )
- however, there are differering
opinions on whether phytoprogesterone provides
PROGESTERONE activity in menopause :
"Just as with phytoestrogens, many plants make
PROGESTERONE - like substances. In cultures
whose diets are rich in fresh vegetables of all sorts,
PROGESTERONE deficiency does not exist
- Not only do the women of these cultures have healthy ovaries with follicles producing
sufficient PROGESTERONE, but, at menopause,
their diets provide sufficient progestogenic substances to keep their libido high,
their bones strong, and their passage through menopause uneventful and symptom free.
"Lee J, 'Estrogen Overkill', WDDTY vol 5 no 4, 1994
"Mammalian sex hormones such as
17 β-ESTRADIOL and
PROGESTERONE
were present in 60-80% of the plant species investigated
- Enzymes responsible for their biosynthesis and conversion were also
found in plants." Janeczko A, Skoczowski A, Folia Histochem Cytobiol,
43(2), 2005
Plants
only have significant PROGESTERONE
activity by stimulating the luteal phase of the cycle
in premenopausal women - According to scientific literature, there seems
to be no other kind of PROGESTERONE activity
from plants.
women In women most
PROGESTERONE
is produced and secreted by the
ovarian corpus luteum for 12 days just after ovulation - daily
PROGESTERONE production rises from 2-3
mg/day to as much as 30mg/day, a week or so after ovulation, when it is essential
for the survival of a fertilized egg (zygote) in pregnancy; if pregnancy occurs,
production continues for 9-10 weeks stimulated by hCG secreted by zygote, at which
time theplacenta takes over.
PROGESTERONE production.
Ovulation / "Egg released to meet sperm"
About
10-14 days after "Day 1" - when
estrogen levels are sufficiently high▲ ▲ ▲, the pituitary releases a sudden surge of LH ▲ ▲ ▲
that triggers ovulationOvulation -
about 24 hours after the LH surge, the Graafian follicle ruptures and
the finally matured egg (oocyte) is released into the fallopian tube.
Luteal Phase (2nd half of cycle)
/ "Preparation for Pregnancy"
Corpus
Luteum produces
PROGESTERONE -
the now-empty ovarian follicle
(remnant egg-sac) left behind after ovulation, develops into the
corpus luteum .
In addition to smaller amounts of estrogen ▼
corpus luteum PROGESTERONE ▲ ▲ ▲
to prepare the lining of the uterus for implantation.
In men In men, most PROGESTERONE
is made in the
testes - since
PROGESTERONE is a pre-cursor of TESTOSTERONE ,
In men
and women
In
men and
women , small amounts of
PROGESTERONE are
manufactured by the adrenal glands, but diminished with stress -
under stress, most of the PROGESTERONE
produced is converted into the corticosteroid hormones to deal with
emotional stress or fight or flight situations.
PROGESTERONE
made in the body?In the body
PROGESTERONE is
synthesized from PREGNENOLONE
(via 3β-HSD enzyme) which is synthesized from cholesterol.
Cholesterol →
PREGNENOLONE →
PROGESTERONE
Elevated levels of PROGESTERONE
control themselves by negative feedback to the hypothalamus (similar to
estrogen) . Also, circulating
estrogen can negatively feed-back to reduce
circulating levels of FSH and LH.
Hypothalamus
→
GnRH
→
Pituitary
→
LH
→
Corpus luteum / testes
→
PROGESTERONE
PROGESTERONE ▲▲▲→ GnRH ▼
→ LH▼→ PROGESTERONE ▼
Estrogen ▲▲▲
→
GnRH ▼
→ LH, FSH ▼→
PROGESTERONE ▼
