110 – Can't tolerate progesterone? It may be progestogens

<p>Biochemist Dr Phyllis Bronson on why women who can&#39;t tolerate progesterone may actually be reacting to progestogens/progestins (the synthetic type of progesterone)</p><p>Phyllis has spent decades researching progesterone and mood, and her doctoral work looked at the molecular differences between body identical progesterone and the synthetic progestogens found in many contraceptive pills and older types of HRT. She joins Dr Louise Newson to share the primate study that changed how she saw synthetic hormones, and why a small change to a molecule can have such a big effect on the body.</p><p>They talk about progesterone as the &quot;molecule of calm&quot;, how transdermal and oral progesterone work differently in the brain and why some women may simply need a higher dose. They also discuss progesterone&#39;s role in making cortisol, and why it&#39;s often the first hormone to decline, sometimes as early as your 20s and 30s.</p>