We Live in Interesting Times
Why progesterone causes mood changes
Jan. 26th, 2010 at 8:02 AM
The brain has both estrogen and progesterone receptors. In women who have epilepsy, seizures are known to occur more frequently during times of high estrogen (late follicular phase and ovulation) and they are decreased when progesterone is high. In this sense, progesterone acts a a brain anesthetic to some degree. High doses of progesterone can be very sedating.
Women who have depression, have lower brain levels of serotonin, thus the success of medications that block the body’s degradation of serotonin and allow brain levels to remain higher. Estrogens are known to block one of the enzymes (monoamine oxidase – MAO) which degrades serotonin with the result of elevating mood. Progestogens, probably more so than natural progesterone, increase MAO concentration thus producing depression and irritability. Pure progestogen treatment without estrogen, such as DepoProvera® is know to worsen depression in women who already have a tendency toward or clinical signs of depression.
I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don’t know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.
Alena
http://ovarianpain.net
Thank you for following my posts. My site is intended to be a repository of articles on women’s health – so that they do not have to search the Internet to find the answers to health issues they so desperately need. Please feel free to post comments on articles as they come through.
Blessings,
Leslie
That explains why it is important to have the right combination of estrogen and progesterone in the body because the compounds are neutralizing each other and not worsen mood changes. It’s interesting that a lot of women are already taking charge of their bodies and this is because of their access to world wide web to give them the idea about what is ailing them.
Thank you for your post Lance.
Yes, we can finally hang the myths of PMS and PMDD out to dry. women have been victimized by these terms for far too long. Science has not proven that this is hormone balance – and it is manageable and treatable – and women will thrive with their new found vitality and happiness.