Pregnancy and Natural Progesterone
The levels of progesterone in a woman’s body rise and fall dramatically with her monthly cycles. At ovulation, the production of progesterone rapidly rises from 2-3mg per day to an average of 22mg per day, peaking as high as 30mg per day a week or so after ovulation.
After ten or twelve days, if fertilisation does not occur, ovarian production of progesterone falls significantly. It is this sudden decline in progesterone levels (as well as estrogen levels) that triggers a period (menstruation), and another menstrual cycle will begin.
If pregnancy occurs, progesterone production increases and the shedding of the lining of the uterus is prevented, preserving the developing embryo. As pregnancy progresses, progesterone production is taken over by the placenta and its secretion increases gradually to levels of 300-400mg per day during the third trimester.
During pregnancy, rising progesterone levels prevent the premature shedding of the uterine lining (pro-gestation). If progesterone levels drop due to inadequate progesterone production, then a premature delivery could result, or bring about a miscarriage in the early trimesters.
Progesterone also influences the development of the breasts during pregnancy in preparation for producing milk after the birth. It has an impact on ligaments and muscles throughout the body as well, essentially to allow the suppleness and expansion necessary for giving birth. This also accounts for some of the problems which may be experienced during pregnancy – backache, constipation, and low-blood-pressure, for example.
Although the data are not entirely clear, it appears that progesterone may also have an effect on transport time of the ovum in the fallopian tube, and it may make the ovum more susceptible to sperm penetration.
One-of-a-kind studies in the use of progesterone
Dr. Pritchett and many of the other Moscati Health Center doctors studied extended progesterone use under Dr. Thomas Hilgers of Omaha at the Pope Paul the Sixth Institute.
This Nebraska doctor is the world leader in the study, one reason people come from all over the globe to learn from him. Thirteen years ago, Hilgers used a new technique to help a Hastings woman carry her pregnancy to full term. Today, that mother has four healthy teenage girls including triplets and the doctor is the world leader in using the hormone progesterone.
He explains most doctors only prescribe progesterone for problem pregnancies like Horton’s into the first trimester. Hilgers said, though, he has found for many women who miscarry, their progesterone levels are low, so he continues to prescribe the hormone into the second and third trimester. He said it can have dramatic effects.
Although other doctors say extended use of the hormone does not help at all and there is not enough research to support the practice, Dr. Pritchett said success stories are repeated again and again at the center with this treatment.
"It’s been withheld actually probably for too long and we really need to use it. I call progesterone the great, undiscovered, American hormone," Hilgers said.
Is progesterone nature’s immunosuppressant?
The Medical College of Georgia researcher and biochemist, Dr. Vadivel Ganapathy, has spent years studying the placenta and how all sorts of substances, from nutrients to street drugs, are transferred from mother to baby by this two-pound temporary organ of pregnancy.
But he’s long wondered if the placenta, in addition to supplying a developing baby with the nutrition and oxygen he needs to thrive, was also helping suppress the mother’s immune system so the fetus could survive.
"There is the problem about how pregnant mothers tolerate the placenta and the fetus even though the genetic makeup of the placenta is partly different than that of the mother," Dr. Ganapathy said. "The fetus gets half his genetic makeup from each parent, so when this genetically foreign being implants on the uterine wall he should be rejected — like a transplanted organ — by the mother’s immune system."
A major research finding in 1998 from another team of MCG researchers led by Drs. Andrew L. Mellor and David Munn (see Tolerance Key to Cancer Survival) showed that early in pregnancy, at the time of implantation, placental cells express an enzyme (indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase, or IDO) that locally disables the mother’s immune system. "Our IDO mechanism was one that, if you suddenly interrupt it, the fetus can’t do without," said Dr. Munn, pediatric hematologist-oncologist who also is a co-investigator on Dr. Ganapathy’s study. Dr. Munn has no doubt that the body has multiple mechanisms to protect the fetus and so procreation. "I think we can state with confidence that the mother and fetus use multiple mechanisms to make sure that the fetus is not rejected," he said.
Evidence about at least one other mechanism began showing up years ago when an article, published in a 1977 issue of the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences asked, "Progesterone and Maintenance of Pregnancy: Is Progesterone Nature’s Immunosuppressant?" The question apparently didn’t get answered then, but with the three-year NIH grant Dr. Ganapathy recently secured, it just may.
Now he is exploring the rather common-sense hypothesis that since high-levels of progesterone are needed to activate the sigma receptor in the placenta and that the high levels occur only during pregnancy, this must be one way the placenta helps control the mother’s immune system so the fetus is not rejected.
"It’s a very positive hypothesis, but it’s still a hypothesis," Dr. Ganapathy said. "There are progesterone receptors in the placenta and in other tissues but to activate them you only need a tiny amount of progesterone. The placenta is producing a ton of it. Therefore the purpose of the placenta-produced progesterone cannot be to activate progesterone receptors," he said.
The work has potential for not only better understanding the mystery of how the fetus survives but also how the immune system works and, possibly, why sometimes miscarriages occur. "Some women who are infertile may have genetic mutations in the sigma receptors so that progesterone is made by the placenta but the receptor is not functional," Dr. Ganapathy said.
Protective properties of Progesterone
Dr. Katharina Dalton is one of the many scientists and doctors who have discovered that progesterone in the natural form protects the fetus from miscarriage.
Her studies many, many years ago lead her to conclude that preeclampsia (also called toxemia, characterized by high blood pressure, swelling — particularly of the hands and face — and protein in the urine) could show up in the middle months, and that when given progesterone, the results were excellent and statistically significant.
After conception progesterone prevents miscarriages resulting from excess estrogen
It is interesting to note the consistency of the research, as in Dr. Peat’s study, indication that "pregnancy toxemia and tendency to miscarry or deliver prematurely are often corrected by progesterone." Dr. Peat goes on to say, "My dissertation research, which established that an estrogen excess kills the embryo by suffocation, and that progesterone protects the embryo by promoting the delivery of both oxygen and glucose, didn’t strike a responsive chord in the journals which are heavily influenced by funds from the drug industry."
It is a fact that if a pregnant woman produces too much estrogen, her embryo can be suffocated (hypoxia). Dr. Lita Lee cautions that during the ninth week of pregnancy, a woman can lose her baby if she is a "high estrogen producer and/or [is] consuming commercial meat, poultry and dairy products containing synthetic estrogen (DES)."
However, she goes on to say that natural progesterone "has been known to protect against the toxic effects of excess estrogen, including abortion." Make certain, if hormones are prescribed during pregnancy, that they are not the synthetic progestins or estrogens but the natural micronized bio-identical products. We now know that artificial hormones can be dangerous to the foetus during pregnancy.
Pregnant women should NOT suddenly stop using progesterone!
Important Message!
If you have been using progesterone in order to get pregnant and you are successful, DO NOT suddently withdraw the progesterone cream. A sudden drop in progesterone levels may trigger a miscarriage.
Regular dosage can be maintained and gradually increased to 80mg right through until the last trimester. At this stage the placenta is well and truly producing adequate levels of progesterone to maintain the pregnancy. The baby’s placenta takes over the production of progesterone at the beginning of the second trimester, and this is when a miscarriage is likely to occur if this production is not adequate.
Women with a history of miscarriage or premature delivery choose, for their own peace of mind, to continue using progesterone through to the week prior to expected delivery. The placenta is producing such huge amounts of progesterone that any extra progesterone over and above will not harm mother or baby.
Women with a history of ‘high risk’ pregnancies are encouraged to continue progesterone supplementation up until delivery. However, Dr Lee warns that should you decide to stop applying progesterone, make sure you wean off your dose ever so gradually.
Safety of using progesterone in early pregnancy
You may be concerned about the safety of using progesterone supplementation in early pregnancy. There is no accurate figure, but well over a million children worldwide have been subjected to such therapy during their mother’s pregnancies.
There has never been any pattern of birth defects reported in patients so treated. However, there can be no guarantees that there will be no birth defects since 2% of all births are associated with some sort of birth defect (usually mild). But, there is no reported increase in the rate of birth defects with progesterone therapy prescribed in early pregnancy.
To protect the foetus the body secretes ten to fifteen times more progesterone during pregnancy than at other times. Dr. Lee tells us that the placenta becomes the major source of progesterone. per day during the third trimester. What a great protection we have during pregnancy with this incredible hormone! And with no known dangerous side effects.
The human-identical progesterone compound we discuss here is identical to the natural hormone produced by the body.
Progesterone & Pregnancy (eBook)
A Guide to Using Bioidentical Progesterone to Facilitate Fertility & Support Pregnancy
This self-help user guide is based on tried and tested suggestions reported by women who’ve successfully incorporated supplemental bioidentical progesterone to enhance their fertility and protect mother & child against complications during pregnancy.
Related information
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A Guide to Facilitate Fertility and Support Pregnancy
Jeannie Hammond | Sep 21, 2009 | Reply
My husband is a family practice physician who is also board certified in Anti-Aging and Regenerative Medicine. His forte is bio-identical hormone replacement.
We do mission work in Nicaragua and have a few ladies who are trying to get pregnant. He has them using progesterone cream and one is now pregnant. Fertility is not his area of expertise. Do you have any papers, thesis, seminars or books you recommend to aid him?
Catherine Rollins | Jun 1, 2010 | Reply
Now Available – A Consumer Guide to Using Bioidentical Progesterone to Facilitate Fertility & Support Pregnancy (extensive medical references included).
Click link below to download your copy:
http://www.natural-progesterone-advisory-network.com/ebook-progesterone-pregnancy/
Emma Paflin | Sep 9, 2010 | Reply
Hi Catherine
I have been researching progesterone. Me and my partner have been trying to concieve for over 2 years and we are just about to be refered to the hospital about this. Regards to tests i have had done at my doctors i have found out that i have very low Progesterone. I am very interested to try out the Progesterone cream. Do you recommend i only use the progeterine cream or is there anything else you recommend me using aswell.
Thank you for your time.
Emma
Catherine Rollins | Nov 4, 2010 | Reply
Dear Emma,
I would strongly suggest you get a copy of my latest ebook ‘Progesterone & Pregnancy – A Guide to Using Bioidentical Progesterone to Facilitate Fertility and Support Pregnancy’ which will answer the question you pose here.
This self-help consumer guide is based on tried and tested suggestions reported by women who’ve successfully incorporated supplemental bioidentical progesterone to enhance their fertility and protect mother & child against complications during pregnancy. It steps you through how to use progesterone supplementation to trigger ovulation and, once conception is confirmed, continue daily usage until at least half-way through the second trimester. It also captures all the OTHER things you need to do to support you and baby.
http://www.natural-progesterone-advisory-network.com/ebook-progesterone-pregnancy/
In light, love & laughter,
Catherine P. Rollins
Founder & CEO
Natural-Progesterone-Advisory-Network.com
Jennifer Rensing | Jun 18, 2011 | Reply
Hi Catherine, I am turing 40 in next two months, and in the last 4 months have been seeing a doctor at bodylogic in the antiaging medical realm. I had definite premenopausal symptoms, with anxiety being major. I was put on bioidentical progesterone and within a week felt totally different or I should say normal. This is something I was trying get my ob or intermal med doc to help me with of which because I was not 40 yet, they turned their heads. Well, I got pregnant, on this cream, totally a God thing really excited. However, cringing becasue I do not want to stop progesterone, I don’t want the anxiety to come back etc. I was on the cream b/c of proven estrogen dominance, I am 4 weeks pregnant, feel great, and have been on progesterone cream 1cc, days 12-26 of my cycle. Since I do not have a cycle now, being an RN and not finding any evidence of negative with pregnancy and progesterone cream, I started today with the cream again, until I can talk with my doc. I know it would not be good to just stop it cold turkey, and on top of all of this do not want to stop anyway. I have to ask, I don’t know if you are a medical doc or not, but would you feel personally comfortable using progesterone cream all pregnancy and if you were breastfeeding after? Is there anything that says the bioidentical has harmed any kind of fetus?? How do I tell my ob about this cream?? I want to be on it??? I am afraid he won’t be on my side with this at all. Also, I read above something about taking progesterone cream daily pregnant? but what if I was only doing it 12-26 days? I will go to my hormone doc in regards to this but he deals so much with menopause I am not sure what he would think of this?
Catherine Rollins | Jun 18, 2011 | Reply
Dear Jennifer,
I was firstly going to suggest you get a copy of my latest ebook ‘Progesterone & Pregnancy – A Guide to Using Bioidentical Progesterone to Facilitate Fertility and Support Pregnancy’ then I realised you had gone ahead and purchased yourself a copy. That’s excellent because many of the questions you pose here are addressed in my ebook.
Just to allay your fears, ‘bioidentical’ progesterone has an excellent safety record, and is used routinely in cases where a pregnancy is considered high risk. In the first trimester, progesterone can make a world of difference to mum and bub. Evidence suggests you’d stay on cream at least up until your placenta is manufacturing adequate amounts of progesterone (around weeks 20 gestaton) such that a gradual withdrawal of NP cream is not going cause any harm.
If, however, you experience any problems later in your pregnancy, the recommendation by specialists has been to get back on cream and stay on cream until a couple of days before your baby is due.
Continue using progesterone cream after the birth providing you keep your dosage right down so as not to interfere with the production of prolactin. We know that progesterone inhibits lactation during pregnancy. And, at birth, the abrupt drop in progesterone levels signals the body to raise prolactin levels, which stimulates milk production in the breasts. The key here is to keep your progesterone levels LOW. Therefore, supplemental progesterone should be within the 15-30 mg range per day.
Be well ..
In light, love & laughter,
Catherine P. Rollins
Founder & CEO
Natural-Progesterone-Advisory-Network.com
Disclaimer: I understand by communicating with the Natural-Progesterone-Advisory-Network.com website, either through this blog, e-mail or phone, I am not receiving medical advice, but natural wellness information for my personal education and research only. I acknowledge that the suggestions I receive for use of dietary supplements, and/or information about nutrition or other health modalities are not intended nor should be used as a substitute for a consultation or a personal relationship with a qualified health care provider. It is my right to educate myself and seek information about health and medical issues. I take full responsibility for my health or lack of it and hereby release Catherine P. Rollins and the Natural-Progesterone-Advisory-Network.com website from any liability related to the suggestions or information that I receive.
Jennifer Rensing | Jun 20, 2011 | Reply
Catherine! Thanks I have read your e-book and really am excited about the information you posed. Being a nurse I really appreciated you quoting studies from NIH, and I think WHO? Anyway, I know these are legit studies. I am soooo frustrated Catherine, because I was an OB nurse, and had a really good education. Being a nurse there has always been a wholistic aspect to how I see care of patients and now myself. The last 5 years has been episodes of night sweats, increasing blood pressure, increased abdominal weightgain that I could not get rid of, and mostly severe anxiety that came out of nowhere for no reason. My OB and internal med would not take the situation serious even though I was not a frequent flyer patient, and had a decent relationship with them. Finally I went to a raging hormone party put on by a local medical doc certified by the american academy of antiaging. He explained about estrogen dominance and how imbalances in hormones affect all our health systems. I knew by my knowledge his pathophys was right on. I went to him, and he put me on a small amount 10mg or 1cc daily of bioidentical progesterone and it completely changed my life back to normal. I was able to immediately start weaning off my anxiety drug,my blood pressure from being off birth control has totally normalized, in fact I feel the healthiest ever right now. I was not hugely overweight but also have lost 15 lb in 6 months, that I could not lose before. God totally blessed us with this 4th child at almost 40 years of age and we are so excited (please pray for viability though, only 5 weeks). We were not trying I will tell ya that, but my periods were premenopausal and….. So anyway, I am actually hesitant on going to my OB because he did not offer me the hormone cream and told me this was something I would have to deal with. He is a really good baby del doc all the nurses go to him so I want to go to him, but am kinda mad at how he was not the one to help me normalize when I feel like he should have been. I am outspoken the older I get and am really trying how to professionally with “cooth” talk with him about how I want to stay on the cream. I also want to educate him on this so maybe he will help someone else in my shoes instead of just order an anxiety drug putting a bandaid on the real issue. In reading your e book I feel this cream will totally be protective. I had cervical proceedures in the past and have had three pregnancies, the last one my cervix was not firm and started to efface and i started to dialate from the inside out, so on bedrest at 6 months. I also remember being anxious during preg because being an ob nurse and nicu nurse I had seen the worst, I think progesterone cream might help with this. So I have a few questions for you. Do you think if I stayed on the cream the whole pregnancy, even if the placenta really starts making progesterone, that If i am still supplementing with progesterone I might start feeling more anxious due to waaay too much progesterone? I know too much can make you anxious etc. at least if this happens I know at 20 weeks you can start weaning progest.
Also, if I was on 10mg only days 12-26 in my cycle, do you think I should start taking it every day? and up the dose or stay at 10mg? I don’t want to become anxious from too much progesterone but want to protect the preg. Don’t worry, I am not holding you to this, I realize i need to talk with my hormone doc and ob but would like to speak with them, having some kinda intellect on the situation, you have to be your own medical advocate these days, and so wisdom is a good thing.
Also, how would you professionally speak with your ob to try to get him on board with something he is not used to? I thought one thing I would ask him is, has he ever heard of anything negative with progesterone supplementation?? synthetic maybe but bioidentical? and if this cream could prevent preterm labor, allow to cushion the implantation, protect the cervix, in my situation wouldn’t he rather give it a shot? I would ask him wouldn’t he feel something with this many positives should be tried? It has already proven to change my life. See we are in Madison County illinois which is one of the highest counties of malpractice in the whole US. So… see where I am going with this? Thank you for your book, I really hope to get this doctor to order your e book, since I cannot copy it…. pray for that. It could change lives and the way he does practice. If I was going to work as a nurse again soon, I would totally be in this business. This is up and comming, and reality. We need to quit putting bandaids on things, and get to the root of the problems at hand to be healthy.!! really look forward to your reply asap waiting to hear from you before i call my OB