Signs & Symptoms Approximately 30-40% of menopausal women who take progesterone experience unpleasant PMS-like symptoms such as moodiness, irritably, breast tenderness and muscle aches. Individuals who have had significant premenstrual symptoms while they were premenopausal are more likely to be affected. Treatment & Prevention Some women respond to even very low doses of progesterone with symptoms of excess. This is not so much an excess susceptibility as an indication that these women's endogenous production is adequate to provide for their needs. In practice, the range of progesterone tolerance can be quite narrow, and a tiny dose is all that is needed to complete the balance between the estrogens and progesterone. Progestins produce moodiness and irritability by effecting specific sites in the brain. Changing the type of progesterone, the dose, the route of administration and the length of treatment can lessen this effect.

Signs, symptoms & indicators of Progesterone Excess:

	Lab Values - Hormones   High progesterone level Symptoms - Mind - Emotional   Depression with fatigue Symptoms - Reproductive - Female Cycle   Breast soreness during cycle Symptoms - Sleep   Drowsiness

Conditions that suggest Progesterone Excess:

	Hormones   Low Sex Drive Infections   Cystitis, Bacterial bladder Infection   One mysterious effect in the progesterone intolerant women is bladder problems. Some women have either a great increase in urinary tract infections or a feeling like they are having an infection as soon as they try taking a "normal" progesterone dose. If bladder symptoms start and stop with starting and stopping progesterone, they may be related.   Yeast / Candida Infection Symptoms - Immune System   General fungal/yeast infections

Risk factors for Progesterone Excess:

	Supplements and Medications   Taking high dose progesterone   Taking excesssive/on normal dose oral progesterone   Progesterone in high doses can cause side-effects. In one study, oral micronized progesterone at a dose of 400mg per day was associated with dizziness, abdominal cramping, headache, breast pain, muscle pain, irritability, nausea, fatigue, diarrhea and viral infections.[Medical Economics; 1999: p.125]   High sublingual progesterone use   On moderate/on high dose progesterone Symptoms - Immune System   Past general fungal/yeast infections Symptoms - Reproductive - General Counter-indicators:   Being in early pregnancy

Progesterone Excess can lead to:

	Hormones   Low Sex Drive

Recommendations and treatments for Progesterone Excess:

	Hormone Not recommended:   Natural Progesterone Lab Tests/Rule-Outs   Test for Hormones

KEY

		Weak or unproven link
		Strong or generally accepted link
		Proven definite or direct link
		Very strongly or absolutely counter-indicative
		Highly recommended
		Reasonably likely to cause problems

GLOSSARY

Last updated: Jan 03, 2010