Progesterone Effects on Cholesterol
The predominant medical indication for taking progesterone is for postmenopausal hormone replacement therapy, which also includes taking an estrogen. HRT therapy is believed to improve vascular health but many studies also demonstrate it may cause harm.
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Description
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After menopause, women may be prescribed progesterone to oppose estrogen and protect the uterus from cancer. The other principle use of a progestin is in hormonal contraception. There are many types of formulations (synthetic vs. natural) and administration methods (pill, depot, vaginal pessary, cream, etc.) of progesterone available depending on the therapeutic application. Each type of progestin will have slightly different characteristics and inherently different biological actions which mimic other steroid hormones such as testosterone, which is known to improve the cholesterol - lipid profile. However, improving your lipid profile at the expense of exhibiting maleness seems unecessary given the availability of better therapeutics for treating high cholesterol.
Function
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Progesterone has been shown to inhibit the production of cholesterol in specific types of cell cultures and a number of other research studies have demonstrated it has anti-atherogenic effects (reduces atherosclerosis). A solid number of historical epidemiological data indicate that the sequential addition of a progesterone enhances the protective effect of estrogens on cardiovascular health. A considerable decrease in LDL-cholesterol (bad cholesterol) is also observed during use of certain progesterone compounds which possess intrinsic androgenic (male hormone) properties.
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Effects
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Adverse effects such as thrombosis were reported in estrogen/progesterone replacement therapy in the mega clinical trial known as the Women's Health Initiative study. Essentially, higher rates of coronary heart disease, stroke, and venous thrombosis were evident among women taking estrogen and progesterone compared with a placebo. As a result, doctors now believe women should not take progesterone simply to reduce cholesterol and their risk for vascular disease.
Alternatives
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The number of alternative therapeutic agents that reduce high cholesterol levels and reduce vascular disease risks makes progesterone unecessary for this purpose. The alternatives include a class of drugs known as Statins, a bile acid sequestrant (colesevelam, cholestyramine and colestipol,) or cholesterol absorption inhibitors (Ezetimibe - Zetia).
Solution
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Know where your cholesterol level is annually and make appropriate changes in diet and lifestyle, which, beyond the therapeutic intervention of effective drug therapy, are the two single greatest solutions to dramatically reduce vascular disease resulting from having high cholesterol.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit Crystallographic rendering of progesterone - Brown University
