Progesterone Levels in Men

Progesterone is a hormone commonly thought of in connection with women. Many people are surprised to learn that men's bodies also produce progesterone and need certain levels of it in order to be healthy. In fact, in embryos the tissue that will become either the prostate or uterus is identical. It is progesterone, not testosterone, which may ultimately be responsible for prostate growth and cancers later in a man's life.

Normal Levels

Normal progesterone levels for men range from 15 to 100 pg/ml. "Pg/ml" stands for picogram per milliliter, with a picogram being one millionth of a gram. In premenopausal women, the normal progesterone levels are 75 to 270 pg/ml.

Mammals and Progesterone

Progesterone is found in both the male and female bodies of all mammals.

Production

In men, progesterone is produced by the adrenal glands and the testes. The body then uses the progesterone to make testosterone.

Progesterone and Enlarged Prostate

Progesterone supplementation is believed by some doctors and researchers to reduce the risk of developing an enlarged prostate in men over 50.

Prostate Health

Studies conducted at the Nanjing Medical College, University of Milan, University of Turkun, Montreal General Hospital and other facilities have all indicated that proper progesterone levels are crucial for a healthy prostate and may help avoid benign prostatic hyperplasia (enlarged prostate) and prostate cancer.

References

• Progesterone Therapy
• Estrogen Dominance, Natural Progesterone and Men