Hi, longtime lurker here.
A lot of women have asked about using progesterone to treat problems that are, if not caused by high androgens, then at least associated with high androgens. Acne, hirsutism, mp hair thinning, etc. I've seen a lot of progesterone-cream-pushing gurus suggest vaguely that it will help these issues, and I've seen people in this forum put forward their reasoning that the hyperandrogenism is a result of estrogen dominance, which progesterone could treat, or that these problems aren't even caused by androgens (which.... alright). Does anyone have evidence that it's effective though? Not evidence that these symptoms are connected to estrogen dominance, but evidence that progesterone can lower testosterone or reduce the related symptoms? I'm not sure I've even come across strong anecdotal evidence in favor of, let alone scientific studies.
The research seems to be all over the place with regards to what progesterone does and how it fits into a hyperandrogenic female hormone profile, made all the more confusing by the fact that a lot of research is done with progestins, which have androgenic effects or anti-androgenic effects depending on what kind is used. It's also difficult to tell when results are relevant to a PCOS sort of context. The question of progesterone's different effects in men and in women comes up sometimes here. I think it must also have somewhat different effects in women with endogenous hyperandrogenism, compared to women without.
So far I've found one rat study where progesterone reduced testosterone in female rats, but it didn't specify whether they were masculinzed or normal (so probably normal). I would love to be convinced that there's a better way to deal with this problem than by taking spironolactone ;-;
A lot of women have asked about using progesterone to treat problems that are, if not caused by high androgens, then at least associated with high androgens. Acne, hirsutism, mp hair thinning, etc. I've seen a lot of progesterone-cream-pushing gurus suggest vaguely that it will help these issues, and I've seen people in this forum put forward their reasoning that the hyperandrogenism is a result of estrogen dominance, which progesterone could treat, or that these problems aren't even caused by androgens (which.... alright). Does anyone have evidence that it's effective though? Not evidence that these symptoms are connected to estrogen dominance, but evidence that progesterone can lower testosterone or reduce the related symptoms? I'm not sure I've even come across strong anecdotal evidence in favor of, let alone scientific studies.
The research seems to be all over the place with regards to what progesterone does and how it fits into a hyperandrogenic female hormone profile, made all the more confusing by the fact that a lot of research is done with progestins, which have androgenic effects or anti-androgenic effects depending on what kind is used. It's also difficult to tell when results are relevant to a PCOS sort of context. The question of progesterone's different effects in men and in women comes up sometimes here. I think it must also have somewhat different effects in women with endogenous hyperandrogenism, compared to women without.
So far I've found one rat study where progesterone reduced testosterone in female rats, but it didn't specify whether they were masculinzed or normal (so probably normal). I would love to be convinced that there's a better way to deal with this problem than by taking spironolactone ;-;