Can Progesterone Cause PMS Symptoms?

[ilovethesea]

I came across this RP quote on http://www.functionalps.com/blog/2012/0 ... ual-cycle/ and I'm not sure if I understand the bolded part:

“Sometimes progesterone can cause an underactive enlarged thyroid gland to begin secreting, temporarily producing mild hypothyroidism while the gland returns to a normal size. Supplemental progesterone can reduce excessive cortisol production.

Since progesterone helps the thyroid to secrete, and helps the liver to regulate glucose and convert T4 to T3, women who are low in progesterone usually have hypothyroid symptoms (because of insufficient T3), including high cortisol, which promotes the synthesis of estrogen (in several ways, but never from progesterone). Cortisol is made from progesterone, but increasing the supply of progesterone reliably lowers cortisol synthesis, acting on the brain, pituitary, and adrenal glands. Progesterone, by many mechanisms, including its antagonism to cortisol, lowers the amount of estrogen in cells (causing the estrogen-binding proteins to be degraded, inhibiting the enzymes that release estrogen from the sulfates and glucuronides, and activating the enzymes that detoxify estrogen). So I think the symptoms of increased estrogen and cortisol are the result of either extraneous ingredients in the creams, or from using it at the wrong time, for example, too early, triggering premature ovulation. Supplementing a small amount of T3, Cytomel or Cynomel, usually stops symptoms such as breast pain, irritability, and restless energy, in less than an hour.”

Which creams is he talking about - any progesterone cream, including Progest-E?

Also, does this mean that if you supplement Progest-E throughout your cycle, it could backfire and cause you worse symptoms than if you didn't use it at all?

I have been using Progest-E daily for 2+ years and it's never once stopped or even slowed down my cycle - I could probably set a timer to my periods, they have always been 28 days on the dot!

But reading this quote, I don't know if this is a good thing?

Could Progest-E be inadvertently messing up my hormones? Despite the daily dosing, I have never noticed anything from it. Lately, due to the T3 shortage, I have been forced to reduce my thyroid dose - therefore the return of PMS acne (so increased estrogen and cortisol). How would the Progest-E affect this, and should I continue to take it daily or stop? I'm rather desperate to find a way of eliminating this premenstrual stress, since procuring T3 is next to impossible right now.

 

[tara]

“Sometimes progesterone can cause an underactive enlarged thyroid gland to begin secreting, temporarily producing mild hypothyroidism while the gland returns to a normal size. Supplemental progesterone can reduce excessive cortisol production.”

I wonder if this is a typo - I thought I'd seen a similar quote from him saying temporary mild hyperthyroidism.

Speculating, I wonder if your situation is one where the progesterone is helping thyroid metabolism a bit, but not enough to make up for the reduced thyroid supplementation, and then it's lowering cortisol a bit, and that's leaving you short of energy because you were relying on cortisol for some of your energy?

 

[ilovethesea]

I think you are right. Here he says "If a person has an enlarged thyroid gland, progesterone promotes secretion and unloading of the stored “colloid,” and can bring on a temporary hyperthyroid state. This is a corrective process, and in itself isn't harmful." http://raypeat.com/articles/articles/pr ... ries.shtml

Anyway, back to the question at hand... my problem isn't low energy. (Or maybe I am too hopped up on caffeine to notice.) I am most concerned with premenstrual acne and to a lesser degree, low mood. Who knows what's going wrong again internally but those are the things I notice the most since my T3 supply got yanked. Just wondering if my Progest E dosing is contributing to the problem or not.

I know Ray has said somewhere that women with PMS cramps will get more relief from correcting thyroid than trying progesterone, and that has been true for me.