Natural Progesterone during pregnancy
Progesterone is one of the most important hormones secreted by the female ovaries. Without its involvement, neither conception nor the subsequent maintenance of pregnancy would be possible. Therefore, it can be confidently said that progesterone is like a defender standing guard for the safety of our child. What exactly is its role?
Progesterone is a steroid hormone mainly produced by the corpus luteum and, during pregnancy, by the placenta. Its main task is to prepare the uterine lining to receive the fertilised egg. After ovulation, if fertilisation does not occur, the corpus luteum degenerates, and the level of progesterone decreases, leading to shedding of the uterine lining: menstruation. However, if fertilisation does occur and a zygote is formed, the corpus luteum continues to produce progesterone, maintaining the appropriate thickness of the endometrium, providing the fertilised egg with the best conditions for implantation. Preparing the uterine lining for embryo implantation is not the only task of progesterone, of course. This hormone prevents the rejection of the foetus by the mother’s body by modifying the immune response. Additionally, as a neurosteroid, it influences the proper development of the foetal nervous system. In the second half of pregnancy, progesterone is also responsible for relaxing the expanding uterus and inhibiting its contractile activity, reducing sensitivity to oxytocin and decreasing prostaglandin production. In this way, the hormone protects women from premature labour.
After childbirth, the level of progesterone drops sharply, stimulating the mammary glands to start lactation. Thus, as seen, progesterone during pregnancy serves many important functions ensuring its proper course. In many countries, doctors recommend supplementing natural progesterone from the very early stages of pregnancy until 16 or even 18 weeks, until the fully developed placenta begins to produce and deliver larger amounts of progesterone. Such supplementation supports both the fertilisation process itself and the embryo’s implantation in the uterus. It also supports foetal development in early pregnancy and reduces the risk of miscarriage.
Progesterone is also very helpful in treating various disorders in early pregnancy, such as hematomas and bleeding. This is because progesterone positively affects the blood supply to the uterus and placenta, and consequently, the delivery of an adequate amount of essential nutrients necessary for the proper development of the foetus. Natural progesterone plays a crucial role in foetal brain development. During the last trimester of pregnancy, the amount of progesterone produced by the placenta increases from 20 mg to 350 mg per day.
Dr. Katharina Dalton studied a group of children whose mothers received progesterone during pregnancy for about 20 years. Taking natural progesterone by the mother had a positive impact on the child’s intelligence (increasing the IQ by 35 points) and shaped the child’s independent, strong, self-reliant, and sensitive character. In the age group of 18-19 years, 32% of “progesterone” children pursued higher education, compared to 6% in the control group and 6% in the national average (data for the UK). The use of natural progesterone before and during pregnancy also reduces the number of congenital defects. However, an excess of oestrogen in the mother leads to a reduction in the size of the foetal brain and future behavioural disorders, such as excessive activity.
PROGESTERONE for Postpartum Depression
Postpartum depression can be effectively treated with natural progesterone. After childbirth, there is a sudden drop in progesterone production in a woman’s body, which is the cause of postpartum depression. Women who had a high level of progesterone before childbirth and a very low level after childbirth are found to have the most severe forms of postpartum depression.
According to the Institute of Mental Health (National NIMH), baby blues affects up to 80 percent of mothers and is characterised by a relatively mild course, consisting of feelings of worry, unhappiness, and fatigue, persisting for several weeks. However, some women experience symptoms beyond baby blues, known as postpartum depression. It affects many women. It can occur in the first days after childbirth, but also much later. It also differs from baby blues. Women suffering from postpartum depression have much stronger feelings: sadness, hopelessness, and overwhelm, they have difficulties bonding with their children, and their symptoms worsen over time. Although the stereotype depicts a dishevelled, tearful woman who cannot get out of bed, the reality of postpartum depression is more complex, manifesting in many different ways. Women with postpartum depression experience frequent episodes of sudden anger or irritability, continuous periods of anxiety and worry, and are more prone to crying.
The most common symptoms of postpartum depression are:
- Feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and overwhelm,
- Greater than usual tearfulness,
- Worrying or feeling anxious,
- Mood swings, including increased irritability, anxiety, or anger,
- Sleep changes, including excessive sleepiness or difficulty falling asleep,
- Difficulty concentrating, increased forgetfulness, and difficulty making decisions,
- Loss of interest in activities that used to bring pleasure,
- Physical pain, including headaches, digestive problems, and/or muscle aches,
- Changes in appetite,
- Isolation from surroundings, family, and friends,
- Feeling emotionally disconnected from the child,
- Doubt in the ability to be a proper caregiver,
- Thoughts of self-harm or harming the child.
Why does this happen? The birth of a child can be one of the most emotionally and hormonally turbulent events in a woman’s life. Pain, fear, joy, and ecstasy follow each other quickly, along with interrupted sleep and dramatic hormonal changes. After childbirth, there is a sudden and drastic decrease in progesterone in a woman’s body, which is the main regulator and antagonist to other hormones, such as adrenaline (referred to as the hormone of anger) and cortisol (referred to as the stress hormone). Therefore, many scientists and doctors, including Dr. Katharina Dalton, believe that the lack of antagonistic and regulatory effects of progesterone on other hormones may cause, among other things, postpartum depression, and recommend therapy with natural progesterone to prevent or relatively quickly cure depression.
