Progesterone


 

Optimal Men’s Center is one of the few TRT Specialty Clinics in Arizona that believe in the balance of Progesterone in men. But other clinics are catching up and recognizing the risk of progesterone deficiency. In fact, research has been examining its use since the '90s. But its supplementation is greatly underutilized. We need to be clear though…we are not talking about synthetic Progestin but bio-identical Progesterone. NO, you won’t become a woman from this!

 

Men Need Progesterone, too.

 

So, when many (including almost every single clinician) think of progesterone, we think of it as being a strictly female hormone for women only. However, as we said men need progesterone, too. We will review and discuss some important details.

  • Progesterone helps “police” the actions of estrogen, to keep him and her safe, in both men and women.

  • Progesterone helps protect men’s reproductive tissue from the adverse effects of excessive estrogen as men age.

  • Progesterone helps battle the dreaded beer belly gut. The change in body habitus results in excess estrogen production and makes it difficult for mature men to shed.

  • Progesterone also helps men preserve their virility and masculinity.

  • Progesterone is a precursor to testosterone, the chief sex hormone in men.

Request Appointment

 

PROGESTERONE

 

OTHER BENEFITS of Progesterone (remember, we are not talking about Progestin):

  • Progesterone naturally calms the brain

    • Being calm can help with anxiety and indirectly reduce ED symptoms

  • Progesterone may be involved with a sense of satiation (fullness) after eating

    •  Less weight gain

  • Progesterone increases dopamine-controlled signaling

    • Progesterone replacement may be seen more in the future for the treatment of other diseases.

  • Progesterone promotes neuroprotection (brain and nerve) and repair.

    • Reduction in long-term effects from head trauma

  • Progesterone acts similarly to barbiturates and Propofol (used to sedate someone for a procedure) which decreases the over-excitement of sick nerve cells.

    • Some anxiety reduction with proper supplementation

So, what’s so great about Progesterone? Well, for starters, it protects brains. Yep, even in men. Progesterone delivers its signals to progesterone receptors. The brain is flush with these progesterone receptors, in everyone — girls, boys, men, and women.

IN FACT...

Progesterone is so important for protecting nerve and brain function it is manufactured locally right inside the brain itself. Now, there are neurologists (in the know) who are giving small amounts of progesterone replacement to children with epilepsy or attention deficit disorder to help stabilize brain function. Pretty smart huh? And with the recent advent of more traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), especially, combat-related, we are realizing even more about Progesterone and its protective benefits. When someone undergoes brain injury, progesterone is secreted locally and aids brain neurons to heal faster and better. This is one of the reasons believe why women seem to do better with TBI’s as far as recovery is due to their higher Progesterone level.

Request Appointment

 

FUNCTIONS OF PROGESTERONE

 

 Acts as a natural antidepressant

 Natural diuretic

 Improves energy

 Restores/Improves libido

 Normalizes Copper levels

 Helps normalize blood sugar levels

 Normalizes blood clotting

 Stamina and endurance increase

 Helps use fat for energy

 Helps Thyroid hormone activity

 Stimulates bone formation

 Normalizes Zinc levels

 Restores proper cell oxygen levels

 Helps protect against breast cancer
(yep, guys get breast cancer too!)

 Involved with cortisone synthesis

 
 

SYMPTOMS OF ESTROGEN IMBALANCE

 

LACK OF ESTROGEN


 

 Hot Flashes (not only symptom)

 Night Sweats

 Sleep Disorders

 Headaches

 Memory Loss

 Inability to Reach Orgasm

 Depression

 Heart Palpitations

 Mood Swings

 Shortness of Breath

 Dry Skin

 Anxiety

ESTROGEN DOMINANCE
OR OVER MEDICATION


 

 Fatigue

 Foggy Thinking

 Hair Thinning or Hair Loss

 Headache

 Fat gain on hip, abdomen and thighs

 Breast Enlargement and Tenderness

 Depression

 Mood Swings

 Potential blood clotting risk

 Nausea/Vomiting

 Bloating of Abdomen

 Increased risk of Breast Cancer

 Decreased Sex Drive

 
 

Request Appointment

 

ED FAQs

FREQUENTLY ASKED ED TREATMENT QUESTIONS

 
CAN STOPPING OR REDUCING CERTAIN MEDICATIONS HELP ME WITH MY ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION?

YES. THERE ARE MEDS THAT COULD RESULT IN AN INCREASED CHANCE OF CAUSING ED SYMPTOMS SUCH AS:

-Anti-anxiety medicines

-Antidepressants

-Anti-histamines

-Chemotherapy Agents

-Blood pressure medicines

-Diuretics

-Muscle relaxants

-Parkinson’s medicines

-Seizure drugs


GENETICS. IS IT A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR TO ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION?

Even though there is not enough evidence-based research to support the fact that ED is caused by genetics, there might be a connection. Since anxiety seems to have a partial genetic component, a relationship between how someone handles stress in conjunction with their genetics could play a role in ED. In practice, we do recognize a correlation with stress and erectile issues but thankfully, we are quite often able to assist these individuals with various forms of treatment.

CAN THE USE OF PROGESTERONE THERAPY HELP TREAT ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION? EVEN WHEN USED IN CONJUNCTION TO TESTOSTERONE REPLACEMENT?

Yep. Both hormones can be used together. They involve different mechanisms of action and have different benefits. Testosterone treatment is notorious for increasing sexual desire. It increases blood flow and frequency of erections. We have explained this already earlier and also here.

Next, we are going to dig in a little deeper of how Testosterone and Progesterone interact in the system and their importance for normal physiology (as well as for patient understanding).

We recognize that whether you are on TRT or not, some of the testosterone will convert to dihydrotestosterone (DHT). DHT is a highly potent hormone in males and is responsible in part for a healthy libido, muscle growth and strength, facial hair, and more. When someone is on TRT, because they have more testosterone available, more DHT will be produced. That’s great, and this will help with muscle growth, libido, etc., but you can have excessive production from this conversion to DHT resulting in unnecessary side effects.

So, how does Progesterone come into the picture for better health. Lots of ways.

Progesterone increases an enzyme called 5-Alpha-Reductase. This enzyme will block the conversion of testosterone into DHT. Now, remember DHT is highly potent and vital for sexual health, muscle development, etc. And like anything, too much can cause problems. Some of the harmful effects of excessive DHT is accelerated scalp hair loss (but body hair/beard growth increases), enlarged prostate, impotence (ED), sleep apnea, thicker blood, high blood pressure, aggression, acne and more. Remember, we are talking about hormone balance, not an unwarranted level of one hormone from/over another. What is also important to consider is that progesterone levels impact men in a way that may increase their risk of ED if they are progesterone-deficient.


 

Request Appointment

 
Our Locations

Choose your preferred location