Progesterone and nervous system function
 

Here is an interesting article on the use of progesterone for nervous system/brain injury.

http://www.healthwatchersnews.com/20...ervous-system/

My wife and I were discussing this and wondered if the teen girls with persistent PCS were injured during a low progesterone part of their monthly cycle. Since many young girls are so active that their activity and exercise slows or stops their cycle, does this severe drop in progesterone levels make them more susceptible to PCS?

For women in the peri menopause to post menopause phase of life, the low or nonexistent levels of progesterone may be making their PCS worse. Would a regimen of progesterone therapy help with PCS symptoms? I know by experience that is helps with the mood issues of post menopause. My wife is a shinning example of its benefits.


Here is a link to a source of referrals to good hormone clinicians. www.womensinternational.com

I am currently taking Progesterone regularly since my accident and I think it is definitely helping. They test your levels by doing an at home saliva test (gross, but you spit into a small tube several times a day and then send tubes to the lab, not bad really!) Mine were low and probably were a little low anyway now that I am 40. You take it as a cream that is dispensed in measured doses from a syringe tube (NO needle, it goes on topically to places like behind your knees or forearms).

I slacked off on it for a couple of weeks after taking it several months and noticed a decline in progress for sure. For me, it helps with moods, less depression, helps improve sleep and perhaps keep some weight gain away.

Just wanted to add my personal experience to back up Mark's post. Most women probably need progesterone, esp if you eat a "typical american diet", but it's best to get it checked by someone who knows bio identical hormones.

eponagirl,

My wife's physician uses a blood test for progesterone levels as did mine for male hormones. The saliva tests are considered less accurate by many. The cream is also available in tube form or in a small jar with a small measuring spoon. It is important to apply it properly because there are some areas of the skin that do not absorb it properly. I put my Testosterone cream on my butt cheek.

From the improvements you are realizing, it sounds like you may benefit from a full hormone panel. Progesterone needs to be properly balanced with estrogen, etc. My wife has friends who have benefited greatly from Bio-identical Hormone Replacement Therapy starting in their early thirties.

It sounds like you are using bio-identical progesterone. Good for you. Otherwise it would be sold as a brand name synthetic that is claimed to be similar to progesterone. Bio-identical hormones are synthetics that are chemically exactly the same as the human form.

Wow, Mark! This certainly makes a lot of sense. This might explain why (at least anecdotaly) the super athletic girls seem to be more prone to PCS.

Pre-injury my daughter exercised to the point that her periods were irregular and her cycles have certainly changed since her injury. She's doing really well now, but I do wonder if some kind of hormone boosting therapy might have helped speed things along. I asked our doc about this early on and her reply was, "I think Mom is our biggest problem at this point". She felt that request was just me being paranoid. The only test she agreed to was thyroid and that was just because we have a family history.

As for saliva vs. blood I am wondering if the saliva allows docs to measure changes in hormone levels over the course of time, where a blood test is a point in time measure? I'm not sure.

Now that Mark mentions the blood test, my progesterone levels may have been measured from that. I've had so many blood tests by now, I forget what test is what. I only had the saliva test once and know that cortisol and a few other things are best measured that way, like PCSLearner says, over the course of a day. It may not be completely accurate like blood tests, but it is useful to get a snapshot of certain things.

I really appreciate Mark's advice to get all these things checked, it has helped speed up my support in healing this dreaded PCS!

Right after my injury I switched doctors. He did all the blood work and saw I was post menopausal (even on estrogen) after hysterectomy. I remembered seeing something on Oprah & Dr Phil about Bio-Compounded Hormone replacement therapy and mentioned it to my doctor. He prescribed estrogen, progesterone, & testosterone hormones. I had the saliva test at the compounding pharmacy as well, they formulate & mix it up there according to what your body needs and place it in enough syringes (no needles)to last all month. Alot of men & woman are using these.

I've been on the Wiley Protocol for over a year now and think these bio compounded hormones are "the next best thing since sliced bread" per say!!

for more information on these bio compounded hormones check out:
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--Toni S