Bioidentical drugs, similar to body's natural hormones, can play a positive role in women's health. A 2006 review in "Life Extension Magazine" describes how bioidentical progesterone can help women cope with common reproductive issues. According to the review, natural progesterone can be used to help prevent feminine cancers and menopausal symptoms. Bioidenticals, however, should be taken only under the care of a licensed physician, as they can cause adverse reactions.
Cancer Risks
Healthy women approaching menopause often have irregular periods of menstrual bleeding. This variability may prevent them from becoming pregnant. Taking natural progesterone can restore menstrual regularity and increase reproductive fertility. Yet these positive changes may have negative consequences.
A 2009 paper in the medical journal "Maturitas" concluded that progesterone intake, with or without concurrent estrogen intake, increases cancer risk in younger women. Hormone use is more likely to cause cancer in the breast lobes than in the breast ducts, but both types of cancer increase following progesterone use. Keeping the treatment short helps reduce risk but does not eliminate it.
Breast Changes
Older women typically take estrogen supplements to reduce age-related symptoms, such as hot flashes. According to the 2006 review in "Life Extension Magazine," the additional intake of progesterone may help prevent bone loss. Progesterone can also treat insomnia, anxiety and headaches, yet supplementation may have adverse effects on breast health.
A 2008 report in "Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention" assessed changes in breast density following extended periods of hormone replacement therapy. Estrogen-progesterone combinations caused a greater increase in breast density than estrogen alone, and natural progesterone caused a greater increase than synthetic progesterone. These changes in breast density may indicate breast cancer, and they make it more difficult to interpret diagnostic tests.
Birth Defects
Younger women wanting to become pregnant can take natural progesterone to enhance their fertility, and mothers at risk for premature delivery can use the hormone to reduce birth complications. These useful applications, however, may increase the risk of birth defects.
A 2005 study in the "Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine" looked at birth defects present in the children of women who took progesterone during conception or pregnancy. Progesterone intake doubled the appearance of a particular birth defect. This defect, an unusual placement of the urethral opening, can make it difficult for male offspring to urinate.
Although birth defects caused by using progesterone are rare, women should carefully consider the potential risks of bioidentical progesterone use.
References
- "Life Extension Magazine": Progesterone Misconceptions
- "Maturitas"; Progestogen Use in Women Approaching the Menopause and Breast Cancer Risk; C. Campagnoli et al.; April 20, 2009
- "Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention": Increases in Serum Estrone Sulfate Level are Associated with Increased Mammographic Density during Menopausal Hormone Therapy
- "Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine": Maternal Progestin Intake and Risk of Hypospadias
- "Annals of Pharmacotherapy"; Use of Hormone Replacement Therapy, 1998--2007: Sustained Impact of the Women's Health Initiative Findings; B. G. Silverman et al.; Feb. 3, 2009
