One of my favorite journal articles of all time is titled In Defense of Progesterone: A Review of the Literature by Allan Lieberman, MD, and Luke Curtis, MD.
These two gentlemen put together one of the most well-rounded, pro-progesterone articles I’ve ever read.
A couple of months ago, our colleague Mason Collins asked me on his podcast what my favorite hormone was. Without hesitation, I said, “Progesterone.”
Why? Because it’s one of the most misunderstood hormones in medicine.
The Great Confusion
A huge part of the problem comes from how the word progesterone is misused in the scientific literature.
There was even a study dedicated to this exact issue.
Researchers found that the term progesterone is often used interchangeably with progestin.
That’s insane.
Progesterone (P4) is the natural, bioidentical hormone that humans produce.
Progestins (or progestogens), like medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA), are synthetic and non-bioidentical. They are the ones associated with increased risks of cancer, clots, strokes, and dementia.
When “progesterone” is used to mean “progestin,” it’s more than sloppy. It’s dangerous.
Just look at this quote:
“Although that type of error is rampant in the medical literature, one illustrative example can be found in an article by Andrea Eisen, which refers to the Women’s Health Initiative Study (WHI) as using estrogen and progesterone. That statement is incorrect, because the WHI used a combination of equine estrogen and medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA), which is a progestin.”
Lieberman & Curtis, 2017
Exactly. This is why we can’t have nice things.
What We Actually Know About Progesterone
Here’s what the literature shows about real progesterone — the bioidentical kind:
- Lowers rates of uterine and colon cancers
- May be beneficial in ovarian, melanoma, mesothelioma, and prostate cancers
- Protects against cardiovascular disease, stroke, and dementia
- Supports recovery in traumatic brain injury (TBI)
- Does not increase the risk of breast cancer
In fact, in primate studies, progesterone and estradiol together reduced breast cancer cell proliferation.
Meanwhile, the placebo and non-bioidentical arms showed an increase in proliferation.
That’s not a small finding. That’s paradigm-shifting.
What That Could Mean
If that’s true, it could mean that bioidentical progesterone might one day be used before breast cancer surgery to reduce tumor activity.
And the authors said it best:
“The authors wish to emphasize that natural progesterone is preventive of breast and endometrial cancer, and physicians should have no hesitation prescribing it.”
Lieberman & Curtis, 2017
Amen.
Except let’s change “physicians” to “providers.”
The Time is Now
This is the moment for us to step up.
Our communities need providers who understand this. Women need providers who are willing to move beyond the noise, the fear, and the misinformation.
We literally hold the power to:
- Reduce cancer risk
- Prevent dementia and cardiovascular disease
- Help women live lives full of energy, clarity, and purpose
And it starts with education.
The longer we wait to learn this, the more suffering we indirectly allow in our patients and loved ones.
Please, step into HRT University. Learn this deeply.
Become the expert who knows how to use these therapies safely, intelligently, and confidently.
Because the world doesn’t need more providers who play it safe. It needs providers who know the truth.
