liveonearth: (Flowers)
liveonearth ([personal profile] liveonearth) wrote2010-01-26 08:02 am

Effects of Estrogen and Progesterone on Mood

Why progesterone causes mood changes

The brain has both estrogen and progesterone receptors. In women who have epilepsy, seizures are known to occur more frequently during times of high estrogen (late follicular phase and ovulation) and they are decreased when progesterone is high. In this sense, progesterone acts a a brain anesthetic to some degree. High doses of progesterone can be very sedating.

Women who have depression, have lower brain levels of serotonin, thus the success of medications that block the body's degradation of serotonin and allow brain levels to remain higher. Estrogens are known to block one of the enzymes (monoamine oxidase - MAO) which degrades serotonin with the result of elevating mood. Progestogens, probably more so than natural progesterone, increase MAO concentration thus producing depression and irritability. Pure progestogen treatment without estrogen, such as DepoProvera® is know to worsen depression in women who already have a tendency toward or clinical signs of depression. The combination of estrogen plus progestogens such as used in birth control pills and menopausal hormonal replacement therapy does not tend to worsen mood because the compounds are neutralizing each other. There are some women who are more sensitive to certain hormones so their doses may need to be adjusted.


SOURCE OF QUOTE
http://www.wdxcyber.com/nmood11.htm:

P4 = progesterone

On MAOs


Here: metabolism of L-tryptophan to serotonin, melatonin, and niacin


SEX HORMONES


MORE METABOLISM, GABA IN BOTTOM RIGHT CORNER


AN INTERESTING SITE ON NEUROTRANSMITTERS
https://www.neurorelief.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=149&Itemid=48

[identity profile] hausfrauatu.livejournal.com 2010-01-26 10:54 pm (UTC)(link)
I was on the mini pill years ago. I remember sobbing on the phone once to my boyfriend in CT and he said, 'Are you taking the brown ones?'

I said, "Um yeah...sniff. Why? sniff" Wekk before my period. They drove me quite mad! So I had an aha! moment.

[identity profile] liveonearth.livejournal.com 2010-01-27 03:12 am (UTC)(link)
Glad you sorted THAT out.

[identity profile] neptunia67.livejournal.com 2010-01-27 02:24 am (UTC)(link)
I wonder if my fatigue at the end of my cycle is caused from a spike in progesterone. That's also the time I feel foggy-headed and irritable.

[identity profile] liveonearth.livejournal.com 2010-01-27 03:18 am (UTC)(link)
I don't know if html works in comments but check out the graph at http://www.thaisuperiorart.com/boffice/picdata/20081010165906_menstrual.gif. The highest progesterone and lowest estrogen levels naturally occur right before and during the menses. So that might have something to do with it!

[identity profile] neptunia67.livejournal.com 2010-01-27 02:34 pm (UTC)(link)
Wow, that's pretty amazing, and probably explains a lot of my physical symptoms at that time of the month.