Lexi_con

Progesterone is best known for causing the monthly gift that so many women dread. It peaks suddenly right before that time of the month and causes the uterine lining to be shed. There are other things that progesterone is not as well known for, but are equally important. It inhibits breast tissue overgrowth (meaning less cause for breast cancer), increases metabolism (weight loss), and mobilizes fluid (no more water retention). Progesterone thins the blood (lowering the risk for blood clots), stimulates bone growth (prevents osteoporosis), enhances the thyroid, and so on.

A very uncommon fact about progesterone is that it has the potential to lower blood sugar. Progesterone prepares the body for pregnancy. It acts as a protecting agent during ovulation, in order to give the body the best environment for the baby. This "best environment" includes a higher core temperature, lower blood glucose, balanced hormones, and strengthened immune function.

My bio-identical treatment includes progesterone on days 15 through 28 of my cycle. Progesterone is used to balance my hormones so that my symptoms begin to disappear (irregular periods, severe cramping, PMS symptoms, and headaches). In the first months, it's a guessing game. Every month, depending on my symptoms, we increase the progesterone levels.

The first and second months started with a small dose, which didn't show any effects on any portion of my life. The third month barely increased (my periods were at least regular enough to come once a month). The fourth month gave some relief of symptoms. Most noticeably, my blood sugars seemed to run much lower than the previous days.

I mentioned it to my mom because it seemed that my pump basals and boluses could be cut down by a considerable amount. However, I didn't make any permanent changes because I wasn't sure the progesterone was the leading cause. Diabetes is a tricky game, you just never know what's making the coincidental effects.

So this month, I'm watching my blood sugars more closely during days 15 through 28. My blood sugars are down by a considerable amount from the days leading up to the start of my progesterone. Granted, it's only two days into the treatment. But I'll definitely be keeping a close eye on how things play out.

When I'm on the progesterone, I generally feel better. My symptoms are better, my mood is improved. It's a miracle drug. Since I started the treatment, I wanted to stay on the progesterone all month long (this is NOT recommended, unfortunately) just for those reasons. Now that I see the potential effect it has on my blood sugar, I want to stay on it even more so.

Certainly, there are many other things that progesterone does that should only be done cyclical. But...wouldn't it be amazing if such a simple hormone could at least help my blood sugar control to SOME extent?