32. Progesterone: The Miracle Hormone w/ Carol Petersen (Registered Pharmacist)
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In this episode, we covered:
- Symptoms of progesterone deficiency
- Types of progesterone replacement therapy
- Why “low and slow” dosing can make women feel worse
- To cycle or not to cycle progesterone
- Why progestins are NOT the same as progesterone
- The problem with hormone testing
- Endocrine effects of COVID-19 vaccines
Hello and welcome to the show! Today we have a very special guest, Carol Petersen, an accomplished compounding pharmacist with over 30 years of experience helping patients improve their quality of life through bioidentical hormone replacement therapy.
Carol graduated from the University of Wisconsin School of Pharmacy and is a Certified Nutritional Practitioner. Her passion to optimize health and commitment to compounding is evident in her involvement with organizations, such as: the International College of Integrated Medicine, the American College of Apothecaries, American Pharmacists Association, and the Alliance for Pharmacy Compounding.
She was also the founder and first chair for the Compounding Special Interest Group with the American Pharmacists Association. She is chair for the Integrated Medicine Consortium, co-hosts a radio show called “Take Charge of your Health” and is on the Medical Advisory Board for the Centre for Menstrual Cycle and Ovulation Research.
With Carol’s long list of accomplishments I’m thrilled to have her on the podcast to dive into all things progesterone.
Here’s an overview of the insights she gave us in this conversation:
- In Carol’s blog article titled “Symptoms of Progesterone Deficiency” there are 127 symptoms listed, ranging from anxiety, PMS, fibroids, cystic breasts, night sweats, hair loss… to feelings of resentment, uselessness, guilt, depression, panic attacks, irrational fears, agoraphobia, claustrophobia, rage, procrastination, inability to concentrate, and more. So you might ask yourself, why isn’t every woman prescribed progesterone? Carol give us her thoughts on this.
- Carol touches on the difference between oral progesterone vs. transdermal and why so many providers say oral is best when that’s not necessarily the case, especially for some women with mood disorders.
- We talk about dosing, because what I’ve learned is you go “low and slow” with hormones, but Carol doesn’t believe that’s always beneficial when it comes to progesterone specifically.
- Together, we dive into another controversial topic: to cycling or not to cycle progesterone? I personally take it daily and I don’t see the point in taking a break – I’ve experimented with it and felt lousy. Carol explains the intent behind cycling and if it’s benefitting women in perimenopause.
- I have found so much benefit from taking progesterone. I initially started on Prometrium (which is FDA approved/commercial). But I recently switched to compounded, because I wanted to be able to experiment a bit more with dosing.
- Carol discusses PMDD (premenstrual dysmorphic disorder) – and if she feels that these women tend to need higher doses of progesterone?
- Should one use Progestin when Progesterone is not tolerated?
- What are Carol’s thoughts on hormone testing?
Links Mentioned:
https://thewellnessbydesignproject.com/2022/08/symptoms-of-progesterone-deficiency/
https://thewellnessbydesignproject.com/2022/08/the-tyranny-of-flow-chart-medicine/
https://thewellnessbydesignproject.com/2022/01/when-women-dont-like-progesterone/
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Sources:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666396121000339
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10174728/
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/iid3.1100
Claudia Petrilli is a Functional Health Coach, Integrative Nutrition Coach, Women’s Health Educator, and creator of The Hormone Rescue program. Having experienced debilitating periods, digestive issues, a sluggish thyroid, a pituitary tumor, and perimenopause symptoms in her late 30s, she knows exactly what it’s like to get dismissed by doctors and spend years searching for answers.
To connect with Claudia Petrilli:
FREE GIFT: Peri-What?! The Must-Have Guide for Navigating Hormone Changes in Your 40s
WORK WITH US: The Hormone Rescue Program
QUESTIONS? EMAIL: claudia@claudiapetrilli.com
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