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Any way to block Progesterone receptors?

by Amy
(San Francisco, CA)

Dear Wray, I lose a large amount of hair through shedding which increases the week before and during my menstrual cycle, then slows back down only to repeat prior to my cycle again. This would suggest that my hair follicles are sensitive to the rise in Progesterone.

I am 37 years old and have regular cycles. I do not take any prescription drugs or hormones. I do take iron supplements, liposomal vitamin-D, EPA/DHA fish oils, B-vitamins and a multivitamin. Can you suggest anything that I might do to block the reaction of the natural rise in progesterone from affecting my hair follicles? Much in the way that DIM helps with blocking Estrogen receptors, do you know of anything that does the same for Progesterone? Thank you for the help!

Comments for Any way to block Progesterone receptors?

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Sep 19, 2011
 Any way to block Progesterone receptors?
by: Wray

Hi Amy The last thing you need to do is block your progesterone receptors. It's excess oestrogen causing the hair loss, well testosterone actually. Progesterone has been used topically on the head with some success in a few studies, see here, here and here. From about the age of 35 we begin getting anovulatory cycles, when the ovaries make no progesterone that cycle. Oestrogen also peaks mid-luteal phase, see the Chart we have. And in some women who are ovulating, the corpus luteum produces too little progesterone to counter this rise, see here and here. It's the unbalanced ratio between progesterone and oestrogen during the last week of the luteal phase that causes all the problems women have. We've found from Saliva Tests we run, that the ratio of progesterone to oestrogen should be 600:1. I mentioned testosterone as the culprit in hair loss, well one of them. This rises too, because oestrogen has to be converted from testosterone. I would suggest you supplement your progesterone levels by using it, this would suppress the excess oestrogen and testosterone. I recommend 100-200mg/day, dependant on symptoms. We do have more info on our page How to use progesterone cream. I'm running out of space so will start a new comment below. Take care Wray
Sep 19, 2011
 Any way to block Progesterone receptors?
by: Wray

Hi Amy Please have a vitamin D test done, this is vital for the anagen phase of hair growth, see here, here and here. For more info on testing etc, see the Vitamin D Council, GrassrootsHealth Birmingham Hospital and Vitamin D Links websites.
This is an excellent video to watch too, see here. A lack of vitamin D reduces the benefits of progesterone. Finally please consider taking 5000iu's/day vitamin D, 2000mg/day N-actyl cysteine, 2000mg/day inositol, 2-3mg biotin and 100mg thiamine (B1). All these have a bearing on healthy hair. Take care Wray
Sep 26, 2011
 Thank you Wray & another question...
by: Amy

Thank you so much Wray. The hair loss began at age 29, and now I am 37. The shedding goes through periods where it is better or worse, but it is more than normal people and I have very visibly thinning. I tried the progesterone cream a couple years back and at first the shedding got worse, so I stopped. Is that maybe because it takes time for the hormones to balance? How long do you suggest I stick it out in order to see if results are happening?

As for the Vitamin D, yes, my doctor monitors it. It runs a little low always. I take both a softgel of 5000mcg and have started a liquid source that comes in a gel type form that goes under the tongue and is 2000mcg. I don't seem to absorb or store it very well. Is there anything that helps with better absorption?

I love the studies you referenced about vitamin D receptor sites. I have been trying to figure out the hair loss for many years with many doctors and I think the knowledge about vitamin D and hair loss might help a lot of people like me out there with this problem.

Thank you again!
Sep 28, 2011
 Oily skin and irritable
by: Amy

Hi Wray, I have been on the progesterone cream, Emrita's ProGest, for two days. I am noticing very oily skin, irritability, racing heart & increased hunger. This is very much what I experience the two days before my period. I read in another post you answered that taking too little progesterone cream can actually cause an increase in the bad oestrogen and testosterone, causing the oily skin. I realize that ProGest is only 20mg of Progesterone per 1/4th teaspoon serving. So is it safe to say I can use 3 1/4th servings in the morning and another three at night to achieve 120mg? Is that enough to avoid the oestrogen & testosterone response and the symptoms mentioned above? As I am doing this to help avoid hair loss I don't want to take too little and actually make the hair loss worse.
Oct 05, 2011
 Thank you Wray & another question...
by: Wray

Hi Amy So pleased the info helped you. Progest is half the strength of our cream, so the 100-200mg/day I suggest would require 6-12ml or just over 1 tsp to just about 2 1/2 tsp. So to answer your question, you would need 3/4 tsp twice a day to get about 120mg. The symptoms you've described are all Oestrogen Dominance symptoms. It's so important to make progesterone the dominant hormone, and it really does need a high amount to do this. Oestrogen is a very potent excitatory, inflammatory hormone. As you get more hair loss prior to bleeding, please increase the amount to say 200mg for those few days and see if that helps. As for how long to stick it out, I wish I could tell you. It's a question I'm so often asked, and it's like that proverbial million dollar question! I simply don't know, and it's because we are all so different, not to mention we live in different climates, eat different foods, our stresses are not the same and so on. All I can ask you to do is to please persevere. Re the vitamin D, it needs magnesium before it's absorbed well. And as most of our soils are low in this, so is our food, you could try adding some, a chelated form is best, not so laxative. Vitamin D is also an oil based vitamin, so it's absorbed better when oil is present. How low is low? As doctors and labs use 30ng/ml as the cut off point for adequate. Whereas many specialists are saying it should be 70-100ng/ml. You could safely go up to 10,000 or 20,000iu's per day until your level is higher, toxicity is not reached until the level is 200ng/ml, see here and here. Take care Wray

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