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Progesterone: soothing hormone, sleep savior, uterine bodyguard… or wildly overhyped perimenopause celebrity? 

In this episode of OvaryActive, Dr. Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su and Dr. Amy Voedisch take on micronized progesterone, progestins, and the many confident claims the internet has made about both. Because apparently even hormones need a PR team.

The Docs explain the difference between progesterone, progestogens, and progestins; why micronized progesterone is formulated the way it is; and why progesterone creams and “natural” wild yam products are not doing what TikTok may have promised. 

The episode also looks at progesterone’s reputation for improving sleep, why some people feel dramatically better while others feel absolutely nothing, and the small subset who can experience poor mood effects instead of calm. Finally, Rebecca and Amy tackle the complicated evidence around micronized progesterone, breast cancer risk, and long-term hormone therapy. 

Listeners will walk away knowing what the research actually says, what it definitely does not say, and why “it depends” remains medicine’s least satisfying but frequently most correct (for now) answer.