Progesterone And Ovarian Cysts: The TRUE Connection

Read this article to know all about progesterone and ovarian cysts.

Progesterone is basically a hormone that affects just every kind of tissue present in the human body, ranging from the brain cells, thyroid hormones, bone cells, the uterus, vagina, the embryo, the development of the fetus, you name it and the progesterone is sure to be associated with it. Progesterone is also called a sex organ though there's it does not have any specific sex characteristics.

The Progesterone plays an important role as it the forerunner of aldosterone and cortisol; these are really important for life. Progesterone is in fact the forerunner estrogens and testosterone too. The primary function of progesterone is to work in league with the estradiol during pregnancy. The Progesterone also is necessary for the proper development of breasts and functioning of the uterine.  

Low levels of progesterone can lead to various problems including the formation of ovarian cysts:

. Tenderness in breasts

. Miscarriages during early stage of pregnancy

. Infertility

. Sleeplessness

. Irregularity in periods

. A low body temperature

. Severe cramps during periods

. Mood swings, anxiety, irritability

. Weight gain in the hips and the midriff area

. Bloating

. Ovarian cysts

The above mentioned can rather be treated as symptoms of low progesterone levels.

Ovarian Cysts

Ovarian cysts are a serious condition that can be caused due to the low levels of progesterone in the body. Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome or PCOS occurs when due to some unusual cause there is disruption in the normal process of ovulation, i.e. when a woman doesn't ovulate.

The hypothalamus actually monitors the functioning of ovaries and the menstrual cycle. It is a regulatory center situated in the brain. Once the monthly cycle ends, the hypothalamus secretes GnRH gonadotropin-releasing hormone which further activates the pituitary glands which then secretes FSH or follicles stimulating hormones and LH or luteinizing hormones. These hormones then instruct the ovaries to start producing estrogen (mostly estradiol), and start the process of the egg-maturation inside the follicles.

When the first follicles ovulate, it releases the egg in to the fallopian tube, and transforms into the corpus luteum. The corpus luteum is basically a factory for producing progesterone. The egg then starts its journey towards the uterus. The huge production of progesterone ripens the uterine lining and stops further ovulation.

If the egg does not fertilize then the ovaries turn off the production of progesterone and estrogen. This reduction leads to the shedding of the uterine lining i.e. to the monthly cycle. As the hormone levels fall, the productions of the GnRH starts again. And the whole process again starts from the beginning.

The process goes haywire when due to some unusual reason ovulation does not occur. Situations when the follicles does not release the egg or when the egg is releases but the opening gets sealed up, then the follicle turns into a cyst, thus the production of progesterone does not happen.

This fall in progesterone levels is tracked by hypothalamus which tries to control the situation by increasing the production the GnRH, which further down the process leads more follicles towards ovulation. When even these follicles fail to ovulate and thus fail to produce more progesterone, the situation leads to PCOS.