Can progesterone help reduce or get rid of Fibroids?
Fibroids are benign, usually painless, tumours found in the uterus, made of muscle and connective tissue. The cause is unknown. Starting as microscopic bodies, they can grow to the size of a grapefruit or larger, sometimes filling the entire uterus. Pregnancy reduces the risk of new ones forming. The high level of progesterone in pregnancy is the probable reason pregnancy is protective. Progesterone does help reduce fibroid growth by inhibiting both the hormone oestrogen and the enzyme metalloproteinase. Oestrogen stimulates the lining of the uterus to build up, it also stimulates fibroids to grow. However, with the low level of progesterone which accompanies fibroids, the oestrogen, which is not being inhibited, continues building up the lining. There is an enzyme in the body called metalloproteinase which is designed to break down any protein. In the uterus it comes into play when progesterone levels drop at the end of the cycle and breaks down the lining of the uterus, hence the per
