Impact of endogenous and exogenous progesterone exposure on stress biomarkers: a systematic review.
Stress activates the autonomic nervous system (ANS) and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPAA). Based on a systematic literature review of the impact of endogenous and exogenous exposure with natural progesterone on the stress response in healthy premenopausal and postmenopausal women, the following conclusions can be drawn: the HPAA activity was not relevantly affected by endogenous progesterone exposure across the menstrual cycle, but might be reduced by exogenous micronized progesterone application; in contrast, the ANS has a sympathetic predominance in the (progesterone-dominated) luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. Future studies should assess various stress biomarkers under various hormonal conditions to, for example, allow for cardiovascular risk stratification in hormone users.
['Stadler|A|A|', 'Weidlinger|S|S|', 'Stute|P|P|0000-0002-5591-1552']
D001341:Autonomic Nervous System D015415:Biomarkers D005260:Female D006801:Humans D006854:Hydrocortisone D008597:Menstrual Cycle D017698:Postmenopause D017697:Premenopause D011374:Progesterone D013312:Stress, Physiological
progesterone menstrual cycle Heart rate variability cortisol hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis menopausal hormone therapy menopause