Study, 2009
Does progesterone affect how much growth hormone, prolactin, and thyroid hormone the body makes?
Yes. Growth hormone and prolactin are higher in the luteal phase when progesterone is higher, and these increases appear linked to progesterone levels.
What they did
10 young lean women were studied once during the follicular phase and once during the luteal phase. Sleep was monitored and blood was taken every 20 minutes for 24 hours to measure hormone levels at regular intervals.
What they found
Daytime growth hormone and afternoon/evening prolactin were higher during the luteal phase than the follicular phase. The increase in 24-hour growth hormone was associated with higher progesterone levels. The evening prolactin rise was associated with higher progesterone and estradiol levels. Thyroid hormone patterns were similar in both phases, but thyroid hormone decrease during sleep happened earlier in the luteal phase.
What it means for you
Progesterone may control how much growth hormone and prolactin the pituitary makes. This was a very small study of lean women, so we do not know if it applies to all women or to those with PMS. These findings show how normal hormones work but do not tell us whether progesterone changes cause symptoms.
10
women studied
20-min intervals
blood sampling frequency
About the study
- Original title
- A potential role of endogenous progesterone in modulation of GH, prolactin and thyrotrophin secretion during normal menstrual cycle
- Authors
- Caufriez A, Leproult R, L'Hermite-Balériaux M et al.
- Journal
- Clinical endocrinology
- Year
- 2009
- Study design
- Study
- What was tested
- 24-hour blood monitoring every 20 minutes during follicular and luteal phases
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2265.2009.03539.x