--- title: Does natural progesterone cause mood and physical symptoms in postmenopausal women? description: Yes, at a specific dose. Natural progesterone at 400 mg per day caused cyclical negative mood and physical symptoms in women without prior PMS, similar to PMS url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/progesterone-effects-during-sequential-hormone-replacement-therapy-2003/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does natural progesterone cause mood and physical symptoms in postmenopausal women? Randomised trial, 2003 # Does natural progesterone cause mood and physical symptoms in postmenopausal women? Yes, at a specific dose. Natural progesterone at 400 mg per day caused cyclical negative mood and physical symptoms in women without prior PMS, similar to PMS symptoms. Moderate study design 36 postmenopausal women with hot flashes, some with prior PMS history ## What they did A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study of 36 postmenopausal women. Women took estradiol continuously and received vaginal progesterone suppositories at 800 mg/day, 400 mg/day, or placebo, each for 14 days per cycle, over three 28-day cycles. ## What they found In women without prior PMS history, 400 mg/day progesterone caused cyclical negative mood and physical symptoms, but 800 mg/day and placebo did not. Women without PMS history also had more physical symptoms overall on progesterone than on placebo. Women with prior PMS showed no cyclical symptoms. ## What it means for you This suggests progesterone may trigger PMS-like symptoms in some women, which is interesting for understanding PMS. However, this study included postmenopausal women on hormone replacement therapy, so results may not apply to women with active PMS. 36 Postmenopausal women studied 400 mg/day progesterone dose causing symptoms 3 Treatment cycles ## About the study Original title Progesterone effects during sequential hormone replacement therapy Authors Andréen L, Bixo M, Nyberg S et al. Journal European journal of endocrinology Year 2003 Study design Randomised trial Participants 36 What was tested Vaginal progesterone at 800 mg/day, 400 mg/day, or placebo Read the paper [doi.org/10.1530/eje.0.1480571](https://doi.org/10.1530/eje.0.1480571) ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Estradiol, progesterone and hormone therapy](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-hormone-therapy/)[Perimenopause and menopause](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-perimenopause/) Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits. Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor. ## Related studies Review, 2012 How should premenstrual disorders be diagnosed and organized? Review, 2012 How is PMS diagnosed and treated, especially in women approaching menopause? Systematic review, 2025 Do drugs that stop ovulation help women with PMS? Survey study, 2007 Is depression before a period linked to depression at menopause? Review, 2006 How do brain hormones affect PMDD and mood problems during the menstrual cycle? Randomised trial, 2006 Do women with a history of PMS react differently to hormone therapy after menopause? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗