In this episode we engage in an enlightening conversation with Dr. Jerilynn Prior, a trailblazing endocrinologist and professor at the University of British Columbia. Dr. Prior shares her 40+ years of research on the importance of progesterone in women's reproductive health, the reality of hormonal fluctuations during perimenopause, and how understanding ovulatory disturbances can promote lifelong well-being.
This episode is a must-listen for women seeking to optimize their fertility, manage perimenopausal symptoms, and gain deeper insights into their menstrual health.
Key takeaways:
- The importance of balancing estrogen with progesterone for reproductive and overall health.
- Ovulatory disturbances are common and adaptive but need attention when persistent.
- Perimenopausal symptoms are often linked to fluctuating estrogen levels and insufficient progesterone.
- Regular ovulation predicts better bone, heart, and lifelong health.
- Progesterone therapy effectively reduces menopausal symptoms like night sweats and sleep disturbances.
Dr. Jerilynn Prior Bio:
Jerilynn C. Prior is a Professor of Endocrinology and Metabolism at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, BC, working on women’s health. She has spent her career studying menstrual cycles and the effects of the cycle’s changing estrogen and progesterone hormone levels on women’s health. In 2002, she founded the Centre for Menstrual Cycle and Ovulation Research (CeMCOR) and serves as the Centre’s Scientific Director. She is also the British Columbia Centre Director of the Canadian Multicentre Osteoporosis Study (CaMos), a 20-year prospective 9-centre population-based bone and general health study. Dr. Prior studies menstrual cycles, the effects of ovulation and its disturbances on women’s later life osteoporotic fracture, heart attack and breast cancer risks. She has studied progesterone as a treatment for hypothalamic (stress related) period disturbances, low bone density, and for hot flushes and night sweats in menopausal women (1 year since their last flow) and in perimenopausal women (who are in the transition but not yet menopausal).
Where To Find Dr. Jerilynn Prior:
- Menstrual cycle, follicular and luteal phase variabilities
Here’s a paper we just published in Human Reproduction—showing that it is nonsense to believe the luteal phase is fixed at 14 days. Henry, Sarah https://doi.org/10.1093/humrep/deae215
- Menstrual cramps and ovulation
Because menstrual cramps are said to only occur in ovulatory cycles, we analyzed cramps in both groups—women with anovulation had more intense cramps that lasted longer! https://doi:10.2147/JPR.S457484.
- Very important when discussing perimenopause
We showed significantly decreased night sweats and improved sleep, no change in periods and a significant decrease in perimenopausal interference with daily life.
Here’s the open access link https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-35826-w
- More progress toward a new therapy for PCOS—we completed a feasibility study of cyclic progesterone (14 days/cycle) and spironolactone (an anti-androgen)—our primary outcome was a five part PCOS-specific quality of life instrument. This confirms my hypotheses in this blog post some years ago https://helloclue.com/articles/cycle-a-z/the-case-for-a-new-pcos-therapy
- Endometriosis and Brown Adipose Tissue—need assistance recruiting
We’re currently recruiting for women with endometriosis ages 19-35 who are not using hormones and are without chronic pain https://www.cemcor.ca/endometriosis-and-brown-adipose-tissue-bat-activity-study
We’re studying Brown Adipose Tissue activity in women with endometriosis and normally ovulatory controls.
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DISCLAIMER: By listening to this podcast, you agree not to use it as medical advice to treat any medical condition in either yourself or others. This podcast offers information to help the listener cooperate with physicians, mental health professionals or other healthcare providers in a mutual quest for optimal well-being. We advise listeners to carefully review and understand the ideas presented, and to consult your own physician for any medical issues that you may be having. Under no circumstances shall Acubalance, any guests or contributors to the Coherence Code Podcast, or any employees, associates, or affiliates of Acubalance be responsible for damages arising from the use of the podcast.
