Question
Could you elaborate on the differences between Pregnenolone & Progesterone and if there are any synergies with stacking them please?
Also dosing given one’s sex and age?
Answer
Progesterone is known as a female hormone but interestingly, males need progesterone to make testosterone.
And in males, the adrenal glands and testes produce progesterone.
Women’s birth control typically combines progestin and estrogen to prevent pregnancy.
Pregnenolone OTOH is considered by many to be the Mother of all hormones in males, being made from Cholesterol. The sequence is Cholesterol, Pregnenolone, DHEA, Androstenedione, Androstenediol, Test.
Pregnenolone drops in both men and women but to give you an idea, between age 35 and 70, a man’s pregnenolone levels can drop by 60 percent.
In mice, pregnenolone is the most potent known memory enhancer.
In humans, pregnenolone improves attention and decreases arthritic pain but in most studies, failed to improve memory
Interestingly, Pregnenolone is the precursor of progesterone (catalyzed by 3b-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase). Progesterone is then converted to 11-deoxy cortisol, and then cortisol.
But why would you want cortisol?
Because when released into the bloodstream, cortisol helps to control blood pressure, regulate metabolism and blood sugar levels, decrease inflammation, and improve memory. Sometimes we forget the good things cortisol does, and that’s a great example.
Usual doses of pregnenolone are 25-100mg daily for men and women with optimal blood levels around 200 ng/dL. Life Extension makes a really good product and:
You should work with your Dr and get bloodwork done to optimize the dose.
Normal progesterone levels in women are like everything female… complex
Stage Progesterone level (ng/mL)
pre-ovulation < Less than 0.89
ovulation ≤ Less than or equal to 12
post-ovulation 1.8–24
Progesterone is found in much lower levels in men, typically less than 0.20 ng/mL.
My advice would be that as a woman to get your levels tested, then consider using 25 to 50mg of pregnenolone and working to get it into the optimal range (around 200ng/dl). As a man, I’d do the same but it’ll probably be closer to 100mg of Pregnenolone daily.
Progesterone levels in both males and females should then be measured, getting them into the ideal ranges I mentioned prior.
Bottom Line
Optimizing Pregnenolone and de-facto, Progesterone levels is a good idea IMO, especially since pregnenolone is so instrumental in converting to downstream precursors and ultimately, multiple different hormone levels.
I suspect that while doing so might not extend lifespan, it certainly will improve the quality of life remaining. And on that score, it’s well worth the effort IMO.
