Progesterone News and Research

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Gene amplification could guide treatment for high-risk breast cancer

A new study shows that breast cancer patients with an "amplification," or greater number of copies, of the TOP2A gene are 45% more likely than women who do not have this amplification to benefit from a longer course of anthracycline-based adjuvant chemotherapy.

11 May 2006

Long-term estrogen therapy may be related to a higher risk of breast cancer

Previous studies have linked the use of hormone therapy to breast cancer among postmenopausal women, but have primarily focused on the hormone combination of estrogen plus progestin, according to background information in the article.

9 May 2006

Researchers test secret herb to stop hot flushes associated with breast cancer

Researchers at the University of Manchester are testing a secret herb in a bid to stop the severe hot flushes that besiege breast cancer patients on hormone treatment.

From The University of Manchester 3 May 2006

Osteoporosis could be caused by factors other than declining estrogen levels

New evidence in the April 21, 2006 Cell challenges the long-standing notion that declining estrogen levels alone lead to osteoporosis after women go through menopause. The researchers rather found that high levels of pituitary-derived follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) cause bone loss in mice. The pituitary is a master gland found at the base of the brain.

26 Apr 2006

HRT can reduce heart attacks by about one-third in women under age 60

For the last few years, women have heard conflicting reports about the risks and benefits of hormone replacement therapy (HRT). A new study that analyzes many trials together concludes that HRT can reduce heart attacks by about one-third in women under age 60 but has mixed results for older women.

23 Apr 2006

Environmental scientists identify new culprits in the cancer equation

In the granite-rich region of Western North Carolina, taking a daily shower could pose a risk of developing lung cancer. So could working from home every day. That's because granite emits a carcinogenic gas, radon.

13 Apr 2006

Evidence of estrogen and progesterone hormone allergy discovered

Some women with menstrual cycle disorders like asthma and migraine headaches may be experiencing allergies to their own estrogen and progesterone hormones, Texas researchers have discovered.

4 Apr 2006

Not all breast cancers' risk are increased by Hormone Replacement Therapy

Recent research presented at EBCC-5 from the million women study found that taking Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) increased the risk of some types of breast cancer, but not others.

23 Mar 2006

Stress in early pregnancy can cause miscarriage

According to a team of researchers in the U.S., women who exhibit signs of stress are three times more likely to miscarry during the first three weeks of the pregnancy.

22 Feb 2006

Inflammatory reaction drives hormone resistance in cancer

In the journal Cell, researchers report new evidence to explain why prostate cancer and other hormone-dependent cancers may become resistant to hormone therapies.

21 Feb 2006

Macrophage signaling may affect hormone resistance in prostate tumors

Interaction between prostate cancer cells and immune cells called macrophages may be a source of inflammatory signals capable of impacting the effectiveness of androgen antagonists, the most common and effective treatment for prostate cancer, according to a new study by researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine.

16 Feb 2006

First solid data on health effects of a low-fat diet

Adopting a low-fat diet in later life and following such a regimen for nearly a decade does not appear to have a significant impact on reducing the overall risk of breast cancer, colorectal cancer or heart disease, according to a Women's Health Initiative study that involved nearly 50,000 postmenopausal women across the United States.

9 Feb 2006

First description of female-specific Ischemia Syndrome

Although ischemic heart disease - the reduction of blood flow that can lead to heart attacks - is often considered a "man's disease," it takes the lives of more women than men each year. In fact, in 2000, about 60,000 more women than men died from cardiovascular disease.

5 Feb 2006

BRCA1 gene inhibits estrogen and progesterone

It's been known that the breast cancer susceptibility gene BRCA1 regulates use of estrogen in breast and other cells, but now researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center have discovered that it also controls activity of a second sex steroid hormone, progesterone.

27 Jan 2006

Missing protein C/EBPb may be cause of infertility

The absence of a key protein may lead to infertility. Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign report that experiments involving mice -- to be detailed in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences -- indicate that the transcription factor protein C/EBPb must be present in the uterus for pregnancy to occur.

18 Jan 2006

Research indicates birth control pill could cause long-term problems with testosterone

In the January issue of The Journal of Sexual Medicine, researchers have published a new investigation measuring sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) before and after discontinuation of the oral contraceptive pill.

6 Jan 2006

New research indicates birth control pill could cause long-term problems with testosterone

4 Jan 2006

Women suffering lupus OK to take oral contraceptives

Major study of women with either inactive or stable systemic lupus erythematosus (lupus) – a disease in which the body's immune system mistakenly attacks and damages healthy tissues of the skin, joints and internal organs – were able to take oral contraceptives without increased risk of flares, or periods of increased disease activity, that characterize the disease.

22 Dec 2005

Earlier hormone therapy trial scared women - but it was wrong!

According to new research the widely publicised 2002 study which apparently proved that hormone replacement therapy raised the risk of heart disease and breast cancer, was fundamentally flawed.

19 Dec 2005

Lupus patients safe to go back on the pill

Two new studies confirm that women who suffer from lupus, a chronic disease that can lead to inflamed kidneys, can safely take oral contraceptives without fear that the pill will worsen their condition.

19 Dec 2005