How Are Estrogen and Progesterone Related?

Update Date: 2024-06-11 Source: Network

Estrogen and progesterone have a mutually coordinated relationship, with progesterone promoting ovulation and exerting a certain influence on the activation of estrogen. If a woman experiences low progesterone levels during pregnancy, it can easily lead to miscarriage. In non-pregnant women, low progesterone levels can lead to reduced menstrual flow or even amenorrhea, and it is important to promptly consult a doctor for examination and treatment.

Generally speaking, estrogen and progesterone antagonize each other and are produced by the corpus luteum. Estrogen is an important hormone that maintains the secondary sexual characteristics of women. Progesterone can promote ovulation in women. However, during pregnancy, estrogen and progesterone have a synergistic effect, and the placenta gradually produces them around the 10th week of gestation. This plays an important role in the changes of the uterine muscle layer, endometrium, and mammary glands during pregnancy. The main physiological functions are as follows:

Promoting the development of the endometrium, increasing muscle mass, blood flow, and uterine contractility, and increasing the sensitivity of uterine smooth muscle to oxytocin.
Endometrial hyperplasia.
Relaxing the cervix, increasing cervical mucus secretion, diluting its consistency, and making it easy to stretch.
Promoting the development of the fallopian tubes and increasing the amplitude of rhythmic contractions.
Proliferation and keratinization of vaginal epithelial cells, and full development of the labia.
Mammary duct hyperplasia, nipple, and areola.