Progesterone inhibits contractions of the uterus. A sudden drop in progesterone levels is part of what causes the onset of labor.
It is oxytocin and prostaglandins that stimulate uterine contractions. That's why ibuprofen works so well for menstrual cramps -- it reduces prostaglandins.
A menstrual cycle is more likely to be crampy if progesterone levels are low, which in both teens and perimenopausal women can be caused by not ovulating that cycle.
Virginia Hopkins
co-author, What Your Doctor May Not Tell You about Premeopause
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Progesterone inhibits contractions of the uterus. A sudden drop in progesterone levels is part of what causes the onset of labor.
It is oxytocin and prostaglandins that stimulate uterine contractions. That's why ibuprofen works so well for menstrual cramps -- it reduces prostaglandins.
A menstrual cycle is more likely to be crampy if progesterone levels are low, which in both teens and perimenopausal women can be caused by not ovulating that cycle.
Virginia Hopkins
September 13, 2010 - 10:44pmco-author, What Your Doctor May Not Tell You about Premeopause
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