Abstract
For many years, extensive work has focussed on the role of estrogen in bone metabolism and numerous studies have underlined estrogen's antiresorptive properties. Studies showing loss of bone mass to be one third higher during perimenopause than in postmenopause have sparked interest in characterizing the associated mechanisms more precisely, and the sole importance of estrogen in this context has since been questioned. Progesterone, which has osteo-anabolic effects on bone, reaching peak production rates during the third trimester of pregnancy when 80% of the fetal skeleton becomes mineralized, circulates in serum concentrations 100 to 1000-fold higher (ng) than estrogen (pg), albeit only after ovulation. Progesterone directly activates G-protein in osteoblasts, leading to a rapid second messenger response without involvement of nuclear receptors. In randomized clinical trials comparing estrogen only and combined estrogen and progestin treatment, an average additional bone density gain of 0.4%/year was seen when progestin was added.
Translated title of the contribution | Progesterone and bones. The basic science and clinic insights |
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Original language | German |
Pages (from-to) | 37-44 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Gynakologische Endokrinologie |
Volume | 10 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Feb 2012 |