* Progesterone also has a role in skin elasticity and bone strength, in respiration, in nerve tissue and in female sexuality, and the presence of progesterone receptors in certain muscle and fat tissue may hint at a role in sexually dimorphic proportions of those.
* During pregnancy, progesterone is said to decrease uterine irritability.
* During pregnancy, progesterone helps to suppress immune responses of the mother to fetal antigens, which prevents rejection of the fetus.
* Progesterone raises epidermal growth factor-1 (EGF-1) levels, a factor often used to induce proliferation, and used to sustain cultures, of stem cells.
* Progesterone increases core temperature (thermogenic function) during ovulation.
* Progesterone reduces spasm and relaxes smooth muscle. Bronchi are widened and mucus regulated. (PRs are widely present in submucosal tissue.)
* Progesterone acts as an antiinflammatory agent and regulates the immune response.
* Progesterone reduces gall-bladder activity.
* Progesterone normalizes blood clotting and vascular tone, zinc and copper levels, cell oxygen levels, and use of fat stores for energy.
* Progesterone may affect gum health, increasing risk of gingivitis (gum inflammation).
* Progesterone appears to prevent endometrial cancer (involving the uterine lining) by regulating the effects of estrogen.
* Progesterone plays an important role in the signaling of insulin release and pancreatic function, and may affect the susceptibility to diabetes or gestational diabetes.
* Progesterone levels in the blood were found to be lower in women who had higher weight and higher BMI among those who became pregnant through in vitro fertilization.
* Current data shows that micronized progesterone, which is chemically identical to the progesterone produced in women's bodies, in combination with estrogen in menopausal hormone therapy does not seem to have significant effects on venous thromboembolism (blood clots in veins) and ischemic stroke (lack of blood flow to the brain due to blockage of a blood vessel that supplies the brain). However, more studies need to be conducted to see whether or not micronized progesterone alone or in combined menopausal hormone therapy changes the risk of myocardial infarctions (heart attacks).
* There have not been any studies done yet on the effects of micronized progesterone on hair loss due to menopause.
* Despite suggestions for using hormone therapy to prevent loss of muscle mass in post-menopausal women (50 and older), menopausal hormone therapy involving either estrogen alone or estrogen and progesterone has not been found to preserve muscle mass. Menopausal hormone therapy also does not result in body weight reduction, BMI reduction, or change in glucose metabolism.