Relapse levels and a decrease in estradiol levels during the luteal phase. Anxiety, irritability, and depression, three symptoms of both withdrawal and the human menstrual cycle, are most severe in the luteal phase. Symptoms of withdrawal not associated with the cycle, such as hunger, are also enhanced during the luteal phase, which suggests the role of estradiol and progesterone in enhancing symptoms above the naturally occurring level of the menstrual cycle. The symptoms of craving also increase during the luteal phase in humans (it is important to note that the opposite result occurs in female subjects with cocaine addiction suggesting that
Topical progesterone of tissue exposure to progesterone with this route of administration. These findings provide a possible explanation for how some studies found antiproliferative and atrophic changes in the endometrium with topical progesterone. However, elevated levels of progesterone in the endometrium with topical progesterone have not yet been demonstrated. Concern has been raised regarding topical progesterone in that the effects of such supraphysiological levels of progesterone in tissues are unknown and hence the potential for harmful effects has not been ruled out. Salivary monitoring of progesterone levels in women using topical progesterone and adjustment of dosage as necessary has been suggested as