Pharmacodynamics of progesterone women, this effect being the result of suppression of the mid-cycle surge in gonadotropin secretion, is 300 mg/day. However, this figure is based on limited clinical data. Conversely, treatment with a high dosage of oral progesterone of 100 mg four times per day (or 400 mg/day total) in men for 10 days that resulted in approximately mid-luteal phase levels of progesterone (7.9–9.4 ng/mL; measured by ) did not cause any change in testosterone levels, suggesting that progesterone has little or no antigonadotropic effect in males at typical clinical dosages. In addition, a study found that administration of 1,000 mg/day oral
Breast development the breasts by inducing the expression of the progesterone receptor (PR) in breast epithelial tissue. In contrast to the case of the PR, ER expression in the breast is stable and differs relatively little in the contexts of reproductive status, stage of the menstrual cycle, or exogenous hormonal therapy. During pregnancy, pronounced breast growth and maturation occurs in preparation of lactation and breastfeeding. Estrogen and progesterone levels increase dramatically, reaching levels by late pregnancy that are several hundred-fold higher than usual menstrual cycle levels. Estrogen and progesterone cause the secretion of high levels of prolactin from the anterior pituitary, which