a-Pregnanediol is a metabolite of progesterone.
Progesterone is present in men but at a much lower level than found in premenopausal women. Progesterone is known as a female hormone, but males need progesterone to produce testosterone. Its function involves the development of sperm.
Pregnanediol is the major progesterone metabolite, and is present in appreciable quantities in the urine. Progesterone is not excreted in urine in detectable quantities. Thus, values of progesterone are very well “tracked” by pregnanediol values, and this value is an adequate reflection of free progesterone.
Alpha– and beta–Pregnanediol are usually used as surrogate markers, because they are the most abundant metabolites.
Natural production by the testes and adrenals in men starts to decrease with aging and can lead to an imbalance, not only of progesterone, but also lead to decreased testosterone and an increase of estrogen.
References:
-https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15669543
-http://digital.csic.es/bitstream/10261/166820/1/Prog.%20Neurobiol%202014.pdf
Symptoms of low progesterone in males include:
-Low progesterone levels in men can lead to hair loss.
-Low libido
-Hair loss
-Weight gain
-Fatigue
-Depression
-Gynecomastia, which is breast development in males
-Erectile dysfunction
-Impotence
-Bone loss
-Muscle loss
Men with low progesterone levels have a higher risk of developing:
-Osteoporosis
-Arthritis
-Prostate cancer
-Prostatism – difficulties with urination as a result of obstruction, typically associated with an enlarged prostate gland
Possible causes of increased progesterone in males:
-High dose Pregnenalone supplementation
-Testicular cancer
-Tumors of the adrenals.
$79 per year
$6.60 per month billed annually
Use promocode
$79 per year
$250 single payment
$45 per month
Save time on interpreting lab results with the largest database of biomarkers online. In-depth research on any test at your fingertips, all stored and tracked in one place.
Learn MoreAt HealthMatters, we're committed to maintaining the security and confidentiality of your personal information. We've put industry-leading security standards in place to help protect against the loss, misuse, or alteration of the information under our control. We use procedural, physical, and electronic security methods designed to prevent unauthorized people from getting access to this information. Our internal code of conduct adds additional privacy protection. All data is backed up multiple times a day and encrypted using SSL certificates. See our Privacy Policy for more details.