In This Edition:
- What’s New at FMP Essentials: Stay updated on upcoming courses, practitioner meet-ups, exciting announcements, and new educational content.
- Progesterone and Perimenopause: This month’s feature dives into the pivotal role of progesterone during perimenopause—how its decline contributes to symptoms and why restoring balance may be the missing piece in supporting women through this transition.
- Private Mastermind Podcast Spotlight: Don’t miss Dr. Elyaman’s conversation with Dr. Tara Scott, an OB-GYN and hormone expert, on recognizing and addressing perimenopause—a stage often overlooked in women’s health. They explore how hormonal changes can begin years before menopause, key symptoms to watch for, and practical testing strategies to uncover imbalances.
- Blog Feature: This month’s blog dives into how hormonal shifts during menopause influence gut health. Discover how changes in estrogen and progesterone affect the microbiome, gut barrier, and motility—and why supporting hormones and gut health is key to helping women maintain balance and wellbeing through midlife.
- Stay informed, engaged, and ahead of the curve with this month’s updates!
What's New At FMP Essentials?
- Mastermind: It’s been an exciting start for the FMP Essentials Mastermind! 🎉 Since launching, our Silver and Gold cohorts have been busy diving into new content, connecting in the community, and building momentum together.
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Last month, members joined Dr. Elyaman for two powerful sessions — Rewiring Inflammation (Silver) and The Promise of You: Defining Your Leadership Identity (Gold). This month, Silver members took a Clinical Deep Dive on Reframing Hypertension, exploring root causes and real solutions through a Functional Medicine lens.
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If you missed this round, don’t worry — you can still be part of what’s next. Join the waitlist to be the first to know when new seats open!
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- Upcoming Podcast Episodes: Dr. Elyaman has been busy behind the mic recording several new podcast episodes with leading voices in Functional Medicine and personal growth. Recent guests include Everest Goldstein, M.Ed, MSN, APRN, IFMCP, discussing functional approaches to anxiety; Natalie Lue, exploring the psychology of people pleasing and emotional boundaries; Kara Fitzgerald, ND, IFMCP, diving into longevity and aging. Stay tuned — these powerful conversations will be released soon!
- Advanced Lipid Masterclass: Our advanced lipid course is on-demand! This 8-module course is packed with clinical insights to help you master lipidology through a functional medicine lens. Haven’t signed up yet? Click here to join now and get full access!
- Public Podcast: Our latest episode features Dr. Lauren Davis, DO, sharing her approach to postpartum depletion and how functional medicine can restore energy, hormone balance, and gut health — safely, even while breastfeeding. Available now on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more expert insights. Click here to watch now!
The Power of Progesterone in Perimenopause
Perimenopause isn’t simply a time of “low estrogen.” During this time, estradiol often runs higher and more erratic, while ovulation becomes inconsistent and progesterone levels decline. This imbalance between estrogen and progesterone can drive many hallmark symptoms—night sweats, sleep disturbances, mood changes, breast tenderness, and irregular cycles—even when periods are still occurring.
Why progesterone matters
Oral micronized progesterone (OMP) helps restore balance to estrogen’s effects while also supporting sleep, mood, and relaxation through its calming action on GABA receptors in the brain. Progesterone and estrogen work together throughout the body—in the brain, bone, cardiovascular system, and breast tissue.
Progesterone vs. progestins
OMP is bioidentical, meaning it is molecularly identical to the progesterone naturally produced by the ovaries. This allows it to interact with receptors in a physiological way—supporting normal sleep architecture, stabilizing mood, and protecting the endometrium without increasing breast proliferation risk.
Progestins, by contrast, are synthetic derivatives designed to mimic progesterone’s uterine effects but differ structurally. They may increase breast cell growth, alter lipid metabolism, and lack progesterone’s neurocalming and metabolic benefits. Clinical data, including large cohort studies, suggest that progesterone does not carry the same breast cancer or cardiovascular risks associated with certain progestins.
How it’s typically used
The standard dose of OMP ranges from 100–300 mg at bedtime and can be given continuously or cyclically, depending on cycle regularity and symptom pattern.
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Cyclic use mirrors the luteal phase, offering progesterone support for part of the month.
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Continuous use is often chosen when cycles are irregular or when symptoms—such as night sweats and sleep disruption—persist throughout the month.
What recent research shows
A 2023 randomized controlled trial of 189 perimenopausal women found that while overall vasomotor symptom scores were not statistically different from placebo, those taking progesterone reported fewer night sweats, better sleep quality, and less daily interference from perimenopausal symptoms—without serious adverse effects. More research is needed to clarify how best to individualize therapy.
Bottom line
With fluctuating estrogen and declining progesterone defining this life stage, oral micronized progesterone may offer benefits to women during the perimenopausal transition—especially for women struggling with night sweats, poor sleep, or mood instability.
References:
- Prior, J.C., Cameron, A., Fung, M. et al. Oral micronized progesterone for perimenopausal night sweats and hot flushes a Phase III Canada-wide randomized placebo-controlled 4 month trial. Sci Rep 13, 9082 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-35826-w
- Asi N, Mohammed K, Haydour Q, Gionfriddo MR, Vargas OL, Prokop LJ, Faubion SS, Murad MH. Progesterone vs. synthetic progestins and the risk of breast cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Syst Rev. 2016 Jul 26;5(1):121. doi: 10.1186/s13643-016-0294-5. PMID: 27456847; PMCID: PMC4960754.
- Gompel A. Micronized progesterone and its impact on the endometrium and breast vs. progestogens. Climacteric. 2012 Apr;15 Suppl 1:18-25. doi: 10.3109/13697137.2012.669584. PMID: 22432812.
- Prior JC. Progesterone for Symptomatic Perimenopause Treatment - Progesterone politics, physiology and potential for perimenopause. Facts Views Vis Obgyn. 2011;3(2):109-20. PMID: 24753856; PMCID: PMC3987489.
Check Out This Month's Podcast Episode
🎧 New Podcast Episode: Perimenopause Essentials with Dr. Tara Scott
Check Out This Month's Blog Post
Menopause, Microbes & Motility: Understanding the Gut–Hormone Link
How do hormonal changes during menopause shape the gut? This month’s blog explores how shifting levels of estrogen and progesterone impact the microbiome, gut barrier, and motility—and why supporting gut health can help women thrive through this transition.
Click here to view the article!
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-The FMP Essentials Team
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