#272 The misjudged hormone w/Pharmacist Carol Petersen
From Stuff Your Doctor Should Know by "Prescribing Knowledge Beyond Prescriptions: Tune into the 'Stuff Your Doctor Should Know' Podcast – Your Rx for Health Wisdom!"
January 22, 2025 · 1h 17m
About this episode
This episode explores the controversy surrounding Allopregnanolone and its implications for women's health, featuring insights from pharmacist Carol Petersen.
In this enlightening episode of "Stuff Your Doctor Should Know," we dive deep into the controversy surrounding Allopregnanolone , a progesterone metabolite that's recently been scrutinized unfairly due to inconclusive results from a rat study. This study suggested potential cognitive issues with ongoing use, casting a shadow over a metabolite known for its crucial role in pregnancy—helping women stay relaxed and potentially preventing postnatal depression (PND) and in anxiety disorders in general. Stuff Your Doctor Should Know is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Join us as expert pharmacist Carol Petersen helps demystify Allopregnanolone, explaining why labeling it merely as a drug is not only premature but irresponsible. Carol will discuss: The Importance of Allopregnanolone: How high levels of this metabolite are beneficial, especially in pregnancy, and why it's essential to approach research findings with a critical eye. Progesterone Supplementation: How oral progesterone is metabolized by the liver into Allopregnanolone, and why this pathway is crucial for understanding its effects…
People in this episode
Guest: Carol Petersen
Topics covered
- hormones
- Allopregnanolone
- progesterone
- pregnancy
- mental health
- adrenaline
- liver health
Keywords
- Allopregnanolone
- progesterone
- pregnancy
- postnatal depression
- anxiety disorders
- liver health
- adrenaline
- methylation
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Stuff Your Doctor Should Know
Products: Allopregnanolone
Books & works: Stuff Your Doctor Should Know
More episodes of Stuff Your Doctor Should Know
- #284 Over-thinkers BEWARE! · June 6, 2026 · 58 min
- #283 The stress you don't feel · May 29, 2026 · 1h 22m
- #282 Check that off the bucket list! · May 23, 2026 · 20 min
- #281 When “Healthy” Makes You Feel Awful: · April 10, 2026 · 1h 29m
- #280 Progesterone, The Gut and More w/Pharmacist Carol Petersen · February 25, 2026 · 1h 19m
- #279 Building Better Brains with/Lorraine Driscoll · January 30, 2026 · 1h 3m
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Stuff Your Doctor Should Know podcast page.