• 23
  • January
    2012

Researchers have long been intrigued by the possibilities of progesterone intravenous infusions for the salutary role they might play in reducing the dangerous inflammation and restricted blood flow associated with serious brain injuries.

They're now about to embark on aggressive testing and have their fingers crossed regarding the results.

Progesterone is a sex hormone that is present in both men and women, but in higher amounts and for more obvious purposes in females, where it helps to keep the menstrual cycle on track and has a role to play in pregnancies.

What's the connection with traumatic brain injuries? In a number of instances, women seem to recover better than do men from significant head trauma, and many researchers believe that this has something to do with the reduction of swelling and increased blood blow associated with progesterone.

The form of the hormone that will be delivered is extracted from plants and has, say the researchers, no feminizing affects.

The study is both large and global in scope. It is beginning in the United Kingdom, where about a dozen patients at five different hospitals will receive the hormone. All told, about 1,200 patients at more than 100 participating hospitals worldwide will be involved in the study, which is funded by BHR Pharma, an American research company.

"There are obvious challenges," says one brain injury expert commenting on the research, "but the possibilities for reducing the number of deaths and severe disability as a result of brain injury are clear."

Source: Daily Mail, "Can female sex hormones beat brain damage? Doctors believe progesterone may have protective effect" Jan. 16, 2012