CPD – Webinar: Dutch: Progesterone: The Goldilocks Hormone for Perimenopausal and Menopausal Women”. Notes: The relationship between progesterone and weight gain during perimenopause and menopause. Important to consider progesterone in perimenopausal women. The calming and anxiety-reducing effects of progesterone and its role in mental health – progesterone influences the brain as well as the uterus. Progesterone is synthesied in the ovary at the site of the corpus luteum, produced by the placenta during pregnancy as well as teh adrenal glands. Progesterone is also synthesized in the nervous system by neurons and glial cells. In the adrenal glands, it is synthesised in the Zona Fasiculata and Zona Glomerulosa, synthesising 4 neuractive steriods, includinng: Allopregnanolone, Isopregnanolone, Pregnanolone and Epiprenanolone, all of which can cross the BBB. In the brain, progesterone can be found in the hypothalamus, amydala, hippocampus, thalamus and frontal cortex. They neuroactive steroids can modulate neurotransmitter systems including: serotonergic, cholinergic and dopaminergic. Guidelines on the various forms and dosages of progesterone, including oral, topical, and suppository options. Appropriate tests for monitoring progesterone levels and evaluating patient response to treatment