We are so amazingly created that even with outside influences damaging something as intricate as our brain, it has been discovered that even the brain can repair itself!

Dr. Donald Stein was doing work regarding brain development and studying to see if the brain could repair itself  In his experiments he kept finding that female rats were recovering better than male rats in brain recovery.  After many years of experiments, he realized it was the hormonal state of the animals that allowed them to develop this neuro-protection that reduced brain swelling and led to brain recovery.  No brain swelling was found after injury when the females had high progesterone.

Hormone changes, particularly with progesterone, show to be for the purpose of brain protection, and high progesterone reduces swelling or inflammation in the brain.  After these findings he spent his time working on the differences between male and female and found that adding progesterone even to males led to findings of protection in the brain. Progesterone was finally discovered as being just as effective in males as females, and was no longer considered just a female hormone.

Progesterone is now known to be a neuro-steroid, neuro-protective for neuro development, which is produced in the brain, by the brain, for the brain. This explains it’s necessary function for the neuronal development of a fetus, which is why it is so critical in the menstrual process and pregnancy.  It also has huge implications for using progesterone in treating other conditions that result from brain inflammation such a seizures or stroke.