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Progesterone, Not Estradiol, Emerges as the True Resilience Hormone in Perimenopause
09/24/2025

The Swiss Perimenopause Study asked a simple but important question: which hormone better predicts a woman’s ability to cope with stress and maintain well-being during perimenopause—estradiol or progesterone?

What they did:

Researchers followed 129 healthy women between ages 40 and 56, all in different stages of perimenopause (classified using the STRAW criteria). Over the course of four weeks, participants provided saliva samples every fourth day. These were analyzed for estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P4). At the same time, the women completed detailed questionnaires about resilience, well-being, stress, and mood symptoms.

What they found:

  • Progesterone (P4): Women with higher average progesterone levels consistently showed greater resilience, meaning they coped better with stress and reported better overall mental health. They also had lower perceived stress, fewer depressive symptoms, and higher life satisfaction. Importantly, this link held true across different perimenopause stages.
  • Estradiol (E2): In contrast, estradiol did not show a reliable association with resilience, stress, or well-being in this study.

Why this matters:

These findings suggest that during perimenopause, progesterone—not estradiol—may act as a biological marker of resilience. In other words, women with healthier progesterone patterns appeared more buffered against stress and mood disruption, while estradiol alone didn’t predict how resilient they felt.

Takeaway:

This challenges the common assumption that estradiol is the dominant hormone influencing emotional stability in midlife. Instead, the study highlights progesterone’s critical role in protecting mental health during perimenopause, reinforcing its importance for mood, stress regulation, and quality of life.