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Autoimmune progesterone dermatitis is a rare condition that can occur when progesterone rises during a woman's menstrual cycle. It can cause a physical reaction that may present differently depending on the person, but symptoms often mirror skin conditions like eczema, hives, or other allergic reactions.
Dr. Purvi Parikh, an allergist and immunologist, told Business Insider that progesterone dermatitis is thought to be caused by the immune system becoming sensitive to a naturally occurring hormone.
"Basically, your own immune system starts forming either an allergy or a sensitivity to progesterone. We have progesterone in our body as a hormone, and so normally, we shouldn't be allergic to it because it's a naturally occurring thing," Parikh said.
Symptoms of the condition usually appear between 3 and 10 days before the first day of your period, during the luteal phase of menstruation.
"What we know is there is a sensitivity or an allergy that seems to be a reaction to the high progesterone levels that occur during the luteal phase, which is directly before the menstrual period," Angela Brimhall, a board-certified holistic dermatologist, told Business Insider.
Whether you're taking hormonal birth control to prevent unwanted pregnancy, reduce the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome, or another reason, there are plenty of benefits associated with it. But depending on the type of birth control you take, it could also increase your chance of developing autoimmune progesterone dermatitis.
"In some women, taking outside progesterone, or what we call 'exogenous progesterone,' either in the form of birth control or for other reasons, can sometimes cause your immune system to become sensitive or hypersensitive to it," Parikh said.
Parikh said that during the menstrual cycle, natural progesterone rises, and your immune system can begin to experience the hormone as something you're allergic to, with increased risk for those taking forms of progesterone from outside the body.
Dr. Somi Javaid, a board-certified OB-GYN, told Business Insider there's no known genetic predisposition to developing autoimmune progesterone dermatitis. The Autoimmune Association notes that while any premenopausal woman could develop the condition, it appears to be rare in pregnant women.
If you develop autoimmune progesterone dermatitis, you may experience physical symptoms similar to an allergic reaction.
"It can present with a variety of skin manifestations," Javaid said. "You can have something that looks like eczema, hives, angioedema, erythema multiforme, vesicles that look like papules, mouth erosions, or itching. It's a hypersensitivity, so it can feel like an allergic reaction. That's why people say they feel like they're allergic to their cycle."
The type of treatment that will be most beneficial to you depends on the specific symptoms you experience.
"First-line therapies can be topical steroids, oral steroids, antihistamines, or a medication to help block the product production of progesterone," Javaid said.
In addition to medication, Javaid some basic lifestyle changes could benefit people with progesterone dermatitis.
"Anything that helps regulate hormones will also help," Javaid said. "Making sure you're sleeping, managing your stress. If we're talking about an inflammatory response, limiting things you put in your body that promote inflammation, like fried foods, processed foods, sugar, and alcohol."
Physical symptoms of autoimmune progesterone dermatitis can be hard to spot as they can appear similar to allergies or common skin conditions. But before you write your symptoms off as allergies, take note of when they worsen and how often you experience them.
Javaid told Business Insider that while there's no single diagnostic tool for autoimmune progesterone dermatitis, paying attention to your menstrual cycle can help.
"Tracking your cycles against your symptoms is going to be the key diagnostic tool and what you should do to help yourself when you go to your provider to make that diagnosis," Javaid said.
Parikh told Business Insider that noticing a clear cyclical pattern to your symptoms that worsens during your menstrual cycle is a warning sign.
You may not have heard of autoimmune progesterone dermatitis because there's little existing research on it. In fact, the National Library of Medicine said that "less than 200 cases of this rare condition have been reported in literature."
Though a lack of research could indicate the condition is rare, it could also indicate a larger issue in women's healthcare.
"I think it is underdiagnosed," Parikh said. "For women in general, unfortunately, traditionally, their concerns and symptoms may not be taken as seriously or may be disregarded by the healthcare system. There's a lot of data on that. So initially, people may have presented with symptoms, but they weren't diagnosed as autoimmune progesterone dermatitis."
If you think you have autoimmune progesterone dermatitis, a great first step is to consult a medical provider to discuss your symptoms and potential treatment options.
