Estrogen is the queen of all hormones, but we also have other super essential hormones like progesterone and testosterone. They don’t get all the attention, but they also play a vital role in menopause, especially progesterone.
Women’s health issues are a topic that affects so many people, with symptoms like bloating, fatigue, and headaches being common. Unfortunately, they’re also easily confused with other conditions. One such issue is low progesterone levels. Progesterone is a hormone that helps regulate your menstrual cycle and can also be used to treat infertility issues in women of childbearing age. But what causes low progesterone? What are some signs that you might have low progesterone levels? In this article, we’ll answer all these questions by looking at what low progesterone means for you and how to treat it!
What is Progesterone?
Progesterone is a hormone produced by the ovaries. It’s needed to prepare the uterus for pregnancy and helps to regulate hormones in your body. Having too little progesterone can result in symptoms like acne, heavy bleeding during your period, anxiety, depression, and breast tenderness. In addition, because of its role in regulating other hormones like estrogen and testosterone (to name a few), low levels can lead to severe issues like infertility or even heart disease.
Progesterone is sometimes referred to as “the forgotten hormone” because it doesn’t get much attention compared with estrogen or testosterone. However, it’s important for fertility and overall health—it can affect everything from cholesterol levels and memory function to skin sensitivity!
Why Low Progesterone Symptoms Occur
Progesterone is the primary female reproductive system hormone and plays a vital role in helping to regulate various aspects of your body. For example, progesterone helps balance estrogen levels and control other hormones like estrogen and cortisol (the stress hormone).
Progesterone deficiency affects millions of women around the world every year. As we age, our bodies become more susceptible to a drop in progesterone levels which can result in numerous symptoms such as low sex drive or even infertility issues if left untreated for too long.
Progesterone deficiency can also lead to mood swings and depression and cause you to gain weight around your midsection. In addition, because progesterone is a hormone that helps regulate the menstrual cycle, a drop in progesterone levels may cause irregular periods or heavy bleeding for some women.
Progesterone deficiency is an imbalance of other hormones or a decrease in progesterone production, brought on by stress, diet, and lifestyle choices such as smoking or drinking alcohol excessively. In addition, an under active thyroid gland (hypothyroidism) can lead to lower progesterone levels.
One of the most common causes of low progesterone levels is perimenopause, a natural stage in your life when your ovaries start to produce less estrogen and progesterone, which usually happens between the ages of 35 and 55. However, it can happen earlier or later than this as well.
How Do You Know Your Progesterone Levels?
The first step in determining if you have low progesterone is asking your doctor to test it. You may need to get this done through a blood or saliva test, depending on your symptoms and when they occur.
Once you know your progesterone level, it’s time to take action!
If your progesterone level is low, there are several things you can do to boost it back up. First, your doctor may prescribe hormone replacement therapy (HRT) as a pill or cream.
If you’re looking for a natural alternative, some herbs and supplements can help. These include wild yam extract, black cohosh, and licorice root.
Remember that you must talk with your doctor before taking any supplements or herbs if you’re on birth control. Some of these may interact with the hormones in birth control and cause side effects.
Ways to Balance Progesterone Levels
One of the easiest ways to balance progesterone levels is by using a topical cream or supplement. Unfortunately, there are some issues with both methods.
The FDA doesn’t regulate progesterone creams, so they aren’t all the same and can vary in potency, which means that it’s hard to know whether you’re getting a quality product or not—and if you happen to get one that’s too strong, it could cause other problems (like breast tenderness!). On the other hand, while they have more oversight than their cream-based counterparts, progesterone supplements are still only minimally regulated—so if you’re going this route, make sure your supplement is tested for purity and effectiveness before taking it!
Progesterone creams and supplements are two of the easiest ways to balance progesterone levels, but they aren’t the only options. You can also try eating foods like kale, almonds, eggs, and pumpkin seeds high in plant-based phytoestrogens (Phyto meaning “plant”). These compounds mimic estrogen in our bodies—so when we eat them, they help offset some of progesterone’s effects. Another option is to try increasing your intake of vitamin B6; this can help boost progesterone levels. And last but not least, you can try using a natural progesterone cream that mimics how our bodies make their own.
As you can see, there are many ways to increase your progesterone levels—and if one doesn’t work for you, don’t be afraid to try another!
But a word of caution: if you have any concerns about your progesterone levels, it’s always best to talk with your doctor before making any changes.
Conclusion
In this article, we’ve covered progesterone and why it’s important for your health. We also looked at the symptoms of low progesterone, how to test for it, and some steps you can take to correct your levels if they are low. If you have been experiencing any of these symptoms and think there could be another cause besides aging or stress (like a hormonal imbalance), then consider scheduling an appointment with a doctor or other healthcare provider. It’s always good to talk things over with someone trained in treating these types of issues!
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