Progesterone is often the unsung hero when it comes to hormonal health, yet its importance cannot be overstated. Because progesterone is tied to ovulation, we often only tend to think of progesterone when we’re trying to conceive. But progesterone–and ovulation, for that matter–is crucial whether or not you are looking to get pregnant. Particularly if you are someone who struggles with painful periods, heavy bleeding, PCOS, or other hormonal issues, understanding progesterone is essential for optimizing hormonal health.
Whether you’re struggling with irregular periods, mood swings, difficulty sleeping, or you’re simply curious about how hormones influence your health, understanding progesterone can have a big impact on your overall well-being.
In this post, we’ll dive into the science behind progesterone, how to recognize imbalances, and simple strategies to support its balance through nutrition and lifestyle changes.
What is Progesterone?
Progesterone is a steroid hormone produced primarily in the ovaries, especially after ovulation. It’s also made in smaller amounts by the adrenal glands and, during pregnancy, by the placenta. But for the most part, it’s made by the corpus luteum during ovulation: so if you aren’t ovulating, you aren’t producing adequate progesterone. While progesterone is most known for its role in the menstrual cycle and pregnancy, it has far-reaching effects on many other aspects of health.
Key Functions of Progesterone:
- Mood and Brain Health: Progesterone helps promote calmness and reduce anxiety by acting on GABA receptors. As a neuroactive steriod, it suppots the myelination of nerve cells, and may also protect against neurodegenerative conditions.
- Anti-inflammatory: This hormone helps reduce inflammation in the body.
- Reproductive Health: In women, progesterone supports the implantation of the embryo for conception. In men, progesterone supports sperm development and regulates androgens.
- Thyroid, Bone, and Immune Health: Progesterone influences thyroid function, helps support bone density, and impacts immune function, particularly during pregnancy.
Why Progesterone Matters
Progesterone plays an essential role in several key areas of health:
- Fertility: Progesterone is vital for conception and maintaining pregnancy. It prepares the uterine lining for implantation and sustains pregnancy by preventing uterine contractions. Low progesterone can contribute to difficulties conceiving or even frequent miscarriages.
- Menstrual Health: Progesterone helps balance estrogen, preventing symptoms like PMS, heavy periods, and irregular cycles. In fact, while we often think these issues are caused by excess estrogen, they can also be caused by high estrogen as a result of low progesterone, leading to an imbalance in the ratio of estrogen to progesterone.
- Mental Health: Higher progesterone levels are linked to emotional stability, while a drop in progesterone (such as during perimenopause) can lead to mood swings, anxiety, and sleep disturbances.
- Overall Health: Beyond reproduction, progesterone influences bone density, metabolism, and thyroid function, playing a crucial role in overall well-being.
How Progesterone Becomes Imbalanced
Progesterone imbalance is more common than you might think, and a variety of factors can contribute to low or high progesterone levels.
Common Causes of Low Progesterone:
- Stress: Chronic stress diverts resources away from progesterone and toward cortisol production, depleting progesterone levels.
- Anovulation: Conditions like PCOS or irregular cycles can prevent ovulation, leading to insufficient progesterone production because ovulation is required for the production of progesterone.
- Dietary Factors: Low-fat diets, inadequate cholesterol intake, or under-eating can all impair hormone production. This is because progesterone is a steroid hormone made from cholesterol, which means dietary fat is crucial for its synthesis. Beyond that, eating too low-calorie signifies to the body that it is not safe for conception, and therefore “non-essential” functions like reproduction or immune function, can be shut down during times of perceived stress and starvation.
- Thyroid Issues: Low thyroid function can suppress progesterone production, as the thyroid hormone T3 stimulates the release of progesterone.
- Age: Progesterone naturally declines with age, especially during perimenopause and menopause.
- High blood sugar: elevated blood sugar levels affect many hormones and often plays a role in hormone imbalance.
- Medications: certain medications, including hormonal contraceptives and corticosteroids, may suppress progesterone production.
Symptoms of Low Progesterone:
- Irregular or heavy periods
- PMS symptoms
- Anxiety
- Poor sleep or insomnia
- Fertility issues or frequent miscarriages
- Weight gain, particularly around the abdomen
- Short luteal phase
- Spotting before your period
Symptoms of High Progesterone:
- Bloating, breast tenderness, fatigue, mood changes, or headaches
- Often caused by over-supplementation or ovarian cysts
Nutrition to Support Progesterone Levels
Supporting progesterone levels starts with nourishing your body through balanced nutrition. Key nutrients that promote progesterone production include:
- Healthy Fats: Include avocados, nuts, seeds, and olive oil to support hormone synthesis. Saturated fats can also help support hormone levels: stearic acid (found in animal fats, dairy and coconut oil) has been linked to lower PMS levels, and butyric acid (found in high-fat dairy and tropical oils, coconut/palm) increases both estrogen and progesterone levels. In fact, amongst women who did IVF, those that ate the highest amount of dairy, especially dairy fat, had the highest chances of live birth.
- Vitamin C: Boost adrenal function with citrus fruits, bell peppers, and strawberries.
- Magnesium: Found in leafy greens, almonds, and dark chocolate, magnesium helps regulate stress.
- B Vitamins: Especially B6, which is crucial for hormone balance, found in poultry, bananas, and whole grains.
- Zinc: Essential for ovulation and hormone production, zinc is found in pumpkin seeds and shellfish.
Additionally, certain plant compounds—phytoestrogens—can either support or balance hormones depending on individual needs. For example:
- Kaempferol, found in kale, spinach, broccoli, and berries, is a potent antioxidant with promising hormone-regulating benefits.
- Apigenin, found in herbs like chamomile and parsley, has a mild estrogenic effect.
- Luteolin, found in celery, parsley, and green peppers, is known for its potential to modulate progesterone activity, potentially useful for conditions like endometriosis.
Supporting Progesterone Through Lifestyle Choices
Diet is just one piece of the puzzle! Your lifestyle habits play a huge role in maintaining healthy progesterone levels:
- Stress Management: Practice mindfulness, yoga, or deep breathing to lower cortisol levels, which can deplete progesterone.
- Sleep Hygiene: Prioritize consistent sleep schedules in a dark, quiet environment to support natural hormone rhythms.
- Exercise: Engage in regular, moderate activity like walking or strength training. Avoid overtraining, which can deplete hormones.
- Reduce Toxin Exposure: Minimize contact with endocrine disruptors like BPA in plastics and chemicals in personal care products. These can interfere with hormone production and receptor function, suppressing progesterone.
Herbal Support for Progesterone
Herbs can provide valuable support when it comes to balancing progesterone:
- Vitex (Chasteberry): Supports luteinizing hormone (LH), which helps stimulate ovulation and progesterone production. It’s commonly used to alleviate PMS and improve cycle regularity.
- Evening Primrose Oil: Rich in gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), it helps regulate hormonal cycles and reduce PMS symptoms like bloating and mood swings.
- Ashwagandha: This adaptogen helps reduce stress by regulating the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, which supports progesterone levels.
- Rhodiola: Another adaptogen that helps with stress management, which can indirectly help balance progesterone.
When to Seek Professional Help
If you’re experiencing persistent symptoms like irregular cycles, severe PMS, or fertility challenges, it might be time to consult with a healthcare professional. Hormone testing, whether through bloodwork or saliva tests, can help assess your progesterone levels. Professionals such as dietitians, naturopaths, or endocrinologists can offer guidance on supplements, nutrition, or hormone replacement therapy if needed.
If you want to take your health to the next level, you can learn how to work with me here!
Key Takeaways
- Progesterone is a crucial hormone that impacts fertility, menstrual health, mood, and overall well-being.
- Imbalances in progesterone can often be managed through diet and lifestyle changes.
- If symptoms persist, professional support and testing may be necessary to identify underlying causes.
If you’re struggling with progesterone imbalance or looking for actionable ways to support your hormone health, don’t hesitate to reach out to a healthcare provider! You can also learn about hormones and nutrition by listening to my podcast, Wellness Unpacked: Inclusive & Integrative Nutrition!
Other Posts You Might Like:
Leave a Comment