How to Balance Progesterone

Estrogen gets way too much of the credit when it comes to PMS; in reality it’s more often caused by progesterone (or the lack thereof). There is a fine balance that takes place between estrogen and progesterone. “In proper proportion, they are like the two sides of a seesaw, shifting rhymically back and forth over the course of the menstrual cycle. It’s essential to maintain the delicate balance between these two hormones to feel your most vital.” (Gottfried, 2013). So really, we can’t discuss one without discussing the other.

In today’s post, you will learn all about:

The purpose of progesterone
What happens when we don’t have enough
Root cause of imbalances
How we can go about normalizing levels of progesterone in our bodies

Progesterone is one of the main sex hormones that women’s body’s produce.

Progesterone’s Role in the Body

Progesterone works to calm the nervous system, combats stress, thickens the uterine lining, helps the body use fat for energy, protects against estrogen-related cancers, increases metabolism and basal body temperature, and promotes a healthy sex drive. Trust me, you want to do everything in your power to promote the production of progesterone!

But one of progesterone’s most important roles is to balance out estrogen. Like I said, estrogen and progesterone are constantly in this ebb and flow and most commonly estrogen becomes the dominant hormone.

How Do you Produce Progesterone?

Excellent question! The only time your body produces enough progesterone to reap the rewards of this hormone is during ovulation. When your body releases the egg from the mature follicle, the follicle that once housed that egg becomes the corpus luteum. This is an endocrine gland that produces progesterone and if fertilization doesn’t take place it shrivels up. Pretty cool, huh? Unfortunately, that means if you aren’t ovulating, you aren’t getting all the juicy benefits of progesterone.

Symptoms that Your Body Isn’t Producing Enough

Too little progesterone, means your body is in estrogen dominance (even if estrogen isn’t necessarily high, which is why it’s important to get your levels checked by your doctor). Estrogen dominance is one of the most common hormonal imbalances in women. Inadequate levels of progesterone or higher levels of estrogen in relation to progesterone can manifest as irritability, headaches, weight gain, sleep issues, bloating, heavy/painful periods, brain fog, and more.

Root Cause of Progesterone Imbalances

Low progesterone can be caused by:

Aging: After age 35, women release less viable eggs meaning they aren’t ovulating as frequently, which means they aren’t producing as much progesterone.
Stress: Progesterone is made from pregnenolone which is our “master” hormone of which all other sex hormones are made. When we experience stress, our body produces cortisol and can steal pregnenolone to produce more cortisol, such is the case in chronic stress (which if you live in today’s society, most of us experience). This is referred to as the “pregenelone steal”. Cortisol can also block progesterone receptors in the body, so even if you are producing enough progesterone it may be blocked by cortisol.
Low Thyroid: Thyroid hormones are involved in the production of pregnenolone from cholesterol (that master hormone we discussed above). If you aren’t producing enough thyroid hormone, this may impact your ability to make progesterone. Not to mention, when you have low progesterone it demands more thyroid hormone so your thyroid gland must work harder. It’s a vicious cycle.
High Prolactin: Prolactin is involved in lactation, but also plays a role in electrolyte balance, ovulation, immune system regulation, and growth and development. However, it can lower progesterone levels and is usually high due to stress.

Normalizing Progesterone Levels

Vitamin C: For low progesterone, it is recommended to consume between 500-1000mg /day of vitamin C, which also helps lower risk of cancer and stroke, as well as gives a boost to your immune system. Because it’s a water soluble vitamin, what your body doesn’t use you will excrete in your urine. Try incorporating foods like citrus fruits, red bell peppers, strawberries, broccoli, brussel sprouts. However, you’d have quite a bit to reach the amount needed, so short term supplementation may be the better way to go. Just be sure to find one that is sourced from whole fruits and vegetables like vitamin code.
Relieve Stress: Stress can prevent your body from ovulating; when your body is in a state of physical or psychological stress the last thing on its mind is procreating. Relieving stress is extremely individualized, however some activities that help most people includes meditation, deep breathing, journaling, exercise (even as simple as walking), and being out in nature. If you’re new to meditation, check out this post that offers tips for beginners.
Skip the Caffeine and Alcohol: Do you notice a trend in many of my posts about hormonal imbalances? Caffeine and alcohol are harsh on our gut health, liver health, blood sugar, and nervous system. There are ways to improve the effects that caffeine can have, by including protein and fat in your morning cup of joe. Alcohol is a different beast entirely and is associated with PMS, mood problems, headaches and anxiety. While you’re healing, I would recommend abstaining from both.
Chastberry: This is not your first line of defense and should only be taken if you truly know you have low progesterone. With that being said, chastberry has been shown to increase the production of progesterone at doses of 500-1000 mg/day.

I hope this gives you a better idea and appreciation of progesterone and all it does for us. If you are experiencing symptoms of a hormonal imbalance, check with your doctor to get your levels tested then head back here. I have an upcoming course on balancing hormones through diet and lifestyle and would love to see you there.

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Resources

Gottfried, S. (2013). The Hormone Cure. Berkeley, Calif.: Garamond Press.