Progesterone Hormone By: Lauren Fuller

Progesterone is…. Progesterone is a female hormone. It prepares the uterus to receive and sustain the fertilized egg. It is involved in the female menstrual cycle, pregnancy, and embryogenesis. This is a steroid hormone created from cholesterol-based pregnenolone.

About the progesterone hormone This hormone belongs to a class of hormones called “progestogens”. It is informally known as a “chemical messenger”. It is produced in the ovaries and adrenal gland. This hormone is transported by fat cells into the blood stream. Imbalance in this hormone affects mood and appetite. It instructs different cell receptors to how the body should be functioning.

Low progesterone… In menopause, several hormones are thrown off balance. Often in perimenopause, there is too little natural progesterone in a woman's body. it can result in symptoms such as anxiety, breast tenderness, headaches, sleeplessness, weight gain (caused by improper levels of progesterone which prevent your thyroid from functioning properly) and more. One cause of progesterone imbalance is estrogen dominance by outside factors such as environmental hormones found in the foods you eat. Other causes of diminished progesterone include insulin resistance, chronic stress, poor nutrition, and insufficient exercise. Chronic stress is also a big contributor to progesterone levels.

High progesterone… Too much natural progesterone is also an issue, causing breast tenderness, depression, fatigue, low sex drive, vaginal dryness, and more. Causes include low estrogen levels found in menopause.

The solution… A proper diet and stress management are necessary components of normal progesterone levels. Diets with high sugar intake can lessen progesterone. As stated above, high stress levels can lead to reduced progesterone as cortisol demand increases. A natural progesterone cream or pill may be prescribed if your body is too low on the hormone. On the other hand, if there is an excess of progesterone in your body, a combination of proper nutrition and fitness plan may be prescribed.

Progesterone hormone

Levels of progesterone In women, progesterone levels are relatively low during the preovulatory phase of the menstrual cycle, rise after ovulation, and are elevated during the luteal phase. In women, the progesterone levels change frequently depending on the menopausal stage, ovulation and pregnancy. Young women and premenopausal women have the lowest progesterone levels.

Progesterone during pregnancy Pregnant and ovulating women have the highest levels. During pregnancy, the placenta also produces high levels of progesterone, starting near the end of the first trimester and continuing until the baby is born. Levels of progesterone in a pregnant woman are about 10 times higher than they are in a woman who is not pregnant.

… during pregnancy During the reproductive years, the pituitary gland in the brain generates hormones that cause a new egg to mature and be released from its ovarian follicle each month. As the follicle develops, it produces the sex hormones estrogen and progesterone, which thicken the lining of the uterus. Progesterone levels rise in the second half of the menstrual cycle, and following the release of the egg (ovulation), the ovarian tissue that replaces the folliclem continues to produce estrogen and progesterone.

Changes during menstrual cycle

The Progesterone Hormone THE END