14 Low Progesterone Treatment Ideas
Progesterone is a sex hormone released from the ovaries that is vital for conceiving and maintaining a healthy pregnancy. The hormone can be broken down as ‘pro’ meaning to promote and ‘gesterone’ meaning gestation or pregnancy. It is released from the corpus luteum which is the remains of the ovarian follicle which releases the ovum or egg. Progesterone has 2 different paths each month depending on fertilization and ovulation. If your ovulated egg is fertilized, then progesterone rises after ovulation to help thicken the uterine lining for pregnancy. If your egg does not become fertilized after ovulation, then progesterone peaks and then declines, because you do not need to prepare for pregnancy. The uterine lining will shed and become a period. Progesterone is also involved in breast development and breastfeeding. Problems can arise when progesterone levels are too low regardless if you are attempting to conceive. Certain foods contain nutrients to help increase progesterone in the body.
Certain things can impact progesterone production:
-Stress
-Nutrient deficiencies
-Lack of ovulation
-Estrogen dominance
-Under eating
-Not eating enough fat
-Over-exercising
-High prolactin
-Low thyroid function
-Short luteal phase
-Menopause
Symptoms of low progesterone include:
-Anxiety
-PMS
-Heavy Periods
-Cyclical Headaches
-Irritability
-Poor Sleep
-Breast Tenderness
-Bloating
-Painful Periods
-Ovarian Cysts
-Irregular Periods
-Infertility
-1st Trimester Miscarriage
1. Zinc
Zinc is an important mineral used to help promote the reproductive system. A study found that zinc is able to increase the number of binding sites on a progesterone receptor which will increase total progesterone levels. This is what makes zinc one of the low progesterone treatment ideas.
Source: 7386123
2. Vitamin B6
Vitamin B6 is also one of the low progesterone treatment ideas. Vitamin B6 is an important water-soluble vitamin to help promote the reproductive system. A study pooled a group of women who reported having premenstrual tension syndrome had originally higher estrogen and lower progesterone levels to start the study. After supplementation of 200-800mg of vitamin B6 per day, results showed that the women had decreased their estrogen blood levels and increased their progesterone levels. Food sources of vitamin B6 include pinto beans, bananas, potatoes, oats, tuna, turkey, pistachios, and salmon.
Source: 6684167, NIH, 26989667
3. Magnesium
Magnesium is another one of the low progesterone treatment ideas. It is a mineral that helps with reducing stress, loosening muscles, and decreasing inflammation. A study found an inverse relationship with magnesium and estrogen, showing that as magnesium levels increased, estrogen levels decreased. We know that estrogen and progesterone work in opposition so when estrogen levels are lowered this means that there will be an increase in progesterone naturally. Progesterone aids in ovulation and the preparation of uterine growth for pregnancy. One study of 180 pregnant participants showed that the group who supplemented with a magnesium multivitamin had better pregnancy outcomes and fewer complications in general.
Source: 28904937, 28684689, 10231048
4. Vitamin C
Citrus fruits are a good source of Vitamin C, making them one of the low progesterone treatment ideas. Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin that has many beneficial functions like improving immune function, creating scars for wound healing, and helps maintain tissue and skin integrity. A study found that vitamin C was associated with higher progesterone levels in perimenopausal women. Additionally, another study found that pregnancy rates increased and progesterone levels increased in those who supplemented with vitamin C and had luteal phase defect (shortened luteal phase).
5. Healthy Fats
Healthy fats are another one of the low progesterone treatment ideas. Healthy fats are unsaturated which means they have at least one double bond in the fatty acid chain. They have fewer hydrogen bonds. Polyunsaturated fats are fatty acids that contain at least 2 double bonds in the structure. It has been shown that healthy fat consumption, specifically polyunsaturated fats were associated with increased progesterone and decreased anovulation. Additionally, fat consumption is needed for hormone production in general because hormones are made of lipids (the broken down component of fat).
6. Seed cycling
Seed cycling is another low progesterone treatment idea. Seed cycling is a natural method used to help women balance their hormones. The idea is that seeds contain a lot of phytoestrogens and healthy fats which have been shown to balance out hormones. By consuming certain seeds in specific times during your cycle, you can help regulate and improve the balance of hormones. If you are low in progesterone, you can use seed cycling to help increase progesterone naturally back to a normal level. Common seeds to consume in seed cycling are flax, sunflower, hemp, and chia.
Source: 8077314
7. Vitex
Vitex, chaste tree, chaste berry, and monk’s pepper are all common names for Vitex. It is a plant that has been originated in the Mediterranean and Western Asia as a medicinal treatment to relieve numerous symptoms as well as PMS. The medicinal component of the plant comes from the essential oils and flavonoids in it. Vitex is a low progesterone treatment idea because it can decrease prolactin which allows full development of the corpus luteum, the organ that releases progesterone, which causes progesterone levels to increase. Additionally, due to the effect vitex has on the pituitary gland, increasing the release of luteinizing hormone (LH), this promotes ovulation and raises progesterone levels.
Source: 28243425
8. Evening Primrose Oil
Evening primrose is a plant native to North America, but it does grow in parts of Europe too. This is one of the only foods that contain optimal amounts of both omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids. Due to this, the healthy fat composition in primrose oil is the main mechanism for how it can increase progesterone naturally. It has been found to be beneficial in managing PMS symptoms which are tied to lower progesterone. This shows that evening primrose oil is a low progesterone treatment option.
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9. Reduce Caffeine
Caffeine is a stimulant drug that can further promote the stress response in the body. Stress is linked to progesterone imbalances, so lowering caffeine intake when we have low progesterone will cause the body to increase progesterone naturally. Caffeine also affects the way women metabolize estrogen. This is why decreasing caffeine intake is beneficial as one of the low progesterone treatment options.
Source: 19384973
10. Manage Stress
Managing stress is another low progesterone treatment option. When we are stressed we release high levels of cortisol, a stress hormone. In response to this, our body is trying to survive given threatening circumstances, so the body will pump the brakes to avoid pregnancy. This is because our body wouldn’t predict us to be healthy enough to survive a pregnancy under stressful conditions. Stress can be caused by a high pace job environment, family problems, too much exercise, and a common one is stress from the act of conceiving itself. Managing stress will decrease the amount of cortisol that we release, and therefore we will increase progesterone naturally because our bodies will understand that we are not threatened and pregnancy is safe.
11. Balance Blood Sugar
Balancing blood sugar is very beneficial as one of the low progesterone treatment options. This is because when blood sugar isn’t balanced your body can become hyperglycemic or hypoglycemic during any given day. This puts stress on the body, and as mentioned, the stress on the body can decrease or increase progesterone levels. By balancing blood sugar you are allowing the body to maintain stable levels throughout the day, which will decrease stress and increase progesterone naturally back to normal.
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12. Gentle Exercise
Exercise is very important for many functions of the body but it is also one of the low progesterone treatment ideas. It is important to not go overboard with intense exercise because this can actually keep your progesterone levels low. Over-exercising puts high stress on the body when you are not taking advantage of rest. Gentle exercise like going on a walk, a bike ride, or a swim at a moderate intensity would be a perfect way to move your body to increase progesterone naturally. If you can hold a conversation while completing the activity or exercise without needing to catch your breath, then this is moderate intensity. Gentle exercise will help you to maintain a comfortable body fat percentage which can affect progesterone production. As a rule of thumb, most females need at least 17% body fat to maintain a normal hormone function for a healthy and regular menstrual cycle.
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13. Fiber
Eating more fiber is one of the low progesterone treatment options. When estrogen is too high in relation to progesterone this is called estrogen dominance. Estrogen needs to be filtered through the gut to excrete excessive levels in a process called estrogen detoxification. Since estrogen is eliminated through the gut, if there is more fiber this can add bulk to each bowel movement and allow the estrogen to be excreted. Maintaining healthy bowel movements is very important for hormone balance, and will help lower estrogen to a normal level leading to increased progesterone.
14. Grass-fed meat
Grass-fed organic meat is another one of the low progesterone treatment options. The livestock animals on factory farms (not grass-fed organic) are produced to grow as big and fast as possible in order to produce the most amount of meat per animal. These animals are fed large quantities of feed and additionally are supplemented with antibiotics, and growth hormones like estrogen to make them grow faster and bigger. A study found that though the estrogen level in these meat products does not match the amount of estrogen in oral contraceptives, the estrogen in the meat transfers at a significant amount to humans. This estrogen that transmits to humans can be a cause for estrogen dominance. Because of this, it is recommended to shop for grass-fed and organic meat when you can. These meat options are made from animals who were not mass-produced with hormones, and they were fed their preferred diet which is grass. This way, you can lower estrogen and increase progesterone naturally.
Source: Journal of Oncology
