Your Low Progesterone Level
Women in pre menopause usually have a low progesterone level.
Progesterone is one of the most important hormones in a woman's body. Among other things, it regulates her estrogen levels, helps make her body fertile, and balances her mood.
When your level is low, you experience PMS symptoms, depression, mood swings, tender breasts, dry skin, hair loss, heavy periods, and insomnia.
Progesterone and Your Life
- From Puberty to Pre Menopause: Your progesterone levels have been moving and shifting since puberty, helping to create your menstruation cycle. Progesterone and estrogen work together to prepare your uterus for pregnancy.
During the second half of your menstruation cycle, your body creates more progesterone to get ready for pregnancy. If you don't become pregnant, your level falls and your body gets a signal to shed its uterine lining.
- Pregnancy: Progesterone is the hormone that prepares our uterus to have babies. The progesterone in our bodies dramatically rises throughout pregnancy, so that by the third trimester our levels of progesterone are between 49-423 ng/ml, while during our menstruation cycle they are typically between 1-28 ng/ml.
- Pre Menopause: While in pre menopause, your body creates less and less progesterone. In fact, between the ages of 35-50, women's levels typically drop 75%.
Progesterone is produced in the ovaries, and if you are not ovulating, you are not producing much progesterone.
Meanwhile, your estrogen levels remain the same. When your level of progesterone is too low, there is nothing to balance your estrogen levels, and you experience symptoms of too much estrogen.
Do I Have a Low Level?
Since all women are different, there is a large window for what is considered a normal level of progesterone. A normal level could be between 2 - 17 ng/ml. It just depends on your body. Your doctor can help you find the right level for you.
See your doctor 7-10 days before your period starts, and she can give you a saliva, blood, or urine test to check your hormone levels.
Natural Relief: Raise Your Progesterone
You have a few choices when it comes to boosting your level of progesterone. You can use synthetic progesterone, plant based progesterone, or bioidentical progesterone.
- Synthetic Progesterone: Synthetic progesterone is also called progestin. Unfortunately, synthetic progesterone does not give you all of the benefits of boosting your progesterone level, and it can cause unwanted side effects. It may cause depression, and may be linked to strokes, heart disease, and breast cancer.
- Natural, Plant Based Progesterone: Natural, plant based progesterone can help to boost your progesterone levels naturally and will give you all of the benefits of a raised level of progesterone.
Chasteberry is a natural herb that you can get over the counter. It will naturally increase your level of progesterone.
Many women have also found wild yam to be helpful in their quest to raise their level of progesterone and stop their pre menopause symptoms.
- Bioidentical Progesterone: You can find bioidentical progesterone in the form of creams, gels, or pills. Progesterone cream works well for many women. You can purchase it over the counter, or through a prescription from your doctor.
Wild yam cream is another great way to boost your level.
For more information on bio-identical hormones, see this page.
Certain creams that you use in menopause can also help to raise your progesterone level. You can get these over the counter or with a prescription from your doctor.
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