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tress Is the Major Progesterone Robber
Doing everything at warp speed is a major downside of modern living. You race the clock and feel you never have enough hours in your day. Often you feel you can’t cope because you have no control over your life.

Don’t underestimate the fallout.

Progesterone is a big casualty of stress. Every time you’re anxious or wound up due to that traffic jam, huge in-tray, an argument with your partner, or car repair bill, your body responds as though your life is in danger. Hello, adrenalin and cortisol.

These fight or flight hormones have enormous impacts and lead to chronic symptoms of hormone imbalance. This happens because your body thinks you’re in an unsafe environment and drops progesterone levels to ensure the lining of your uterus is not-conception friendly. This makes sense, given that your brain signals are saying your life is under threat. As a result, you may develop Luteal Phase Insufficiency.

Here’s why: each month when an egg is released causing you to ovulate, it leaves behind a crater on the surface of your ovaries. This is called a corpus luteum and it’s like a little pop-up factory where most of your progesterone is made. When you ovulate, your body produces around 25mg of progesterone daily all through the fertile phase of your menstrual cycle.

Or, it should produce this amount. But I constantly see a hormonal imbalance in women that leads them to have:

Estrogen Dominance + Luteal Phase Insufficiency = Progesterone Deficiency.

The end result? Many women fail to reach this progesterone peak in the second half of their menstrual cycle. This means a huge drop in the very hormone that helps promote calm and is important for fertility and a stable menstrual cycle.

How Cortisol (stress) Steals Progesterone: Both these hormones are produced from pregnenolone. When you are in chronic stress, the body will always divert the available pregnenolone to produce higher amounts of cortisol to help you get through stress. This means there might not be enough to produce sufficient levels of progesterone. This is called “pregnenolone steal” and it’s the leading cause of low progesterone problems. I discuss this in more detail in this adrenal fatigue post.

Measuring Low Progesterone
Keeping track of certain changes in your menstrual cycle can help to indicate if you have low progesterone. Telltale signs include:

Low temperature during the luteal phase (roughly 11 – 14 days from ovulation mid-cycle, to menstruation).
Spotting for several days before menstruation starts.
The luteal phase of your cycle (from ovulation to period) is shorter than the follicular phase.
Persistence in the clear, stretchy, fertile mucus of ovulation during those last few weeks of your cycle – this can be a sign of Estrogen Dominance. If progesterone levels are sufficient, your mucous should change to a tackier, drier consistency in the lead-up to your menstrual period.
Of course, you can get lab tests. The most accurate is urine test. I like the DUTCH test but you need to find a practitioner to help you interpret the results. (You can email my team to ask for recommendations). To find a doctor in your area, here is a list of directories for you. Blood is utterly useless when it comes to steroid hormones such as progesterone.
Bio-Identical Progesterone To Balance Hormones Naturally
Though progesterone can be given as a cream to help boost low levels, many women find this causes side effects that may include issues like heart palpitations, sleepiness or nausea. If you overdo the dose and have too much progesterone, it can build up in the fat tissue of the body and can then take three to six months to clear the excess.

I also feel that by relying solely on bio-identical hormones, you are turning a deaf ear to all the causes of low progesterone such as emotional stress, physical stress from bacterial, viral or parasitic infections, toxicity issues, excess alcohol, etc. No doubt, some women who, for example, lost their uterus or who live in stressful circumstances that won’t go away any time soon, will benefit from bio-identical progesterone to get on with their lives.

Try this brand: Designs for Health

My preference where possible is to adopt a diet that supports hormone balance.

Firstly, you need to ensure you are choosing the best foods for hormone balance for your body, To learn more about this, sign up for my Free Cooking for Balance Workshop.

Related Links: “How to Use Food to Rebalance Your Hormones” – FREE Online Workshop




Next, it helps to include more progesterone-boosting food in your daily meals.

Balancing Progesterone Levels with Food
Though no foods contain progesterone, the following micro-nutrients can provide the environment needed to support your body to boost progesterone levels:

Vitamin C

Research shows that vitamin C can help boost progesterone levels and correct luteal phase issues.

Good sources: Camu camu (Peruvian berry), sweet potato, kiwi, strawberries, oranges, papaya and pumpkin. Many other veggies also boost vitamin C too, including broccoli, mustard greens, tomatoes, Brussels sprouts and lemons.

Try this: Add ½ teaspoon of camu camu to any of these hormone balancing smoothie recipes.

Try this brand: Designs for Health

Zinc

This important mineral is not just a must have for your immunity and skin. Zinc also helps the pituitary gland to release follicle-stimulating hormones. These encourage ovulation and they also tell your ovaries to produce more progesterone, just in case you become pregnant each month.

Good sources: Oysters, shrimp (prawns), beef, lamb, liver, shellfish, red meat, pumpkin and cashew nuts.

Try this brand: Hormone Balance Nutritionals

Magnesium

This important mineral not only helps to preserve progesterone levels through keeping you calmer, it also assists the breakdown of the antagonistic estrogen metabolites, reducing estrogen dominance.

Other good sources: Cashews, leafy greens such as kale and Swiss chard, pumpkin seeds, black beans, lentils and other legumes, cacao, mackerel fish and whole grain brown rice.

Try this: Massaged Kale Salad

Try this brand: Hormone Balance Nutritionals

Vitamin E

Research shows that vitamin E can help to improve luteal bloodflow and raise progesterone levels in some women.

Sources: Sunflower seeds, almonds, and hazelnuts. In smaller amounts: avocado, sunflower seeds, red peppers, collard greens, pumpkin, asparagus, butternut squash, broccoli and mango.

Try this: Almond Flour Zucchini Apple Pancakes

Try this brand: Hormone Balance Nutritionals

Vitamin B6

The B vitamins help combat stress and also help your liver break down estrogen byproducts, reducing estrogen dominance.

Taking vitamin supplements of B6, can also help reduce levels of estrogen while boosting progesterone production.

Good sources: Russet potatoes, salmon, tuna, bananas, spinach, walnuts, beef, chicken, sweet potato, beans and prunes.

Try this: Easy Thai Salmon

Try this brand: Pure Encapsulations

Good cholesterol

Cholesterol is needed in your body to make pregnenolone, which as I’ve said, is the “mother hormone.” Pregnenolone then goes on to help make progesterone, which is a precursor for other hormones, like testosterone and estrogen.

Good sources: Coconut oil, coconut butter, turkey and red meat, eggs and yogurt (if you can tolerate them), olives and olive oil.

Try this: Cauliflower and Coconut Red Lentils

Sulfur

Cruciferous vegetables are a great way to reduce Estrogen Dominance. They are rich in glucosinolates, which activate phase 2 detoxification in the liver, helping to filter estrogen metabolites from your body. This is good news for your hormone balance because it prevents estrogen byproducts circulating for too long, which can raise estrogen levels and cause hormonal havoc.

Other good sources: Broccoli, collard greens, kale, Swiss chard, cauliflower, cabbage and Brussels sprouts.

Try my: Creamy Asparagus Broccoli Salad

Try this brand: Hormone Balance Nutritionals

Fiber

Fiber is essential in good hormonal balance; it helps with bowel movement and the evacuation of metabolized hormones, including the harmful estrogens which antagonize progesterone from doing its work.

Good sources: Flaxseed, quinoa, millet, amaranth, teff, gluten-free oats.

Try this: Carrot Orange Muffins

L-Arginine

This amino acid is found in high-protein foods and it helps your body make nitric acid. In turn the nitric acid, relaxes your blood vessels so that circulation increases. This then ensures that your corpus luteum and other organs such as your ovaries enjoy improved blood flow to help them produce more progesterone.

Other good sources: Lentils and chickpeas, fish, such as salmon, tuna and trout, turkey, chicken, pork, pumpkin seeds, walnuts and dairy foods (if well tolerated).

Try this: Sausage, Bean and Sauerkraut Soup

Try this brand: Designs for Health