Low progesterone symptoms are extremely common among women today. A hormone released by the corpus luteum in the ovary, progesterone plays important roles in the menstrual cycle and in maintaining the early stages of pregnancy. Symptoms of low progesterone can range from mild to severe. Understanding the warning signs of low progesterone is the first step in recognizing and reversing this hormonal imbalance.
Signs and Symptoms of Low Progesterone
Symptoms of low progesterone present in various ways. You may have low progesterone if you experience any of these symptoms periodically or regularly:
- Abdominal pain
- Breasts that are often sore
- Spotting between periods
- Vaginal dryness
- Depression, anxiety or mood swings
- Low libido
- Low blood sugar
- Hot flashes
- Night sweats
- Abnormal uterine bleeding
Even if you feel that your symptoms of low progesterone are not debilitating or negatively affecting your quality of life, it is still important to improve your hormonal balance to preserve your health, since low progesterone can lead to infertility, miscarriage or other complications from excess estrogen.
The Relationship Between Progesterone and Estrogen
Estrogen is a hormone that, in females, helps to develop and maintain both the reproductive system and female characteristics. Estrogen is the only hormone that can replicate itself, meaning that estrogen will make more estrogen when unopposed by progesterone. Without enough progesterone, women will become estrogen dominant, which can cause heavy or painful periods, headaches, low libido, fatigue, breast tenderness and other symptoms. Estrogen dominance can also lead to serious health issues such as endometriosis, breast cancer, uterine fibroids and hormonal weight gain.
Reasons for Experiencing Low Progesterone
The leading cause of low progesterone in women is stress. When the body is in a constant state of stress, the parasympathetic nervous system that controls hormone production is unable to relax. Instead, our natural “fight or flight” stress response causes the body to shift into survival mode rather than produce hormones. Hormones can balance when we can relax and allow our parasympathetic nervous system to function normally. Eating an unhealthy diet or living an unhealthy lifestyle also causes the body stress, which can contribute to low progesterone.
How We Test for Low Progesterone
At Coyle Institute, our approach to treating low progesterone always begins with saliva testing, which sets us apart from many other practices. Understanding your precise hormone levels is essential in prescribing a personalized treatment plan. By analyzing hormone levels in saliva instead of blood, we can more accurately assess hormone levels and offer a more pleasant testing experience. Saliva tests allow for the analysis of bioavailable hormones that are in glandular tissue and are useful to your body. On the other hand, blood tests only look at inactive hormones that are bound in the blood as part of the body’s natural excretion process.
How We Treat Low Progesterone
For nearly twenty years, Coyle Institute has offered high-quality bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) to address the specific hormone needs of individual patients. Based on your saliva test results, low progesterone can be addressed with compounded BHRT creams, compounded oral troches or vaginal/rectal suppositories containing the exact level of progesterone you need. BHRT creams, which are easily absorbed through the skin and into the bloodstream are most commonly prescribed by Coyle Institute. After a compounding pharmacy makes your custom medication containing the exact level of progesterone you need, the cream will be applied to certain areas of the skin in prescribed doses. As the ingredients of the cream pass through the skin, they will deliver hormones into the bloodstream.
You don’t have to live with the uncomfortable side effects of low progesterone. Call us today at 850.637.8258 for an appointment to assess your unique health situation and improve your hormone health.
Low progesterone can have different effects on women, depending on whether they are pregnant or not. Pregnant women need progesterone to maintain their uteruses until the baby is born.
Symptoms in women who are not pregnant
Symptoms in pregnant women
Low progesterone levels can cause estrogen to become the dominant hormone, which can lead to:
What is progesterone?
Progesterone is a female sex hormone that is secreted by part of the ovary called the corpus luteum. During the menstrual cycle when ovulation occurs, the vestiges of the ovarian follicle containing the developing egg are discharged from the ovary and form the corpus luteum.
The main functions of progesterone include regulating your menstrual cycle and keeping them regular. During the early stages of pregnancy, progesterone aids in creating a favorable environment for a fertilized egg. When progesterone levels are low, menstrual cycles can become irregular, or fertilized eggs may have difficulty developing and growing
Progesterone is commercially available in the form of progestins, which are synthetic steroid hormones with progesterone-like characteristics. Progestin is frequently combined with estrogen in the production of contraceptives such as birth control pills and skin patches. Progestin can also be used to alleviate symptoms such as irregular periods, vaginal dryness, and night sweats.
Progesterone is also secreted in men in limited amounts and plays a role in sperm development.
What role does progesterone play in menstruation and pregnancy?
Progesterone prepares the uterus for pregnancy:
- After ovulation, progesterone prepares the endometrium for the possibility of pregnancy. Secretion of the hormone causes the uterine lining to thicken in preparation for a fertilized egg, promotes the growth of more blood vessels, and signals the glands within the endometrium to secrete nutrients to nourish the embryo.
- Progesterone prevents the body from rejecting an egg due to uterine muscular spasms. The body will not ovulate if it is producing excessive amounts of progesterone.
- Progesterone then helps maintain the endometrium all throughout pregnancy. As it is produced by the corpus luteum, it prepares the uterine tissue lining for the fertilized egg to implant and is fundamental for developing the placenta.
- When the placenta matures, it begins to secrete progesterone, which helps sustain the corpus luteum. This helps maintain high levels of the hormone throughout pregnancy and prevents the body from producing new eggs. It also aids stimulating the breasts to produce milk.
- If an egg is not fertilized, the corpus luteum breaks down, reducing progesterone levels in the body. This transition triggers menstruation, during which the egg disintegrates and the uterine lining sheds, preparing the body for the next menstrual cycle.
What are normal levels of progesterone?
Progesterone levels are usually quite low before:
- Menstrual cycle begins
- Ovulation
After or during ovulation, progesterone is the dominant hormone, complemented by estrogen. Progesterone is high around this time, and levels vary among women depending on whether they are pregnant.
Serum progesterone levels are measured in nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL). Normal progesterone levels (in ng/mL) should be as follows:
Any values within these measurements with slight fluctuation are considered safe and healthy.
What causes low progesterone levels?
Systemic imbalances may cause low progesterone secretion:
- Polycystic ovary syndrome: During ovulation, when the ovaries do not release an egg, there is no empty follicle to create progesterone. This is called an anovulatory cycle, which is frequently observed in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) who may have hormonal imbalances that hinder ovulation. If you think you could have PCOS or are having anovulatory cycles, you should see your doctor.
- Hypothyroidism: Hypothyroidism occurs when the thyroid gland produces insufficient T3 and T4 hormones that regulate the entire endocrine system. Your body is only able to make enough progesterone with the help of these hormones. Thus, your body may struggle to create progesterone if you don't get enough T3 and T4.
- Stress: Inadequate cortisol levels may cause depletion of progesterone. Cortisol is a stress hormone that is produced together with progesterone during hormone synthesis. Cortisol and progesterone are made up of the same chemical composition. When your body is under a lot of stress and needs extra cortisol, it will take progesterone from your reproductive system to make up the difference. This leads to a dip in your progesterone levels.
Medically Reviewed on 1/10/2022
References
Image Source: iStock Images //www.hormone.org/your-health-and-hormones/glands-and-hormones-a-to-z/hormones/progesterone //www.healthywomen.org/your-health/low-progesterone-symptoms
//www.sciencedirect.com/topics/biochemistry-genetics-and-molecular-biology/progesterone-blood-level