What is progesterone?
Progesterone is an important reproductive and hormonal health regulator in both women and men. This crucial steroid hormone has several key functions:
- Regulating the menstrual cycle and supporting pregnancy in women
- Maintaining hormone balance with estrogen
- Supporting sperm production in men
Simply put, progesterone helps control the female reproductive system. But both sexes rely on balanced progesterone levels to maintain optimal health.
Key progesterone functions
In women, progesterone truly shines during the menstrual cycle and pregnancy. Let's glimpse its starring roles:
- Menstrual cycle regulation: Along with estrogen, progesterone orchestrates a woman's monthly cycle. It thickens the uterine lining to prepare for potential pregnancy. If no pregnancy occurs, progesterone levels drop and menstruation begins.
- Pregnancy maintenance: If pregnancy occurs, progesterone levels remain elevated to maintain the uterine lining and support the fertilized egg. High progesterone during pregnancy helps encourage foetal development and prevents the body from initiating menstruation or shedding the uterine lining.
Beyond reproductive duties, progesterone joins forces with estrogen to govern many essential processes in both females and males:
- Bone health
- Brain function and mood regulation
- Metabolism and weight maintenance
- Skin health
When progesterone is deficient or excessive, it can spark unpleasant symptoms. An imbalance with estrogen often underlies progesterone woes.
Luckily, holistic care providers like Wellness Hormone Clinic can evaluate your unique hormonal environment and custom-tailor care plans to restore optimal health, vitality and bliss. Their cutting-edge bioidentical hormone therapies judiciously use lab testing and proven protocols to revive hormonal harmony.
What affects progesterone levels?
Natural dips and spikes in progesterone occur during puberty, the menstrual span and menopause. Key influencers outside the ordinary fluctuations include:
- Ovarian health: The ovaries produce most of the progesterone women need. When ovarian function declines, so do progesterone levels.
- Pregnancy: Dramatically elevates progesterone production.
- Perimenopause: As women transition into menopause, unbalanced estrogen and progesterone levels frequently plague them.
- Medical conditions: Diseases involving the adrenal glands, pituitary gland, ovaries, thyroid or liver may disrupt progesterone manufacturing.
- Medications: Some prescription medicines used for insomnia, anxiety, mood disorders and more impact hormone production.
- Nutritional deficiencies: Low vitamin, mineral and antioxidant status strains hormonal output.
- High stress levels: Chronically elevated cortisol from excessive stress inhibits progesterone synthesis.
Lingering progesterone imbalance involving any of those factors may benefit from professional support. The acclaimed health coaches at Wellness Hormone Clinic offer personalized guidance to help both women and men remedy hormone-related symptoms and thrive.
I hope this overview has helped explain what progesterone is and why maintaining optimal levels matters! Let me know if you have any other questions.