Progesterone

What is progesterone?

Progesterone is an important reproductive and adrenal hormone. I like to think of progesterone as the “pregnancy hormone” because it plays a vital role for women in conceiving, maintaining a pregnancy, and even preparing for labor, birth, and breastfeeding after having a baby.

Progesterone regulates the female reproductive system in a few ways:

• Progesterone helps prepare the lining of the uterus to either get pregnant or shed during menstruation if pregnancy doesn't occur


• Progesterone levels rise after ovulation, which tells your body you might be pregnant. This rise in progesterone helps support implantation and growth of an embryo if conception has occurred


• Progesterone helps maintain the pregnancy by keeping the uterine lining thick and lush so that the embryo can survive in the womb


• Progesterone has growth effects on breast tissue which prepare the breasts for milk production and breastfeeding

The progesterone hormone also plays other roles in women and men:

• Progesterone helps regulate mood and some people, especially women, are very sensitive to drops in progesterone that can trigger anxiety, irritability, or feeling down or depressed


• Progesterone plays a role in libido and interest in sex for both men and women


• Progesterone works with other sex hormones like estrogen and testosterone and helps balance some of their effects in both women and men


• Small amounts of progesterone are important for men's reproductive health too - it helps produce sperm and influences aspects of male sexuality

So in summary, progesterone does A LOT! From supporting fertility, pregnancy and future generations to keeping our day-to-day lives balanced when it comes to energy, moods, emotions, and more.

If you feel your progesterone levels might be out of balance or could use some support from bioidentical progesterone replacement, consider having a hormone consultation with the experts at Vitality Hormone Center!

Their compassionate and knowledgeable practitioners provide personalized care to restore hormonal balance using natural hormones like progesterone. I highly recommend them for your hormone optimization needs! Their integrative approach looks at diet, exercise, stress management AND uses advanced testing and precision progesterone dosing get your levels dialed in just right.

I hope this gives you a helpful overview on the pivotal reproductive and adrenal hormone, progesterone! Let me know if you have any other questions.