Who needs progesterone – what, when, how? Should you supplement with progesterone?
I want to share with you my take on bio-identical progesterone. I personally take it, and it’s helped with my hormonal symptoms a ton! We also use it with our clients with great success, and they see improvements in cycle regularity, mood, and sleep.
Ok, let’s dive into progesterone and why it’s so important…
Progesterone is our happy, calm hormone, so having low levels can truly feel miserable… anxiety, mood swings, depression, insomnia, low energy… oh my!
Other symptoms of low progesterone:
- irregular cycles
- weight gain
- hypothyroidism
- insomnia
- headaches/migraines
- sugar cravings
- low libido
- hot flashes
Can you boost progesterone naturally?
Yes! Seed cycling as well as herbs (Vitex/Chaste Tree) and supplements (vitamin E and zinc) can naturally boost progesterone levels.
Does it work for all women?
No, not always. First, progesterone starts to drop dramatically the moment we hit 40. In fact, in women who stop ovulating (due to age), progesterone can drop as much as 100%!!
Further progesterone depletion can happen with frequent travel, stress, over-exercise, under-eating, infections, chronic inflammation, autoimmune disease, and aging. These women typically experience the most relief from bio-identical progesterone, and if you’ve tried natural methods to raise your progesterone without much luck, it’s time to try a new approach!
How can progesterone help?
Here is the list of symptoms progesterone can help with:
- Reduction of hot flashes and night sweats (one study shows a reduction as high as 80%)
- Improvement of bone health and osteoporosis
- Reduction in PMS symptoms; bloating, water retention, and mood swings
- Restoration of a healthy menstrual cycle (less bleeding, shorter days)
- Restoration of ovulation and a healthy luteal phase (women in perimenopause often experience shortened luteal phase)
- Reduction of uterine fibroids and endometriosis
- Reduction of pelvic pain
- Improved libido
- Increased thyroid function (shown to increase free thyroxine)
- Breast cancer prevention
- Improved fertility, ovulation and health of the first-trimester pregnancy
- Reduction or disappearance of breast lumps
- Progesterone inhibits mast cells releasing histamine
- Relief of pain in fibrocystic breasts
- Deeper and more restful sleep
- Mood enhancement
- Anxiety relief
- Anti-inflammatory effect
- Potential support with autoimmune and inflammatory diseases
- Improved brain health
THE PROGESTERONE I USE AND LOVE
Pro-Adapt is what I use – it’s an oral or topical progesterone, depending how you use it.
Pro-Adapt is a natural progesterone that is formulated to be free of allergens. Since this is a product I personally use and often recommend, I want it to be of the purest quality, and it’s free of parabens, mineral oil, and petroleum.
Pro-Adapt contains clinically significant amounts of progesterone in an oil-based formula that mimic that of the body’s own naturally produced hormones.
- Food-grade ingredients
- Promotes menstrual regularity.
- Reduces the symptoms of PMS and promotes calmness.
- Helps prepare and maintain the body for pregnancy.
- May help promote fertility and allow for easier ovulation tracking.
- Micronized form for greater absorption.
- Contains 4.0 mg of progesterone per drop.
- Derived from extractions of the Wild Yam root (Dioscorea villosa).
- Can be used in bioidentical hormone therapies to mimic natural progesterone.
- Oil-based in a natural blend of premium mixed tocopherols and alpha-tocopherols.
How to use Pro-Adapt
- For menstruating women, use ONLY during your luteal phase (after ovulation is confirmed), which is approximately day 14 to 28 of the cycle. Stop use on the first day of your period.
- If your period is irregular or absent, start progesterone on day 14 and teach your body to learn a new cycle. Stop when your period comes back.
- Start with 2-4 drops at bedtime. You can place drops under tongue or massage onto skin on the wrists or inner elbow. Depending how your body responds, you can work your way up to 8-12 drops.
- If you are in perimenopause and still menstruating, start progesterone 5 to 7 days after the first day of your period and continue until the next period.
- For women going through perimenopause or menopause, who suffer from hot flashes and night sweats, they can use progesterone for 25 days out of a 30-day calendar, with 5 days off.
- Women with no ovulation, like in the case of PCOS, can pick a day and start 7 days after the first day of the period and continue until the period starts again.
How much progesterone should you use?
It will depend on how low your progesterone levels are and how symptomatic you are, your diet, and stress levels (stress depletes your progesterone). I recommend starting slow and then dosing up. We typically start clients with 4 drops (12 mg) at bedtime and work up to 8-16 drops, depending how your body responds.
How to order Pro-Adapt
Click the link below and sign up for an account in the CNC online dispensary. From there, click Search Catalog, then Carrots ‘N’ Cake FullScript Favorites and then the Hormone Balance category. You’ll find Pro-Adapt there.
Please note: This is not medical advice. Be sure to talk to your doctor before adding any new supplements to your routine.
P.S. Want to learn more about low progesterone and what you can do from a natural approach? Check out this CNC podcast episode: EP91: What to do about low progesterone!
