Progesterone

[fuzlo]

hi can anyone help me better understand progesterone ?? i.e., signs that it's low and ways to naturally maintain a good level . i think i might be low, and understand that it's a crucial part of the menstrual cycle and maintenance of pregnancy . i'm not TTC yet , but i am 25 and obviously want to make sure i am doing all the right things in preparation i eat all the right foods but did read that stress triggers the production of stress hormones and can cause the kidneys to convert hormones like progesterone to cortisol . does chilling out help ? lol x

[Purpledoggy]

Hi Fuzlo. When an egg is released from the ovary, the remaining empty 'hole' from where the egg was released will turn into a small structure called a corpus luteum. The CL makes progesterone, and the time from when you ovulate to your period is the luteal phase. Younger women like yourself, with normal fuctioning ovaries, will ovulate once a month (average 28 days) and a CL will form every time and make progesterone in the luteal phase. When you are not pregnant, towards the end of the luteal phase the CL eventually distintegrates and stops making progesterone, which brings on your period. If you are pregnant, the CL is essential for continuing to make progesterone until you are around 7 weeks pregnant when the placenta takes over. If you are ovulating normally, you should not need to do anything to boost progesterone. However, in some women progesterone is not produced normally, which can be due to lack of ovulation, lack of a normal CL forming, or an unresponsive uterine lining, and these in turn can be secondary to other diseases such as hypothyroidism. Symptoms of low progesterone are a shortened luteal phase or inter-menstrual bleeding. If you want to know if your luteal phase is a normal length, you could try using an ovulation detection kit and then time from when the kit says you are about to ovulate to when you get your period. However, if you are having regular periods of around 26-30 days, and no bleeding inbetween, chances are you are making progesterone just fine.