Progesterone imbalance

Our endocrine system produces chemical messengers that regulate and facilitate important bodily functions to help orchestrate changes in our body and help us maintain good health. These chemical messengers are called hormones. As part of a healthy growth cycle, hormonal levels constantly fluctuate. These fluctuations occur naturally during puberty, menopause, menstruation, pregnancy etc.

While hormonal fluctuations are normal, a hormonal imbalance can cause a host of problems ranging from mild annoyances to serious health problems. Fatigue irritability, bloating, and hair loss can be caused by a hormonal imbalance and so can infertility, obesity, high blood sugar, and some cancers.

Both men and women may experience imbalances in insulin, steroids, thyroid and growth hormones, and adrenalin. Men can experience testosterone imbalance, while women can experience estrogen and progesterone imbalance.

Progesterone is the female sex hormone. It is produced in the ovaries and is a very important part of the menstrual cycle and pregnancy. This is because its main job is to get the uterus ready for pregnancy. Additionally, it is also a crucial component for breast development and breastfeeding. 

What are the implications of having low progesterone?

Since, progesterone’s main function is to prepare the uterus for pregnancy, low progesterone can cause irregular bleeding in women who are not pregnant. This can manifest as having irregular or absent periods. 

While irregular periods can be quite the annoyance for non-pregnant women, low progesterone in pregnant women can have very serious consequences. For instance, if a pregnant woman has very low levels of progesterone, she may not be able to carry a baby to full-term and thus have a miscarriage. 

What are the implications of having high progesterone?

The other side of the progesterone imbalance does not look particularly appealing either. Breast tenderness, nausea, bloating, dizziness, weight gain, mood swings, fatigue, anxiety, low libido, hot flashes, and insomnia are all symptoms of high progesterone.

The key is balance

Hormonal imbalance is notoriously hard to diagnose but a healthy balance is essential for having well regulated bodily processes. Without a healthy balance of hormones, we will feel crappy, or worse, have serious health scares. There are tests that can evaluate your serum progesterone if you suspect you have a progesterone imbalance. The first step is knowing so that you can proceed to treat it. But while you’re setting that up, you might want to make a few changes to your lifestyle that will help regulate your hormones.

Some basic tips:

• Eat well - this means eating whole foods but not going on a very calorie-restrictive diet
• Manage stress - stress spikes your hormonal levels and high hormone levels can cause stress. It’s a vicious cycle that is hard to get out of. So do whatever you can to manage your stress levels. 
• Get enough sleep - enough sleep is relative for some people. Some super humans swear they can subsist on 5 hours of sleep and still function well. But since you’re trying to balance your hormones, don’t believe the hype and always aim for 8 hours of sleep.
• Exercise - you’ll have more of the feel good hormones and that’s a good problem to have. 

Hormonal balance with Vanilla Happy

Vanilla Happy is designed to support women in their mid 30s through to their later years, who experience PMS symptoms, adrenal fatigue, sleep problems, thyroid issues, stress or are entering into their peri-menopausal phase and need to rebalance their hormones.

Using scientifically proven adaptogens and herbs such as Ashwagandha, Siberian Ginseng, Maca and Spirulina to name a few, these ingredients work and adapt to your body’s needs and help restore balance. 

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