Brynna Hormones. We so often complain about them, but that’s usually because they’re out of balance. When working properly, and supported by us, our hormones can help us feel amazing and keep our body working the way it’s supposed to…from our cycles, to our mood, to our sleep, to our digestion, to our ability to conceive and carry babies, and to our health after menopause. But because of the world we live in, I’d venture to say that MOST of us are imbalanced and could benefit from re-visiting this topic regularly. One of the common issues we face as females is low progesterone (or excess estrogen…can be the same thing, from a different angle).
Progesterone is a hormone that improves brain health, cognition, hair health and growth, prevents breast cancer (while estrogen can promote it), boosts thyroid hormone (whereas estrogen suppresses it), reduces inflammation, promotes sleep, calms the nervous system…basically, it’s the more appealing hormone, if you ask me! Progesterone counterbalances the estrogen in your body and is, in my opinion, one of the MOST important balances to achieve and maintain for the sake of your health, now and in the future.
You have progesterone receptors all throughout your body, including your brain, uterus, breasts, bones, muscles, liver, intestines and even the bacteria in your gut (which compromises the basis of your immune system) respond to your hormones.
In contrast, you have estrogen in your body in the form of estrone (from fat tissue), estrogen metabolites (from gut bacteria), and estradiol (from your ovarian follicles). Estradiol isn’t inherently bad. It boosts serotonin and dopamine (your happy and pleasure hormones), it benefits bones, muscles, heart, sleep, skin, metabolism, helps prevent insulin resistance, and grows and thickens your uterine lining each month. However, the more estradiol you have, your uterine lining will be thicker and therefore, your period will be heavier. Excess estrogen also stimulates histamines production, which in turn tells your ovaries to produce MORE estrogen.
You can have low progesterone for a number of reasons, usually the top being having ever used hormonal birth control (the effects of which can torment your body during and for years and years after stopping) and our constant barrage of exposure to synthetic estrogens and endocrine disrupting chemicals. I talk about these A LOT because it’s one of the main reasons for my desire to switch out the products I bring into my home, for the sake of my and my family’s health. This stuff is a BIG deal and we don’t give it enough credit. These chemicals interfere with your body’s ability to metabolize and detoxify estrogen, alter your hormone levels and cause problems with hormone receptors.
Do YOU have symptoms of low progesterone/hormonal imbalances? Heavy periods, spotting throughout your cycle, miscarriages, confirmed anovulatory cycles, short luteal phases, PMS symptoms, fibroids….the list can go on and on.
For more on this topic, I highly recommend reading “The Period Repair Manual” by Laura Briden. I also have a friend who has created an entire, year long hormone course that would be worth EVERY PENNY for helping to restore that much needed balance within your body. Our hormones not only keep our body functioning well and our brains feeling normal, but they also PROTECT us when they’re balanced and working correctly!!
But I want to start discussing this more, because not only am I, myself, currently addressing this, but I’ve had to revisit it repeatedly over my adult years because of health issues, skin issues, sleep issues, and recurrent miscarriages, just to name a few. I’d love to have you come along with me on this journey of education and changes. I’m all about being proactive and responsible for this body God gave me.
