How to increase progesterone levels?

Progesterone is extremely important for the female body. But what to do if it is not enough? How to increase progesterone levels?

The main amount of progesterone is synthesized in the female body by the corpus luteum of the ovaries. The hormone is responsible for the formation of secondary sexual characteristics, the development of reproductive organs, activates the growth of the skeletal system, regulates the deposition of subcutaneous fat, and maintains the phases of the monthly cycle.

There are many effective ways to solve this problem, and we will look at them now.

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Symptoms of Low Progesterone in Women

Progesterone deficiency usually manifests itself in the form of the following symptoms:

• insufficiency of the ovulatory phase of the monthly cycle (anovulation, dysovulation);
• decreased secretory function of the corpus luteum;
• chronic inflammatory process of the reproductive organs;
• menstrual dysfunction (amenorrhea, algomenorrhea, oligomenorrhea);
• tense, painful chest;
• uterine anovulatory hemorrhages;
• endocrine form of infertility;
• irritability, tearfulness, sudden changes in emotional state.

However, despite the presence of symptoms, the only way to know for sure about the level of progesterone is to take a blood test. Blood is usually taken on the 22nd-26th day from the beginning of the monthly cycle, depending on its duration (or a week before the first day of menstruation). Before taking the test, you cannot eat or drink, so blood is usually taken in the morning.

Normal progesterone levels are as follows:

• during the follicular phase – 0.2-1.5 ng/ml;
• during the ovulatory phase – 0.8-3.0 ng/ml;
• during the luteal phase – 1.7-27.0 ng/ml;
• in postmenopause – 0.1-0.8 ng/ml.

Normal values may vary depending on the characteristics of the specific laboratory where the test is taken, so it is recommended to evaluate the results not independently, but at a specialist’s appointment.

Symptoms of Low Progesterone During Pregnancy

During pregnancy, progesterone deficiency may also be observed. This may be expressed in the following symptoms:

• threatened spontaneous abortion;
• frozen pregnancy, delay in embryo development;
• aching pain in the lower abdomen;
• uterine hypertonicity;
• vaginal discharge (from slight to strong);
• symptoms of abruption of the ovum or placenta.

When the first signs of progesterone deficiency appear, the pregnancy can still be saved by taking appropriate measures in a timely manner. To do this, you need to take a test confirming the low level of the hormone.

During pregnancy:

• in the first trimester – 11.2-90.0 ng/ml;
• in the second trimester – 25.6-89.4 ng/ml;
• in the third trimester – 48.4-422.5.

It is better to take the test dynamically, several times, to track the degree of increase or decrease in the hormone level. After this, a certain corrective treatment is prescribed.

Low 17 OH progesterone

Hydroxyprogesterone-17 (17 OH progesterone) is often confused with the main progesterone, although these are completely different indicators. 17 OH progesterone is not exactly a hormone, it is only a precursor of estradiol, cortisol and testosterone. It can be converted into hormones under the influence of a specific enzyme substance, lyase 17-20.

However, this “sub-hormone” also plays an important role in the female body.

The amount of 17 OH progesterone can change even within one day: it is highest in the morning, lowest at night. The maximum level can be found immediately before the ovulatory phase. Its average values are as follows:

• during the luteal phase – 0.99-11.51 nm/l;
• during the follicular phase – 1.24-8.24 nm/l;
• during the ovulatory phase – 0.91-4.24 nm/l;
• 1st trimester – 3.55-17.03 nm/l;
• II trimester – 3.55-20.0 nm/l;
• III trimester – 3.75-33.35 nm/l;
• during menopause – 0.39-1.55 nm/l.

Long-term deficiency of 17 OH progesterone in the body can cause adrenal hypoplasia and be accompanied by a disruption in the synthesis of other hormones - testosterone, estradiol and cortisol. An imbalance in the level of 17 OH progesterone can be a sign of pathology of the adrenal glands and appendages, which, in turn, can affect the reproductive function of a woman.

Analysis of the level of 17 OH progesterone is carried out using the enzyme immunoassay method of blood plasma.

Drugs that increase progesterone levels

Modern medicine has a large number of progesterone preparations. All of them, to varying degrees, pursue one goal - replacement therapy for hormone deficiency in the body. Which of the preparations are more effective and used by specialists more often than others?

• Natural progesterone (1 ml contains 10 or 25 mg of active progesterone). Before use, the ampoule is slightly warmed (to liquefy the oil solution), the drug is administered by intramuscular or subcutaneous injection. In case of ovarian dysfunction, the drug is used for a week at 5-15 mg every day. In case of amenorrhea - 5 mg daily, or 10 mg every other day. In the prevention of miscarriage, with insufficient functionality of the corpus luteum, 10-25 mg is prescribed every day until the risk of termination of pregnancy is eliminated. In case of previous miscarriages in the anamnesis, the drug is used up to the 4th month of pregnancy. After the 36th week of gestation, the use of the drug is unacceptable.
• Utrozhestan (1 capsule contains 100 or 200 mg of micronized progesterone). In most cases, the average daily dosage is 200 to 300 mg in one or two doses (morning and night). The drug can be used both orally and intravaginally.
• Duphaston (a synthetic analogue of natural progesterone). In case of a threatened miscarriage, 10 mg is used every eight hours for 8 days. In case of infertility - 10 mg twice a day, starting from the 11th to the 25th day of the menstrual cycle; if pregnancy occurs, treatment is continued in the same dosage until the twentieth week. In case of irregularities or absence of menstruation, with PMS, the duration of treatment can last up to six months.
• Crinone gel (contains 90 mg of progesterone). Vaginal product, one administration of the drug provides controlled and continuous exposure to progesterone for three days. As a rule, daily evening administration of the drug is used from day 18 to day 21 of the monthly cycle, or during the first month of pregnancy.
• Injesta (hydroxyprogesterone). An intramuscular drug that is used at 0.5-1 ml of a 1% solution daily.
• Endometrin (vaginal tablet contains 100 mg of progesterone). It is used intravaginally from two to three tablets per day, it can be used up to the 12th week of gestation. The tablet is inserted into the vagina using a convenient applicator, which is included in the kit.

Despite the fact that you can buy progesterone at a pharmacy without a prescription, self-administration of medications without consulting a doctor is unacceptable.

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How to increase progesterone levels using folk remedies?

To naturally increase progesterone levels, it is suitable to use plants that have a progestogenic effect on the body.

• Pour 0.5 liters of boiling water over a tablespoon of plantain seeds and 2 tablespoons of lady's mantle grass. Take one tablespoon three times a day.
• Pour 0.5 liters of boiling water over 5 tablespoons of ground chasteberry fruits. Infuse and drink like tea.
• Take equal amounts of wild yam and raspberry leaves. Brew like regular tea and drink throughout the day.
• 100 g of red brush pour 1 liter of good vodka. Infuse in a dark place for 1 month, occasionally stirring the contents. Use the tincture before meals three times a day, 40 drops, can be diluted with a small amount of water.

Progestogenic medicinal plants are used in the second half of the monthly cycle (after ovulation), with a mandatory break during the period of menstrual bleeding.

It is not allowed to use these herbs simultaneously with mint, licorice, red clover, as these plants have a directly opposite effect.

To increase the hormone level, add some spices to dishes: turmeric, thyme, oregano, curry mix. So unobtrusively with the help of seasonings you can maintain the necessary level of progesterone.

Foods that increase progesterone levels

In order to balance the hormonal background in the body, you should eat right. Rational nutrition consists of the necessary ratio of proteins, fats and carbohydrates, sufficient fluid intake, refusal to drink alcohol and products rich in carcinogens and preservatives.

There are also specific foods that can positively affect progesterone levels:

• beans, peas, lentils, chickpeas, mung beans, etc.;
• nuts (pine nuts, walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, pistachios, peanuts);
• dairy products (whole milk, fermented milk products, cottage cheese, hard cheese, feta cheese, Adyghe);
• lean meat (chicken fillet, turkey, young veal, rabbit), as well as liver;
• chicken and quail eggs (mostly the yolk);
• oatmeal, whole grain cereals, flax seed;
• avocado, raspberries, black and green olives.

The products themselves, of course, do not contain the hormone. They are simply capable of stimulating the body's production of its own progesterone. In most cases, cholesterol is needed first and foremost to activate the synthesis of the hormone we need. That is why it is so important to eat meat and egg dishes, as well as sources of vitamins E and P: fruits, potatoes, rose hips, fish.

Try not to buy or eat products sealed in plastic packaging: according to research, such packaging promotes the penetration of xenoestrogens into food, which suppress progesterone synthesis. Plastic containers are made using bisphenol, a monomer for the production of polycarbonate plastic. This substance accumulates in the body, subsequently exerting an estrogen-like effect, causing infertility, menstrual irregularities, and endometriosis.

To protect yourself from the negative effects of bisphenol, do not heat food in the microwave using a plastic container (especially one marked with the number 7 on the bottom). Instead of plastic, use glass, ceramic or steel dishes.

How to increase progesterone levels? Avoid stress, excessive physical and psycho-emotional stress on the body, maintain a healthy lifestyle and get more positive emotions, and then a stable hormonal background is guaranteed.