Progesterone is a startlingly beneficial hormone, and almost all of us could do with more than we have.

Progesterone acts on your breasts and uterus, so it’s essential for healthy reproduction and periods. But did you know it also acts on your brain, immune system, and detoxification enzymes?

Progesterone does a lot more for you than just fertility and easy periods. It soothes, nourishes, energizes, strengthens, and rescues your body in ways you never imagined.

7 Benefits of progesterone

1. Boosts energy by stimulating the thyroid and heating up metabolism. That’s why your body temperature goes up half a degree when you make progesterone after ovulation. It also stabilizes communication between the hypothalamus and adrenal glands and so relieves HPA dysregulation (also known as “adrenal fatigue”).

2. Soothes mood and rescues sleep because of its Valium-like effect of its metabolite allopregnanolone (ALLO). ALLO is a neurosteroid that interacts directly with GABA receptors in the brain and promotes sleep.

Progesterone also up-regulates the DAO enzyme and so relieves the anxiety symptoms of histamine intolerance. Finally, it stimulates sleep centers in the brain and is essential treatment for premenstrual and perimenopausal insomnia.

3. Nourishes hair and clears skin because it reduces male hormones (androgens) by inhibiting the enzyme 5-alpha reductase. The result is faster-growing hair, less skin oil (sebum), and fewer skin break-outs.

One day, I’d love to see natural progesterone go head-to-head against the anti-androgen drug spironolactone. My money would be on progesterone as the better treatment. See the 7 Best Natural Anti-Androgen Treatments.

4. Lightens periods by counteracting estrogen’s stimulating effect on the uterine lining.

5. Prevents autoimmune disease because it modulates immune function, reduces inflammation, and up-regulates detoxification enzymes.

6. Builds bones and muscle by stimulating osteoblasts (bone-building cells) and the growth of new muscle.

7. Protects against cancer by counteracting estrogen’s stimulating effect on breast and uterine tissue. It may even have a future role as treatment for breast cancer.

Conditions associated with progesterone deficiency:

• heavy periods
• fibroids
• acne
• hair loss
• endometriosis
• autoimmune disease
• premenstrual syndrome (PMS)
• premenstrual migraines
• infertility
• perimenopause
• menopause
• osteoporosis

Physical signs of progesterone deficiency:

• Short luteal phase, the time between ovulation and your period.
• It should be at least 11 days.
• Low temperatures in the luteal phase.
• Fertile mucus in the luteal phase.
• Premenstrual spotting.

How can you get more progesterone?

There are really only two options:

Make more yourself by ovulating regularly, which requires a whole-body approach. As I explain in my book Period Repair Manual, it’s not as simple as taking something to boost progesterone.

You need healthy, happy ovarian follicles for all the 100 days leading up to each and every ovulation, and that means correcting underlying issues with inflammation, insulin resistance, and thyroid (to name just a few). For more information about how to ovulate, please see my book and also my post: Road Map to Progesterone.

Take bioidentical or natural progesterone, which is available as either a transdermal cream or a capsule. Cream is best for general symptoms and safe dose is about 20 mg in a cream. It generally works best taken only during the luteal phase, or in a pulsed fashion if there is no luteal phase. For more information, please see Chapter 10 of my book and speak to your doctor or naturopath.

Tip: There is absolutely NO progesterone in any type of hormonal birth control. In fact, one of the biggest problems with hormonal birth control is that it causes profound progesterone deficiency. Read: The Crucial Difference Between Progesterone and Progestins.

Helpful information: 

Lara Briden is an experienced blogger on many aspects of hormonal menstrual difficulties and you will find a lot of good information on her site: www.larabriden.com