If you are suffering from a hormone imbalance, you may need to know how to increase progesterone. Progesterone is a vital hormone in the body that helps to regulate certain processes from reproductive to the production of energy. Its biggest function is to keep pregnancy going, and is made and secreted by the ovaries. During pregnancy the placenta takes over to maintain the levels. Not enough progesterone can cause issues in pregnant and non-childbearing women. This article goes over how progesterone works in the body, problems with low levels, and how it can be increased both medically and naturally.

What Is Progesterone? How Does It Work?

Progesterone is actually a steroid produced by the ovaries, the placenta in pregnancy, and a small amount is made in the adrenal glands. During the menstrual cycle, progesterone kicks in after you ovulate and builds up the uterine lining in case the released egg was fertilized and goes on to be implanted. It keeps the lining thick for the fertilized egg to “nestle” in. Progesterone also calms the uterine muscles so the egg is not rejected. If an egg does implant in the uterus, it goes on to prevent further ovulation. If pregnancy does not occur, the progesterone levels drop and the next period starts.

Progesterone also starts the milk production activities of the breasts shortly after the fertilized egg implants. This is one effect that contributes to fuller feeling breasts very early on in pregnancy. 

In women who are not pregnant, progesterone works against other steroids in the body that can cause fluid retention to prevent swelling. It also plays an important role in the health of your skin, and converts into small amounts of testosterone which increases female sex drive.

When Does Progesterone Need To Be Higher?

Progesterone is most important during the early stages of pregnancy because low levels can lead to miscarriage and pregnancy loss. Symptoms of low estrogen early in pregnancy include:

• Spotting or bleeding in early pregnancy
• Increased breast tenderness and pain
• Vaginal dryness
• Profound fatigue
• Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar)

If you become pregnant and your progesterone levels are low, your doctor will most likely prescribe a progesterone supplement to keep your uterine lining thick until the placenta takes over, or in some cases until your baby is safely delivered.

In non-pregnant women, low progesterone levels can cause a number of issues like; bleeding in between periods, ovaries that don’t ovulate leading to infertility, lack of sex drive, mood swings, and weight gain. If your progesterone is low and you are not pregnant, you may notice symptoms like:

• Migraine headaches
• Hot flashes
• Anxiety/Depression
• Low or no sex drive
• Irregular periods
• Weight gain

If you are not pregnant and need to raise your progesterone, your doctor may suggest trying to raise levels naturally before using prescription replacement.

How To Increase Progesterone Levels?

If you think you have low progesterone, you need to check with your doctor before using home remedies. If your doctor gives the okay, these things may help your body produce more naturally: 

Magnesium

Magnesium is a mineral that can help regulate your pituitary gland, and help it tell the endocrine system to produce more hormones.

Recommended Amount: The body needs at least 320 mg of magnesium daily when you are not pregnant, and around 450 mg daily if you are pregnant. Try to eat foods rich in magnesium including; leafy greens, pumpkin seeds, squash, dark chocolate, brown rice, and fish.

Vitamin B6

It is important to get enough vitamin B6 to help your body make progesterone. If you are trying to get pregnant, vitamin B6 helps balance estrogen and progesterone to induce ovulation naturally. It can also reduce PMS symptoms in non-pregnant women. Studies have shown getting enough vitamin B6 can lower infertility rates by 120% if deficiency was the issue.

Recommended Amount: Healthy adults need around 1.9 mg vitamin B6 daily. It is recommended that we get up to 10 mg daily, but on a short term up to 50 mg daily until levels are normal. It is not recommended to take more than 100 mg daily. Eat plenty of lean turkey, dried prunes, sunflower seeds, tuna fish (if not pregnant), and pistachio nuts, to get enough B6 in your diet.        

Vitamin C

Studies have shown that the ovaries use vitamin C for ovulation. Researchers found that prior to ovulation, women who took vitamin C supplements of 750 mg had higher progesterone levels.     

Recommended Amount: We need around 85 mg daily as a minimum amount, but it is recommended we get 250 to 500 mg daily. Upper limits is 1000 mg daily or the body can become acidic. Vitamin C is highest in; citrus fruits, bell peppers (yellow are best), leafy greens, kiwi, and broccoli.     

Vitamin E

This is one you need to be cautious with, but can be helpful in the right amounts. Researchers found that vitamin E can raise progesterone levels. If you take too much, it may cause low levels.

Recommended Amount: The recommended amount of vitamin E is no more than 150 iu daily. When taken in excess of 300 iu, it can actually counteract progesterone production.

Zinc

Zinc is a very important mineral for reproductive hormones in both women and in men. It is critical to the pituitary gland and the ovaries for production of estrogen and progesterone.

Recommended Amount: We need around 15 to 25 mg daily, but not more than 40 mg daily. Foods that have high amounts of zinc are; oysters, cashew nuts, pumpkin seeds, lean beef, and wheat germ.

L-Arginine

The corpus luteum needs lot’s of blood to produce enough progesterone after ovulation. This essential amino acid is high in nitric oxide. This increases blood flow, which helps direct more blood to the ovaries. Studies show that women have better blood flow to their ovaries, and higher levels of progesterone when they take L-Arginine supplements.                

Recommended Amounts: Recommended amounts are around 3 grams daily, but never more than 6 grams daily. Try to eat high protein foods including; lean chicken, turkey, pumpkin seeds, and chickpeas.

Chasteberry

Chasteberry is a natural herbal supplement that may help your body produce more progesterone. It is a berry that has been used since ancient times and helps raise progesterone, by lowering the estrogen levels. It should be avoided if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. 

Recommended Amount: 20 mg three times daily. This supplement needs to be taken on a regular basis for a few months for the full effect to be noticed.

Wild Yam Cream

How to increase progesterone? Women in South America ate wild yams as part of their diet. What was discovered was that many of them had no symptoms of menopause later in life. It was discovered that the yams contained a plant based hormone, diosgenin. This hormone is converted by the body into progesterone. Make sure you look for wild yam cream, as other creams may have plant based estrogens.

Recommended Amount: Apply to skin per package instructions. The usual dosing is a small amount of cream to the underarm or inner thigh on days 1 through 21 of your cycle.