My Love/ Hate Relationship with Progesterone

My Love/ Hate Relationship with Progesterone

Today, you dedicated readers of the amazing Groesbeck FertilityCare Center blog are in for a real roller-coaster: my love/ hate relationship with progesterone! It is mind blowing to me that so much of a woman's health- physically, emotionally, and mentally- can hinge upon the production of this hormone. When it is produced by the body in the correct amounts, things are great. When too little is produced, a whole lot of problems begin to arise. Today we will focus on two of the major concerns with too little progesterone.

Issue #1: PMS/ PMDD With the production of too little progesterone (together with potentially lower levels of beta endorphins and/ or estradiol in the post peak phase), a woman can experience the unpleasant symptoms of Premenstrual Syndrome or even Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) depending on its severity (Hilgers, et. al., 2020). While one PMS symptom needs to occur at least 3 days before the onset of a period to qualify for the diagnosis, a diagnosis of PMDD generally requires a grouping of 5 or more symptoms 7 days before the beginning of a period (Hilgers, et al., 2020). So what's the love/ hate with progesterone here? I hate when progesterone is too little or dops off to quickly and a woman thinks she is stuck suffering severe anxiety, depression, irritability, etc. until her period starts. I love that NaPro Technology has created a treatment for low progesterone by first thoroughly evaluating post Peak progesterone levels through a series of draws timed with a woman's chart and than appropriately treating the low levels of progesterone with bioidentical progesterone through a process called Cooperative Progesterone Replacement Therapy, a process that I have personally benefited from, as well as countless other women (Hilgers, et. al., 2020).

Issue #2: Low progesterone during pregnancy = higher risk for miscarriage: There are a few (to say the least) levels of love/ hate here. I love babies and helping couples acheive their discernement to grow their families. I hate pregnancies that end in miscarriage. A short post peak phase, tail end brown bleeding, premenstrual spotting, and more can indicate concerns over lower than optimal progesterone levels, which can result in miscarriage (Hilgers, 2025). After experiencing a miscarriage, my subsequent two pregnancies have both needed progesterone support. Orally, vaginally, deep IM injections...I've taken progesterone anyway I can! The love/ hate here? I hated having to have my husband (a total nonmedical professional) give me progesterone injections a few times a week during pregnancies (I still have the lumps!) but I love the sound of chubby baby piggies stomping across the kitchen floor like they own the place because of some extra progesterone support in pregnancy.

While there are so many other things to add about progesterone, you can find more information in many of our other blogs. If you feel like you might be having issues or concerns with your progesterone levels, reach out to one of our practitioners today!

Source: The Creighton Model FertilityCare System: A Standardized Case Management Approach to Teaching, Book II Advanced Teaching Skills, 2nd ed. Hilgers, et all, 2020