We now know that progesterone is a hormone created within a woman’s ovaries which helps to prepare the womb each month for acceptance of a fertilized egg, and attachment of a fetus.
Not having an adequate level of progesterone in the body is a problematic circumstance for many women. Why? Because a number of problems can result from low levels including irregular menstrual cycles, miscarriage and increased cancer risk from unchecked estrogen.
It is extremely important to a woman’s overall health during her entire lifetime (not just during her reproductive years) that her body produces and maintains normal levels of progesterone. The most important reason for this is so that it properly counterbalances the effects of estrogen. These levels can be adversely affected by a number of environmental factors including stress, prescription hormones, and hormones used in commercially produced and processed dairy products and meats.
Now that we know that it’s important for your body to maintain normal levels, we are faced with the following question: What are some signs that your body may have low Levels of progesterone? Here are some clues:
Breast tenderness
Fibrocystic breasts
Decreased/Low sex drive
Depression
Obesity
Night sweats
Bone loss
Irregular menstruation
Excessive bleeding during menstruation
Uterine fibroids
Water retention
Sleeplessness
Vaginal dryness
Thyroid dysfunction
Unclear thinking
Infertility/Miscarriage
Headaches
Endometriosis
Many of these symptoms don’t seem particularly alarming when considered separately, and therein lies the danger. Because they may appear harmless, oftentimes signs of low progesterone are not specifically noticed or interpreted as reasons for concern.
However, when you have noticed these symptoms occurring simultaneously, they should certainly be a signal that something in the body is not normal. This is then reason for a higher level of concern, and should warrant further investigation.
Other sites that may interest you
Menopause: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia
Andropause - Wikipedia the free encyclopedia
Male Menopause?
