The Effects of Progesterone Deficiency

Progesterone is a hormone  that plays a vital role in our bodies.  It is classified as a steroid, or sex hormone.  Steroid is a generic name for many hormones, or body regulators, made from cholesterol.  For years conventional physicians did not recognize the important role it plays in protecting our health and well being.

Let’s take a look first at what progesterone does for us.  Progesterone is a building block for other hormones and is produced in both males and females.  It is the most protective hormone our body manufactures and is the natural counterpart to estrogen.  Progesterone has three major functions in our bodies:

• To promote the development and survival of the embryo and the fetus
• To act as a building block for other steroid hormones
• To provide a wide span of important effects on many parts of the body

So you can see, progesterone is a crucial player in our systems if they are to function normally.  At times, however, our body fails to produce enough progesterone to balance out the estrogen.  If that happens, numerous problems can arise.  Infertility and early miscarriage are two of the most tragic results, but there are a number of other problems which can occur as well.   The list is long and diversified.  Here are just some of the symptoms you might experience from progesterone deficiency:

• Accelerated aging
• PMS
• Infertility
• Miscarriage
• Arthritis
• Anxiety
• Hair loss
• Bloating and water retention
• Breast cancer
• Decreased sex drive
• Brown spots on the backs of your hands
• Cold hands and feet
• Carbohydrate craving
• Dry eyes
• Early onset of menstruation
• Fat gain, especially around the abdomen, hips and thighs
• Prostate Cancer
• Hot flashes and night sweats
• Vaginal dryness
• Water retention
• Hypoglycemia

And the list goes on and on.  It’s quite an eyeopener to realize just how many things this little hormone can effect.

Causes of Progesterone Deficiency

So what causes people to become progesterone deficient?  There are various reasons for this.  One of the most common reasons for women is that, for one reason or another, they fail to ovulate when they should.  During the first two weeks of her monthly cycle a woman produces estrogen.  When ovulation occurs, it signals the body to throttle down the estrogen and to begin producing progesterone.  If ovulation doesn’t occur, progesterone doesn’t get produced and estrogen continues to flow.

There are other things that can upset the progesterone/estrogen balance as well.  One of the biggest culprits is called xenoestrogens, man made chemicals that have saturated our food and water supplies.  These xenoestrogens have hormone-like effects and help create an overabundance of estrogen in our bodies compared to the levels of progesterone.  Other perpetrators include stress, poor diets, liver dysfunction, lack of exercise, and use of some medications like birth control pills and hormone replacement therapy.

There are solutions to the problem.  Visit a naturopathic physician for a confirming diagnosis and advice.

Related posts:

1. Xenoestrogens and their Role in Estrogen Dominance
2. Low Thyroid Function and Hormone Imbalance