Symptoms of Low Progesterone
Symptoms of low progesterone can easily be ignored by women. When feeling depressed, irritable or when experiencing discomforts, most women would simply dismiss their symptom as another PMS. It is for this reason that many women are not diagnosed until they reach the age of 45 or 46 or when menopause strikes in. Little do they know that low progesterone in women is the primary cause of serious medical conditions such as osteoporosis, endometrial cancer (cancer of the womb) and other cases of breast cancer. It is also the reason for the early degeneration of the skin that could lead to skin aging and wrinkling.
This is the reason why the symptoms of low progesterone should not be ignored. By age 35, the typical woman is already deficient in progesterone. In a study conducted by Dr. Peter Ellison, (a member of the Department of Anthropology of Harvard University), he measured out the estrogen, testosterone and progesterone levels of 19 women - all which were in either in their late twenties or early thirties. Out of the 19 women, 6 of them turned out to have low progesterone levels. All these women were healthy, were having regular periods and were normal. Although all of them were ovulating, these 6 women were already progesterone deficient. This study made it clear that progesterone deficiency is already happening to younger women.
Common symptoms of low progesterone:
The most prevalent symptoms of low progesterone levels are infertility, irregular menstrual cycle, blood clots during menstruation, breast tenderness and fibrocystic breasts.
Since progesterone is the hormone that is responsible for providing a fertile environment for the embryo during pregnancy, a lack of it will naturally cause infertility. The progesterone hormone is produced by the ovaries at the time of ovulation. Low progesterone levels can lead to the underdevelopment of the tissues in the uterine lining which can cause women to menstruate even when they are pregnant. It is due to this reason why many women who are progesterone deficient experience miscarriages during the early weeks of pregnancy.
Irregular menstrual cycle and blood cloths are usual symptoms of low progesterone for women who fail to ovulate. Since progesterone is produced only during ovulation, it is most likely that a woman who does not ovulate will miss her monthly period even when she is not pregnant. As a result, the lining of her uterus builds up and when it is finally released, blood clots can be found in her menstruation.
When hormonal levels fluctuate, cysts are likely to develop in the breasts. This development usually occurs a few days before a woman starts menstruating. However, when progesterone levels are very low, the lumps in the breast can overgrow and when this occurs, this is what is considered fibrosis. These cysts, although benign (not cancerous), can be very sensitive and cause discomforts.
Depression and anxiety are common symptoms of low progesterone. Hormones levels can have a profound effect on emotions and may lead to feelings of hopelessness and depression. When progesterone levels are very low, they are not able to balance out the excessive estrogen in the body. The consequence of this is estrogen dominance (or hormonal imbalance). Excessive estrogen in the body can result to copper retention and zinc loss in blood and brain, which eventually leads to exaggerated anxiety, serious mood swings, and depression.
Idiopathic edema or water retention is also one of the symptoms of low progesterone levels. Since women with very low progesterone levels sometimes fail to ovulate (which is an existing condition of women who suffer from idiopathic edema), it is assumed that the cause for the idiopathic edema is a deficiency of progesterone in the body. Idiopathic edema is manifested by large amounts of tissue swelling in the legs and the abdomen. It is explained to be a leakage problem of blood fluids that secrete from the capillaries into the fat and skin tissue. A woman with idiopathic edema will experience large weight gain shifts from morning to evening as a result of the bloating.
Some other symptoms of low progesterone are gallbladder diseases, thyroid dysfunctions and magnesium deficiency. Women with estrogen dominance or relative progesterone deficiency are more likely to have a constricted sphincter of oddi which may lead to gallbladder diseases. Also, since too much estrogen suppresses thyroid gland functions, it is probable that women with low progesterone levels will experience thyroid dysfunctions. Again, since estrogen dominance causes the magnesium deficiency, magnesium deficiency is a possible symptom of low progesterone.
If you are one of the women who are experiencing the symptoms of low progesterone levels, consult your doctor immediately. The sooner you are able to get treatment, the sooner you are able to fight the diseases that result from it. Don’t wait till it’s too late. Progesterone hormone depletion is already a cause for serious discomforts. The longer you wait, the worse it might get, and chances are, when you wait too long, there’s is no reversing its effects.
Click here to read about the symptoms of PMS