Progesterone
The calming hormone. Progesterone balances estrogen, supports pregnancy, promotes sleep, and has natural anti-anxiety effects through its GABA-enhancing metabolite.
🌙 What Progesterone Does
Prepares Uterus
Builds uterine lining for implantation
Maintains Pregnancy
Essential until placenta takes over
Calms Nervous System
Metabolite enhances GABA
Promotes Sleep
Natural sedative effect
⚠️ The Pregnenolone Steal
Cholesterol → Pregnenolone is the first step in making all steroid hormones. Under stress, the body diverts pregnenolone toward cortisol production, "stealing" it from progesterone:
Normal State
Pregnenolone → Progesterone → downstream hormones (DHEA, testosterone, estrogen, cortisol balanced)
Chronic Stress
Pregnenolone → Cortisol (prioritized). Progesterone drops, causing estrogen dominance symptoms.
🔻 Signs of Low Progesterone
Menstrual
- • Short luteal phase
- • Irregular cycles
- • Spotting before period
Mood
- • Anxiety
- • PMS mood swings
- • Irritability
Sleep
- • Insomnia
- • Waking at night
- • Night sweats
Fertility
- • Difficulty conceiving
- • Early miscarriage
Physical
- • Bloating
- • Breast tenderness
- • Headaches
Other
- • Brain fog
- • Low libido
✅ Supporting Progesterone Production
Reduce Stress
Stop the pregnenolone steal
Vitamin B6
Supports corpus luteum function
Vitamin C
Increases progesterone levels
Zinc
Required for hormone production
Vitex (Chaste Tree)
May support luteal phase
Healthy Fats
Cholesterol is the precursor
