Feeling tired, irritable, and bloated? These might be more than just symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS).  Low progesterone could be the culprit behind your discomfort. Let's explore the signs, causes, and solutions!

What is Progesterone?

Progesterone is an essential sex steroid hormone that plays a starring role in your menstrual cycle and well-being. When its levels dip, a cascade of symptoms can follow. But don't worry! By tuning in to the telltale symptoms of low progesterone and seeking guidance, you can reclaim balance and navigate a smoother path.

How Common is Low Progesterone?

You're not alone on this hormonal journey. Studies suggest that progesterone deficiency is a prime cause of PMS and the difficult periods many reproductive-age women struggle with. This can also include ongoing conditions like fibroids, endometriosis and infertility.

The Link Between Symptoms and Progesterone Deficiency

Progesterone works hand-in-hand with its counterpart estrogen to orchestrate your menstrual cycle and support conception.

Produced primarily upon ovulation (the release of an egg), its job is two-fold: to keep estrogen levels in check and to prepare the uterine lining for a potential pregnancy. If fertilization doesn't occur, progesterone levels drop, triggering your period.

When progesterone levels are chronically low, estrogen levels become dominant, upsetting the delicate dance of the monthly cycle. Here's how it can manifest in your body.

• Menstrual Cycle Irregularities. Without sufficient progesterone, estrogen driven overgrowth of the uterine lining may proceed unchecked.  This can cause irregular periods, spotting, heavy bleeding and cramping.
  
  
• Infertility. Progesterone is also known as “the pregnancy hormone” for its critical role in creating the right environment for a fertilized egg to grow. Low progesterone related to ovulation problems can make it difficult for proper implantation of an embryo to occur and be sustained.
  
  
• Miscarriage. Progesterone is crucial for a healthy pregnancy, as it helps create the optimal environment for an embryo to implant and thrive. A deficiency, particularly in early pregnancy, can increase the risk of first-trimester miscarriage. If you’ve experienced difficulty carrying a pregnancy to term, one possible cause could be irregular ovulation or luteal phase defect—a condition where insufficient progesterone prevents the uterine lining from thickening enough to support pregnancy.
  
  
• PMS Symptoms on Steroids. Do you feel like you’re a different person during the week before your period? Moody, anxious or irritable to the extreme? Could be low progesterone again, since we need plenty of it to keep PMS at bay. When progesterone levels go low, our moods go low, making it all the more important to know your levels. 
  

Beyond the Period: The Ripple Effect of Low Progesterone

The impact of low progesterone extends beyond your menstrual cycle. It can affect other aspects of your health, including:

• Breast Tenderness. Fluctuations or lower levels of progesterone can lead to excess estrogen and uncomfortable breast swelling and tenderness.
  
  
• Sleep Disruptions & Insomnia. Progesterone has natural calming effects on the brain, helping to promote relaxation and restful sleep. When levels are low, you may struggle to fall asleep, wake frequently during the night, or experience restless sleep.
  
  
• Mood Swings & Anxiety. As a precursor to GABA, a neurotransmitter that promotes relaxation, progesterone plays a key role in emotional stability. Insufficient levels can contribute to increased anxiety, mood swings, and heightened stress sensitivity, making you feel more on edge than usual.
  
  
  
  
• Headaches & Migraines. Hormonal fluctuations, especially between estrogen and progesterone, can trigger headaches or worsen migraines. If you regularly experience unexplained headaches or worsening migraine patterns, low progesterone could be a contributing factor.
  
  
• Low Libido & Vaginal Dryness. Progesterone contributes to a healthy sex drive by supporting mood, energy, and circulation. When levels drop, you may experience a noticeable dip in libido, along with vaginal dryness or discomfort during intimacy.
  
  
• Fatigue & Brain Fog. Low progesterone can make you feel mentally and physically drained, even after a full night’s sleep. If you often feel sluggish, forgetful, or struggle with concentration, your hormones could be playing a role.
  

Lifestyle Choices and Progesterone Levels

Progesterone is primarily produced after ovulation, so anything that disrupts or weakens ovulation can lead to low levels. Factors like chronic stress, intense exercise, under-eating, poor sleep, and hormonal imbalances can all interfere with the body’s ability to ovulate regularly and produce sufficient progesterone. Here’s how lifestyle choices play a role:

• Diet. Nutrient-dense foods provide the raw materials your body needs to produce hormones. A diet rich in quality proteins, healthy fats (like avocado, nuts, and olive oil), and whole grains can support progesterone production. B-vitamin-rich foods (such as leafy greens, eggs, and legumes) are also essential for ovulation and hormonal balance.
  
  
• Exercise. While movement is key to overall health, overexercising—or doing high-intensity workouts too frequently—can disrupt ovulation and deplete progesterone. Aligning workouts with your cycle (known as “cycle-syncing”) and incorporating lower-impact activities like walking, yoga, and strength training can help maintain hormonal balance. 
  
  
• Stress Management. Chronic stress can interfere with the adrenal glands and their production of cortisol, the master stress hormone that helps us adapt to everyday challenges. It's cortisol that keeps us running on all cylinders and to make enough of it, the adrenals need a steady supply of progesterone. But when stress levels go up, cortisol demand goes up, and with it the need for more progesterone. If stress remains high over time this can deplete progesterone supplies, leading to low levels. Managing stress through mindfulness, deep breathing and essential oils, time in nature, or even simple lifestyle shifts like setting boundaries can help preserve progesterone levels.
  
  
• Sleep. Aim for 7-8 hours of quality sleep each night to promote hormonal health. But if you have trouble getting enough hours in, low progesterone may well be a factor.  Especially if hot flashes or night sweats are waking you up at night, this is a clear sign of imbalance. 

Taking Charge: Seeking Help for Low Progesterone

If you suspect you might have low progesterone, don't suffer in silence!

Persistent symptoms like heavy, painful, or irregular periods, PMS, mood swings, fatigue, and sleep issues can all point to hormonal imbalances. Understanding your hormone levels is key, but unfortunately, most traditional healthcare providers don't offer comprehensive hormone testing or holistic next steps. And if they do provide testing, it’s often a standard blood test that only measures total hormone levels, including inactive forms, with reference ranges set for the general population. This doesn’t reflect the optimal levels specific to your age and stage of life.

Additionally, traditional testing usually doesn’t account for the timing of your cycle—most tests are done on whatever day you happen to be at your appointment, rather than testing during the ideal time in your cycle, like after ovulation and/or mid-luteal phase when progesterone should be at its peak.

That’s why we offer at-home hormone testing packages designed to give you real, actionable insights, paired with custom results analysis and holistic rebalancing solutions. Our saliva test measures active hormone levels—the ones most closely linked to how you’re feeling right now—including:

✔️ Estrogen & Progesterone (critical for PMS, cycle regularity, sleep, weight, moods), as well as the Pg/E2 Ratio - which measures the ratio of estrogen and progesterone, useful for pinpointing estrogen dominance or "relative" estrogen dominance.

✔️ DHEA & Testosterone (closely tied energy, libido & metabolic health; high levels can lead to PCOS and symptoms like irregular periods, acne/oily skin, facial/body hair, sugar cravings, weight gain, fatigue).

✔️ 4x Cortisol Levels (assessing adrenal health & stress response throughout the day - which can highlight patterns related to energy, sleep, moods, appetite/cravings and more)

Along with easy to understand test result insights, you’ll receive a personalized rebalancing plan to help you optimize your hormones naturally—without the guesswork. If you’re ready to get to the root of your symptoms and start feeling like yourself again, check out our testing packages.

Experiencing low progesterone symptoms and want to feel better, more like yourself? We know that finding your way through the hormone maze feels overwhelming at first, and we are here to guide you. 

Contact us with any questions.