The primary function of progesterone in women is to prepare the uterus for pregnancy. If you are not planning for a baby, you might still want to consider getting your hormone levels on track. The common symptoms associated with low progesterone levels are insomnia, headaches, weight gain, frequent mood swings, irregular menstrual cycles, short cycles, and mid-cycle spotting among others. Also, low progesterone levels imply high estrogen levels, which has its own set of issues. This makes it quite essential for you to maintain your progesterone levels to have a healthy and fertile body.

To answer your question, ‘How to increase progesterone?’, we have gathered some information on increasing your progesterone levels naturally and also have a few things to keep in mind so that you don’t lower your progesterone levels. Read on to know more about increasing your progesterone.

Release stress

Stress is very harmful for your body irrespective of your baby plannings. Chronic stress increases the production of cortisol and adrenaline in your body at the expense of sex hormones like progesterone. You must manage stress by indulging yourself in various methods such as deep breathing, taking a walk, meditation, talking with a friend, or whatever that works for you. Releasing your stress will make your body regulate hormone secretion and stimulate the production of progesterone instead of stress hormones.

Maintain a healthy body weight and avoid excessive exercise

Excess weight in a woman’s body can increase the production of estrogen. And high levels of estrogen means the body is producing less progesterone. Physical exercise is a great way not only to maintain your body weight but also to help you reduce stress. You must indulge in various activities like exercise, weight training, aerobics, running, and yoga to reduce the extra weight and maintain healthy body weight. For some, it can also work as a stress buster and helps them refresh. While it is necessary to maintain healthy body weight, one must not over-exercise. Over-exercising can make your body produce more stress hormones in place of progesterone.

Regular sleep routine

Adults need to take around 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night and stick to a sleep routine. This is not the case for most of us and hence we show bad mood patterns and also harm our body. Irregular sleep patterns indicate an increase in stress hormones which affects the production of progesterone. If you follow a good sleep routine you can reduce your stress as well as give proper rest to your body. Hence, it is essential to have adequate amounts of sleep to reduce stress hormones and increase the secretion of progesterone in your body.

Herbals and Supplements

Some herbs and supplements are claimed to increase the progesterone levels in your body. One of the most herbs among them is chaste tree berry or vitex agnus-castus. It is said to stimulate the secretion of luteinizing hormone, which stimulates the ovaries to produce progesterone. Red raspberry leaf is also effective for regulating progesterone and maintaining hormone balance. You can find it in many fertility teas. You can also take Maca supplement, which is said to adapt to one’s body and help in natural hormone production.

Consume natural progesterone foods

Although progesterone is not naturally found in foods, studies suggest that some foods may help you stimulate the production of progesterone. You can consume Vitamin B6 rich foods to raise progesterone levels and reduce estrogen levels. Vitamin B6 rich foods include fish, eggs, sweet potatoes, milk, carrots, and more. Zinc-rich foods, like shellfish, seeds, whole grains, vegetables, low-fat yogurt, kale, and turkey, help your pituitary glands to regulate hormones in your body. You should also consume magnesium-rich foods such as nuts, tofu, dark chocolate, avocado, legumes, among others.

Final Thoughts

I hope this article has provided you with all the ways you can increase your progesterone levels. The one thing you can take from this article is taking care of your body. Hormone imbalance can cause a lot of severe issues in your body over time. Hence, it is necessary to have a healthy body to maintain your hormones. Not only progesterone but all the hormones in your body will be adequate if you follow a healthy lifestyle and a balanced diet. You must make sure that you take proper sleep, exercise regularly, and consume nutrient-dense foods to maintain your progesterone levels.