Listen, low progesterone is simply one symptom to a much deeper issue which pertains to several other co factors we must consider. Keep in mind your body will present specific symptomology not just based off of the stress it is under, but also your genetics, current nervous system state, medical history, stage of life, you’re diet, metabolic health, etc.
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Progesterone’s main job is to keeps estrogen in check. In fact, low progesterone can cause our tissues to retain up to 30 times more estrogen than plasma! It also helps with reducing inflammation in the body, maintain and build bone density, support thyroid function, improve sleep and recovery and more.
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Symptoms of low progesterone include short luteal phases (also known as luteal phase defects) where the corpus luteum that the egg sack held the egg did not surge enough progesterone to last a minimum of 10 days.
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This usually correlates to bleeding for less than 3 days or experiencing a light period. Not building a thick enough uterine lining signals to us that our body is struggling with energy out put, and this can be due to mineral deficiencies, blood sugar issues as well as mental or physical stress.
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On the flip side, heavy periods, or even painful ones, can also mean low progesterone, or in some cases a low progesterone to estrogen ratio where estrogen might be too high. Putting aside energy deficiency possibilities, this could be a sign of poor liver detoxification where the body is struggling to remove used up hormones and other waste products, having them recirculate. It could also be a sign of iron overload, poor nutrition, xenoestrogen exposure, heavy metal toxicity, and poor thyroid function.
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That being said, spotting can also be considered a sign of estrogen dominance or also recognized as “anovulation” which is when one does not ovulate. Ovulation is vital for protecting bone density, maintaining healthy levels of cholesterol, improving cognitive function as well as optimizing thyroid.