Your two most important hormones; Progesterone and Cortisol.

In this section I want to go in depth on Progesterone and Cortisol, and have you read it several times until your really understand how these hormones influence you health, weight, cravings, sleep, and how you feel overall. I can’t stress how important this is.

Progesterone.

Is your most important hormone. Literally! It is the hormone of sanity, calmness, fertility, and vitality. With this hormone or with low levels of this hormone, you will feel rubbish.

Progesterone is one of the female sex hormones, which gets released after ovulation and only if you ovulate. If you don’t ovulate, you will not make progesterone! Women can ovulate and make progesterone but not make enough depending on their personal situation (we will look more at what can interrupt progesterone levels below). I like to explain progesterone to my clients and followers as our most important hormone. It is our sanity and vitality hormone. The hormone that encourages fertility, youthfulness, calmness, motivation, fulfillment and libido (wink wink). Progesterone is involved in so many aspects of being your most healthy and optimal self, yet many women I speak to are unaware of the importance of this essential hormone.

When our progesterone is low we can experience a lot of the symptoms listed here; Signs of low progesterone list. I have no doubt you will relate to many of them, like I do. Sometimes it is not fun being a woman! Hot flashes, low libido, sleep disturbances, weepiness, severe PMS, and menses, the list goes on.

But all is not lost! There is help and under standing what is happening in your body is part of that process. Yes we can use foods and supplements, and progesterone, as I discuss with Dr Michael E. Platt in the video below. But why is your progesterone so low?

Well there are several things that interfere with progesterone – stress is at the top of the list for sure. Stress is the biggest stealer of our hormones. That includes Adrenaline as I discuss with Dr Platt. Then we have the pregnenolone steal (check out the audio below). Stress can also include not sleeping, over training, under eating calories, under eating carbohydrates, hypothyroidism, mitochondria dysfunction, chronic inflammation, aging and peri menopause, birth control, PCOS, infections, alcohol, junk food, trans fats, pretty much anything that causes your stress and survival response to be activated.

So you need to figure out what may be interfering with your progesterone and then you can go about fixing it.

As I said to a client earlier, “Life is stress”, I understand that. We live in very stressful times and ways. And it is easier said then done to reduce stress but we must try. There are many stress management tools. Find one you like. Find your joy!

Here is my Progesterone boosting foods PDF , add them into your day. And if you would like to try Dr Platts bio-identical progesterone, you can find it here at Platt Wellness and use code “chemaines15” for a discount on your purchase. 

Cortisol.

Your body releases cortisol in response to your percieved stress, and most of us run around stressed all the time. Like nobody is exempt! All those stress hormones wreak havoc over time, and make you store fat—especially in your belly. High cortisol is also linked to depression, food addiction, and sugar cravings, so that you overeat the wrong foods like cookies and processed foods. What’s the net result? You get fat and have more mental health issues. Along with skin issues, aches and pains, neuroinflammation, brain fog, and more. 

But when we women are exposed to chronic high levels of stress it can prevent ovulation. Remember, if you don’t ovulate, you won’t make progesterone. 

High levels of stress also call for high levels of adrenaline. And as we are learning, adrenaline is worse in people with low progesterone. It really is a viscious cycle. And on top of that chronic stress makes us fat. Understand “how” here. 

The pregnenolone steal.

Aka the progesterone steal or the cortisol steal. Its so important that you understand this concept and how it effects your hormone production. This is why you may be feeling like your going insane and not like your old self! Please listen.

What you can do;