Keeping a consistent hormonal balance is a delicate, complicated task. Taking plenty of herbs or eating healthy for hormone balance sounds great in theory, but how do we know exactly which hormones are out of balance? And in which direction?
Arming ourselves with a little symptomatic knowledge is vital, along with understanding the function of certain hormones. Naturopathic physician and expert on all things hormones, Dr. Michelle Sands, helps us dig deep into the progesterone hormone and what happens when we have a surplus.
“Progesterone is a steroid hormone primarily produced in the ovaries after ovulation each month,” Dr. Michelle explains.
“Its main role, along with estrogen, is to regulate the menstrual cycle and support the early stages of pregnancy. This hormone prepares the lining of the uterus to receive a fertilized egg and helps maintain pregnancy. In addition to reproductive health, progesterone is believed to play a role in mood regulation, sleep health, bone strength, thyroid hormone production, gut motility, and brain function. Progesterone is used medically to treat traumatic brain injuries and is thought to be an effective treatment for migraines.”
It is safe to say progesterone is mega important when it comes to our bodies functioning properly on many levels. But too much of a good thing is, well, a bad thing.
“Having high progesterone is actually pretty rare,” Dr. Michelle tells us, “but it can occur due to conditions like ovarian cysts, adrenal gland disorders, or during pregnancy. High levels could potentially lead to symptoms like bloating, mood swings, and breast tenderness.”
“More commonly, progesterone levels drop due to chronic stress, which raises cortisol (the stress hormone) that competes for the same resources needed to produce progesterone,” Dr. Michelle explains.
“Aging, particularly as women approach menopause, naturally decreases progesterone. In fact, progesterone is typically the first of the sex hormones to take a nosedive. Other causes of low progesterone include poor nutrition, lack of ovulation, and conditions like hypothyroidism and PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome).”
In some cases, women can get a progesterone rash. Dr. Michelle assures us that this is a lesser-known condition, but no less super annoying.
“When this happens, autoimmune progesterone dermatitis (APD) is the primary cause of ‘progesterone rash.’ It results from the body’s hypersensitivity reaction to its own progesterone, typically flaring up during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle when progesterone levels are highest. Symptoms can include itchy rashes, hives, blisters, and even more severe reactions like eczema or erythema multiforme. Symptoms typically subside on their own as progesterone naturally falls in the cycle.”
Hormonal fluctuations typically cause this condition, with the most common trigger being the natural rise and fall of progesterone during the menstrual cycle.
“However, some women develop APD in response to hormone replacement therapies or contraceptive pills containing progesterone,” Dr. Michelle tells us, as well as an autoimmune reaction in which “our immune system mistakenly attacks our own progesterone, treating it like a foreign invader.”
Although these are problematic and vexing symptoms, there are things we can do to manage them.
Dr. Michelle says, “Most women will respond to antihistamines. A good first step would be to try an over-the-counter antihistamine like Benadryl, or opt for natural antihistamines such as yerba santa leaf, stinging nettle leaf, echinacea purpurea root (echinacea purpurea), quercetin, or resveratrol for a period of two to three months.” Dr. Michelle recommends either teas or tinctures for the herbs and supplements for the quercetin and resveratrol.
“These natural antihistamines should be part of a larger natural medicine protocol,” Dr. Michelle says. “Foundational practices include optimizing sleep, lowering stress, evaluating their nutrition to make sure that they’re eating a wide variety of colorful whole foods, moving their body, and having some sort of spiritual component (which can be religion or being creative), connecting with other humans, or spending time in nature. Additionally, it would be helpful to include gut health support or a gut healing protocol alongside the natural antihistamines.”
If you’re starting to feel like the anomaly in the room, you’re not.
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