Having an insufficient amount of progesterone in your body can create a wealth of problems, including infertility. If you have been trying to get pregnant, but have not been able to do so, that can be one of the signs of low progesterone. There is a possibility that you are suffering from an abnormally low level of progesterone in your body. Before doing anything, you should better familiarize yourself with this problem. You should also learn how to test for and diagnose low progesterone. Within this guide, you will be able to do just that.
What is Progesterone?
Before going any further, you should better familiarize yourself with progesterone. What is it? The truth of the matter is that this nothing more than a hormone. It is a female hormone that is made by the ovaries. The hormone is produced when the mature egg is released from the ovary. Progesterone is vital for preparing the lining of the uterus to accept the egg, if it becomes fertilized in the future. If the egg does not become fertilized, the levels of progesterone in the body will drop and menstrual bleeding will begin.
While it might be a simple hormone, it is no ordinary hormone. It plays a vital role in fertility. Without a sufficient amount, a lot can go wrong.
What Is The Progesterone Test Used For?
If you have experienced the signs of low progesterone, you should most definitely get tested. The progesterone test is used to determine the root cause of the problem. If you are suffering from infertility, it could be low progesterone or it could be something entirely different. The test will help you find out the truth. It can also be used to identify your overall risk of suffering from a miscarriage. It could also help pinpoint problems with the adrenal glands. Finally, this test is used to determine whether or not ovulation is actually occurring in the first place.
Before taking this test, it is pertinent to stop taking birth control pills and other medicine that contain estrogen or progesterone for at least four weeks.
What Causes Abnormal Progesterone Levels?
It is also important to realize that your progesterone levels can be thrown off for a number of reasons. If the values are lower than normal, there is a good chance that you are suffering from ovulation problems or even a miscarriage. Higher levels may also be a sign of potential problems. It could pinpoint a cancer of the adrenal glands or ovaries. The adrenal glands may also be producing too much of the hormone.
Significantly high levels of progesterone may also mean that you are dealing with a pregnancy or a molar pregnancy. Speak with your doctor and they will be able to help you identify the price cause.
Balancing Progesterone Levels
If you are suffering from low progesterone levels, you should realize that there are ways to rectify this problem. In fact, you can sometimes do so naturally by changing your diet. It should be known that there are no foods that contain this hormone. Nevertheless, eating certain foods can help to improve the functionality of your body and enable it to boost the levels naturally. First and foremost, you should consider increasing your consumption of Vitamin C. Sweet potato, strawberries, and many vegetables are good options for acquiring more vitamin C each day.
Zinc is also vitally important. Zinc plays an important role in keeping the immune system up and running fluidly. It can also help encourage ovulation. Suffice to say, you will definitely want to increase the amount of zinc that you consume on a daily basis. Beef, lamb, shellfish and shrimp are good foods for increasing your zinc intake. Finally, you should also increase your intake of magnesium and vitamin E. Both can lead to a boost in progesterone levels.