How to Increase Progesterone to Get Pregnant
In the second half of your menstrual cycle, progesterone is the hormone produced by the corpus luteum, the leftover sac that releases the egg. Progesterone promotes fertilization for pregnancy because the meaning of the word is pro for to promote and gesterone which means pregnancy. Progesterone can become low due to a variety of root causes like diet, stress, other hormone imbalances, and over-exercising. Especially when stress levels are high, the body does not prioritize ovulation, and as a result progesterone levels will be low. Thankfully, you can naturally increase progesterone levels by changing some lifestyle factors.
Source: NIH
Signs & symptoms of low progesterone:
Anxiety
PMS
Infertility
Irregular cycles
Cyclical headaches
Irritability
Poor Sleep
Breast tenderness
It is helpful to test your progesterone level 5-7 days after confirmed ovulation to assess if you are low
Here are 8 ways to increase progesterone to get pregnant:
1. Healthy Fats
One of the ways for how to increase progesterone to get pregnant is to consume healthy fats. These healthy fats are unsaturated and divided into two types, polyunsaturated and monounsaturated. Most of these fats are found in plant products and also fish. Polyunsaturated fats are fatty acids that contain at least 2 double bonds in the structure, whereas monounsaturated fats have one double bond. It has been shown that healthy fat consumption, specifically polyunsaturated fats were associated with increased progesterone and decreased anovulation. Fats are also vital for the absorption of nutrients, and, in addition, reproductive hormones are produced from fat tissue, so consuming enough healthy fats is important for how to increase progesterone to get pregnant.
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2. Vitamin B6
Vitamin B6 is an essential water-soluble vitamin to help promote the reproductive system, which helps when you are learning how to increase progesterone to get pregnant. B6 is a potent vitamin for cognitive development, gluconeogenesis, lipid metabolism, and protein metabolism. A study found that supplementation of B6 increased progesterone levels and decreased estrogen levels. This is why vitamin B6 is one of the supplements to increase progesterone.
3. Reduce Caffeine & Alcohol
Caffeine is a stimulant drug that can further promote the stress response in the body. Stress is linked to progesterone imbalances, so lowering caffeine intake when we have low progesterone will cause the body to increase progesterone naturally. Caffeine also affects the way women metabolize estrogen. This is why decreasing caffeine intake is beneficial to increase progesterone naturally when the prior levels are low.
Furthermore, reducing alcohol is also important when learning how to increase progesterone to get pregnant because alcohol stimulates our inflammatory and stress response. Furthermore, alcohol can change the way our body eliminates estrogen, which can be what causes high estrogen when we over-consume alcohol. Studies have shown that this relationship is because alcohol can decrease or slow the estrogen’s oxidation process, which inhibits its ability to turn into its preferred form to be eliminated.
4. Vitamin C
Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin that is important to utilize when understanding how to increase progesterone to get pregnant. Vitamin C has many beneficial functions like improving immune function, creating scars for wound healing, and maintaining tissue and skin integrity. A study found that vitamin C was associated with higher progesterone levels in perimenopausal women. Food sources of vitamin C include citrus fruits, cantaloupe, kiwi, strawberries, broccoli, sweet potato, and red pepper.
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5. Magnesium
Another supplement to know when learning how to increase progesterone to get pregnant is the mineral magnesium. Magnesium helps with muscle protein synthesis, nerve functioning, and it is a cofactor for many enzymatic reactions. A study found an inverse relationship between magnesium and estrogen, showing magnesium levels increased and estrogen decreased. We know that estrogen and progesterone work in opposition, so when estrogen levels are low, progesterone will be higher, resulting in estrogen dominance.
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6. Manage Stress
Stress is a significant culprit for hormone imbalances and can decrease your chances of pregnancy. As a result, managing stress is vital to implement when learning how to increase progesterone to get pregnant. When we are stressed, we release high levels of cortisol, a stress hormone. In response to this, our body is trying to survive given dire circumstances, so the body will pump the brakes to avoid pregnancy. This is because our body wouldn’t predict us to be healthy enough to survive a pregnancy under stressful conditions. A high-paced job environment can cause stress, family problems, too much exercise, and the stress from the process conceiving itself are all examples of stressful situations. Managing stress will decrease the amount of cortisol that we release. Therefore we will increase progesterone naturally because our bodies will understand that we are safe to ovulate.
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7. Gentle Exercise
Gentle exercise is essential to add to your routine when you learn how to increase progesterone to get pregnant. It is important not to go overboard with intense exercise because this can actually keep your progesterone levels low and internal stress levels high. Over-exercising puts high stress on the body when you are not taking advantage of rest. Gentle exercise like going on a walk, a bike ride, or a swim at a moderate intensity would be a perfect way to move your body to increase progesterone naturally. If you can hold a conversation while completing the activity or exercise without needing to catch your breath, then this is moderate intensity. Gentle exercise will help you to maintain a comfortable body fat percentage, which can affect progesterone production. As a rule of thumb, most females need at least 17% body fat to maintain a normal hormone function for a healthy and regular menstrual cycle.
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8. Vitex
Vitex is an herb that has long been used in traditional medicine, most particularly for women’s health and menstrual issues. Other names include: vitex, chaste tree berry, and chasteberry. Consuming vitex is beneficial when learning how to increase progesterone to get pregnant. Due to the effect vitex has on the pituitary gland, increasing the release of luteinizing hormone (LH), promotes ovulation and raises progesterone levels. Though progesterone levels have increased from vitex and other herbal supplements, it is important to mention that research evidence on these herbal supplements and pregnancy is limited when trying to conceive.
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