Blame Estrogen Not Progesterone for Weight Gain!
A simple web search for the term ‘progesterone’ will result in hundreds of pages; some of it good and some of it bad. With all those results, it is quite difficult to divide facts from fiction.
What are the most popular misconceptions about progesterone?
Some women claim progesterone, instead of making them feel better, does quite the opposite. Others say that it causes them to put on weight, prevents them from ovulating, or makes their hair fall out, the list goes on and on.
Should progesterone be blamed for all those symptoms?
In this article, I will do my best to clarify some common misconceptions, and show you why progesterone is not to blame for these health concerns.
Progesterone Dosage is Vital !
First, it is vital to differentiate between the two hormones: Estrogen and Progesterone.
In a woman’s body, estrogen serves a variety of purposes; it stimulates subcutaneous fat cells to proliferate, which causes a woman’s body to gain its shape at puberty. Unfortunately too much Estrogen will cause weight gain that will be hard to lose unless the level of estrogen is reduced.
When someone doesn’t use enough progesterone supplementation, it will stimulate the estrogen receptors that trigger water retention and weight gain. This stimulation leads to a state of ‘estrogen dominance’.
Often when these symptoms occur, progesterone is blamed!
Then many reduce the dosage or stop using it!! Ironically it seems to give some relieve as the estrogen receptors are no longer stimulated….but it defeats the purpose of reversing estrogen dominance!!
Progesterone should not be blamed for estrogen dominance symptoms.
In fact, increasing progesterone dosage will dispel the estrogen dominance symptoms and help the individual regain a sense of normalcy.
It is important to balance estrogen and progesterone in the proper ratio for a healthy body.
Don’t stop using Progesterone Increase it!
Low Progesterone leads to Estrogen Dominance
Estrogen is necessary for the growth of an egg and the proliferation of endometrial cells during each menstrual cycle. But an excess of estrogen will mess up the cycle, prevent ovulation and increase the risk of massive bleeding and even endometrial cancer.
Using progesterone during the period of ovulation will stimulate the early release of progesterone so necessary for successful implantation of a fertilized ovum at pregnancy.
Many women have malfunctioning luteal phase, resulting in little or no progesterone being secreted during ovulation. These women are more likely to suffer estrogen dominance symptoms. Around age 35 (perimenopause) the progesterone levels drop due to anovulation. Low progesterone levels usually increase in frequency until menopause when the ovaries stop producing a viable ovum.
It is important to realize that even during perimenopause, the production of estrogen and testosterone do not decrease, resulting in estrogen dominant problems
It is recommended to use 100-200 mg progesterone daily. If symptoms persist more should be required. The amount depends entirely on symptoms. When symptoms are severe more will be needed.
If symptoms seem to get worse, do not reduce the progesterone dosage as many do, blaming the progesterone. These symptoms are signs that estrogen are stimulated, and that MORE progesterone is necessary.
Increasing the progesterone dosage is the only way to overcome estrogen dominant symptoms!
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