Progesterone is a hormone belonging to the progestogen group. Contained in a small amount in the body of men, but here in women, along with estrogen plays an important role in the healthy functioning of the reproductive system. This hormone begins to be intensively produced in the body of a woman in the second phase of the cycle( immediately after the onset of ovulation, until the onset of the first day of menstruation) due to the appearance of the yellow body that produces it.
A high level of this hormone is needed in order to become pregnant and keep the fruit in the early stages. If the conception is successful and the fetus persists, then progesterone grows during pregnancy, until the last month before childbirth. When planning pregnancy or when problems with conception are mandatory, you must pass tests for hormonal indicators, primarily on:
- progesterone;
- testosterone free;
- estrogen;
- Prolactin.
If it turns out that progesterone is lowered, then it should be increased with the help of exogenous progestogen, which is contained in hormonal preparations.
Symptoms of low progesterone
Reduced progesterone is often called luteal insufficiency or a deficiency of the yellow body. With a low level of progestogen, many known premenstrual syndrome develop. The main signs of a lack of a hormone:
- allocation of a large amount of blood during menstrual bleeding;
- the possibility of intermittent bleeding between menstruation;
- private delays are monthly;
- edema( gestagen has diuretic properties, and when it is deficient in the body, excess fluid is not excreted from the body );
- inability to bear fruit in the early stages of pregnancy;
- mood swings;
- short-term temperature rise;
- headaches;
- decrease or a sharp increase in libido;
- dryness in the vagina;
- lack of energy;
- drowsiness;
- is depressed;
- swelling and tenderness of the mammary glands;
- weight gain;
- increase in the lower abdomen.
Why do such symptoms appear?
The fact is that when there is a luteal insufficiency, there is an imbalance between the phases of estrogen and gestagen. When the yellow body does not release enough hormone of the second phase to suppress estrogen, this does not happen, or suppression occurs in insufficient quantities. Therefore, all signs of premenstrual syndrome appear 2-10 days before the onset of menstruation. Moreover, progesterone has an immunosuppressive and catabolic effect. Immunodepressive effect is needed to ensure that in the case of a completed conception, implantation of the fetal egg was successful in a woman, and not rejected by the body as a foreign body. If this effect is not observed, then you will not be able to conceive.
Regarding the catabolic effect. As is known, testosterone has an anabolic property( muscle growth), and the progestogen suppresses testosterone activity in women by eliminating the effect of alpha-reductase( an enzyme that makes the properties of androgenic steroid hormones active).Therefore, if the reasons for the inability to conceive lie in an elevated level of testosterone, then treatment with drugs containing the hormone of the lutein phase will be very helpful.
Increasing the level of progestogen without hormone therapy
The low level of indicators in the luteal phase not only negatively affects the woman's health in the form of unpleasant symptoms, but also may pose a threat to the life of the fetus in the early stages of pregnancy. With a low indicator of the pregnancy hormone, the fetus does not develop in the early stages, the uterus begins to come into tension and there may be a tone that will lead to contractile activity, . If the contractions are not stopped by medical intervention, miscarriage occurs. Actually, miscarriage of the fetus is the main criterion of insufficient gestagen content in a woman's body.
To increase the level without the use of medications it is worth:
- to consume a lot of fruits and vegetables;
- normalize the whole diet;
- add active physical activity;
- to avoid stress;
- to drink vitamins and minerals.
But in the presence of a low index in most cases, such changes in lifestyle are not effective for its increase, so drug therapy is required. Popular medicines for treatment: dufaston, morning, injections, lutein. The main causes of hormonal imbalance are not fully identified, as they can arise from any negative factors in a woman's life or because of poor heredity.
If the 17-on-progesterone level is lowered
17-on-progesterone( 17-hydroxyprogesterone) - is produced mainly by the adrenal glands and in the reproductive organs. When planning conception, its level is desirable to check, since the increase or insufficiency of 17-hydroxyprogesterone may be the main obstacle in the onset of pregnancy. Symptoms of insufficient 17-on-progesterone are infertility or miscarriage, or they talk about various pathologies in the activity of the adrenal glands. To increase the level of 17-hydroxyprogesterone, treatment with drug substitution therapy with preparations that contain exogenous 17-on-progesterone is necessary. Also during pregnancy, you need to monitor all indicators, especially in the early stages.
