Natural Supplements to Increase Progesterone

If your serum progesterone level is low or you have signs of progesterone deficiency such as PMS, irregular periods, or infertility, you may be wondering if and how you can increase its production.

The good news is that certain herbs and supplements can help boost your progesterone naturally.

Before you proceed though, you need to understand the reasons behind your low progesterone level. When you correctly identify the cause, you’ll be in a much better position to find an effective solution.

Natural Supplements to Increase Progesterone 

In this post, I’ll share natural supplements that can help address the three most common causes of progesterone deficiency: estrogen dominance, lack of ovulation, and adrenal fatigue.

1. Natural Supplements to Increase Progesterone Caused by Estrogen Dominance

One of the most important roles of progesterone is to counterbalance estrogen.

When estrogen levels are too high, progesterone levels will become relatively low – causing signs of estrogen dominance as well as symptoms of progesterone deficiency.

If estrogen dominance is the primary concern, you want to work on improving your liver functions so it can metabolize estrogen more efficiently. Here’s what you can do:

A. Detoxify the liver

Dandelion, milk thistle, and burdock are a few widely used herbs to cleanse the liver and improve its functions. You can take these herbs separately or do a liver cleanse.

If a thorough housekeeping of the liver sounds appealing to you, check out Dr. Tobias Liver Support – 21 Day Cleanse. It contains several major liver herbs, as well as enzymes to help cleanse and repair the liver and support its natural detox process – and it’s received excellent reviews.

B. Take DIM-Plus to promote estrogen metabolism

DIM-Plus contains diindolylmethane, a phytonutrient found in cruciferous vegetables including broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower and kale. It supports the activity of enzymes that improve estrogen metabolism.

2. Natural Supplements to Increase Progesterone Caused by Lack of Ovulation

Ovulation is the key to the regular, monthly production of progesterone during the fertile years.

This is because ovulation triggers the release of progesterone. If ovulation does not take place, your progesterone level will remain low.

So if lack of ovulation is the primary reason behind your low progesterone level, you want to focus on promoting ovulation and enhancing your fertility. Here’s what you can do:

A. Make sure you get all the important nutrients your body needs

In addition to stress and poor health, nutritional deficiency is a primary cause of infertility – and lack of ovulation. For example…

B Complex

Low levels of iron, folic acid, and vitamin B12 are associated with anemia, which can cause anovulation (no ovulation). For more details, read my post B Complex and Fertility.

Vitamin B6

Vitamin B6 is proven to increase progesterone production and reduce blood estrogen levels, leading to improvements in PMS symptoms, as well as fertility. It’s considered one of the best vitamins to boost progesterone.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is an ascorbic acid that assists the ovaries in the ovulation process. At a dose of 750 mg/day, vitamin C has been shown to raise progesterone levels in women with both low progesterone and a luteal phase deficiency (when the second half of the menstrual cycle is 10 days or less, or if progesterone level is low on day 21 of the cycle, or both).

Vitamin E

Vitamin E is an important antioxidant to help protect sperm and egg DNA integrity. A study conducted at John Hopkins University showed that vitamin E (at a dose of 800 IU/day for 10 weeks) corrects the progesterone-estrogen ratio, increases a woman’s libido, and normalizes her menstrual cycle.

Magnesium

Magnesium influences the pituitary gland, which releases FSH (follicular stimulating hormone), LH (luteinizing hormone) and TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone). These hormones, in turn, regulate the production of estrogen and progesterone.

Zinc

Zinc is another mineral that supports fertility. It stimulates the pituitary gland to release FSH, which triggers the production of estrogen and promote ovulation. And ovulation will, in turn, signal the increase of progesterone.

L-arginine

L-arginine is an amino acid that helps widen and relax arteries and blood vessels, increasing blood flow in the body. At a dose of 6 grams per day, it’s been shown to improve the blood supply to the corpus luteum (the egg follicle that releases progesterone after ovulation), which results in improved progesterone levels.

The above are some of the key vitamins and minerals that facilitate ovulation and promote fertility, and there are others whose effects we do not yet know. So to keep our hormones balanced, it’s important to eat a rich diet that contains all the essential nutrients the body needs.

If this seems challenging due to a busy lifestyle or dietary preferences, you may want to consider taking a high quality prenatal vitamin as an insurance policy.

Learn the reasons why taking a prenatal vitamin is a good idea when you want to enhance your fertility.

B. Try Chasteberry

Researchers believe that chasteberry increases the release of LH (luteinizing hormone) from the pituitary, which raises progesterone and normalizes the second half of the menstrual cycle. It may also reduce prolactin, which suppresses the production of progesterone.

Even though the exact cause is still unknown, chasteberry has been proven to help treat low progesterone in more than 60 years of clinical research, including 5 randomized trials. And in Germany, it’s an approved remedy for menstrual irregularity, PMS, and breast pain.

If you want to give chasteberry a try, consider a chasteberry supplement or Fertility Blend, a proprietary formula of chasteberry and agnolyt (one of the best-known exacts of chasteberry). Dr. Sara Gottfried, an expert in women’s health, recommends this formulation after years of testing products, following studies, and experimenting the benefits for her patients.

3. Natural Supplements to Increase Progesterone Caused by Adrenal Fatigue

Although progesterone is mostly made in the ovaries, a small amount is produced in the adrenal glands, where it can be converted to other hormones, such as cortisol – the main stress hormone.

If there’s a high demand for cortisol due to prolonged stress and the body is unable to keep up with the supply, it’ll take from cortisol’s prehormone, pregnenolone (the mother hormone of all sex hormones).

When more of pregnenolone is used to make cortisol, less will be available to make progesterone – causing progesterone deficiency.

When adrenal imbalance is the primary cause of your low progesterone level, you want to focus on rebuilding your adrenal foundation.

A. Take Adrenal Supporting Supplements

Certain herbs are known for their abilities to support the kidney adrenal functions. Among them are:

• Ashwagandha/Indian ginseng
• Eleuthero/Siberian ginseng
• Maca/Peruvian ginseng
• American ginseng
• Astragalus root
• Schisandra/five flavor berry
• Rhodiola rosea
• Licorice root
• Extra B vitamins (B-complex)

You can experiment with these wonderful herbs and supplements, and see which one works best for you.

B. Take an Adrenal Formula

Or alternatively, you can take an adrenal formula that contains several of these herbs, for example, Gaia Herbs Adrenal Health: #1 herbal formula for adrenal support.

In addition to herbs and supplements, there are other things you can do to give your adrenal glands a much-needed recharge. Read how I recovered from adrenal fatigue.

4. Bio-identical Cream to Increase Progesterone

Whether your progesterone level is low due to aging, lack of ovulation, estrogen dominance, or adrenal fatigue, you can use natural progesterone to supplement the deficiency.

Natural progesterone is made from plant steroids found in the wild yam, which is identical to that produced by a woman’s ovaries. Because it’s a bioidentical hormone, it supports the body’s progesterone level with minimum side effects.

Benefits of Progestetrone Cream

It can help balance the estrogen level, reducing the symptoms of estrogen dominance such as PMS, irregular periods, infertility, cystic breasts, PCOS, fibroids, endometriosis, and even cancer.

It can be used as a raw material to make other hormones such as cortisol, which provides relief for adrenal fatigue.

It can even be converted into estrogen or testosterone if the body needs it.

How to use progesterone cream

Progesterone cream can be applied vaginally, to the body, or both.

Apply in the Vaginal Area

Vaginal creams are effective for concentrating progesterone in the vaginal area and delivering it to the uterus, which is helpful for treating fibroids, polyps, or an overgrowth of endometrial tissue.

Apply to the body

When applied to the body, progesterone is delivered to the bloodstream and is helpful for treating PMS symptoms, irregular periods, and cystic breasts, etc.

The best areas for absorption are the palms of hands, the neck, the face and the brow, and the inner arms.

Because progesterone is a cyclical hormone, it’s best used during the 14-day period before menstruation.

You’ll also need to monitor your reaction to it continuously so you can adjust the does or stop taking it when necessary.

Note: Natural progesterone is NOT the synthetic version that’s commonly purchased as tablets with a prescription such as Provera.

5. Lifestyle Changes to Increase Progesterone

So far, I’ve shared natural supplements to improve low progesterone levels caused by estrogen dominance, lack of ovulation and adrenal fatigue.

These remedies can help restore your hormone balance temporarily, but they often do not address the ROOT CAUSES of the imbalance. And without correcting the ROOT CAUSES, your hormones can become out of balance again.

So if you’re really serious, you want to identify and address the ROOT CAUSES of the imbalance.

They often involve nutrition, lifestyle, as well as mental and emotional habits. The good news is that this is within your control and you can certainly do something about it.

Check out my free resources to get started. 

I hope you find my tips helpful. If you come across any other natural supplements to increase progesterone, please share in the comments below. We’d love to learn from your experience!

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