This could affect your mental health. A 2012 study showed that increased levels of progesterone you experience in the luteal phase of your menstrual cycle is usually accompanied by lower levels of aggression, irritability and fatigue (1).
Progesterone can help increase your mood. Progesterone and mood go hand in hand. Progesterone acts as a natural antidepressant to lower anxiety, help with mood swings, and can even aid in relieving postpartum depression. Progesterone can relieve menopause symptoms.
Mood Swings and Depression
When your progesterone levels drop, your GABA levels drop as well. Low progesterone can lead to feelings of anxiety, sadness, or depression. The increase in progesterone during pregnancy is why so many women report feeling AMAZING during pregnancy.
High levels of progesterone prevent the uterus from contracting (squeezing) and causing pre-term labor. Much of the progesterone you need for a healthy pregnancy is made by the placenta. The placenta is the organ that grows in the uterus to provide nutrients and oxygen to the unborn baby.
This hormone increases shortly after ovulation, and generally causes a glum, anxious mood. Science indicates that progesterone stimulates the amygdala — the part of your brain responsible for your fight-or-flight responses. Triggering the amygdala could make you feel super-stressed, and maybe even a little depressed.
Known as the “relaxing hormone,” progesterone has a mildly sedative effect.
While progesterone doesn't directly cause weight gain, it does increase your hunger levels which may make you feel like you're eating more and therefore gaining weight. But progesterone is just a small player in hormone balance and weight management. There are other hormone imbalances that may cause weight gain.
The hormonal peaks have been found to occur in the morning for progesterone, in the afternoon for FSH and LH, and during the night for oestradiol. These findings are unlikely to alter the time of day we order female reproductive hormone measurements.
However, in the ventromedial area of the hypothalamus, administration of estrogen, and progesterone reduces serotonin release (101).
Fluctuations with progesterone levels can do the same thing to emotions by changing the brain chemistry which can lead to depression. Estrogen becomes the dominant hormone which can cause cortisol levels to rise and increase feelings of anxiety.
Progesterone, or allopregnanolone, influence emotion processing and are likely causal factors for the mood symptoms experienced by women with premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD).
Progesterone levels also start to climb in the second part of the cycle, after ovulation. This can, in some women, increase the likelihood of lowered mood, depression and other issues. Prof Kulkarni says it's important to keep in mind that all women respond differently to their own hormonal patterns.
One interpretation of these findings is that higher progesterone (P) levels during certain phases the menstrual cycle leads to greater free cortisol levels in response to stress. Other work supports such an interpretation.
Hormonal imbalances are commonly associated with increased irritability. Common hormone culprits include testosterone and thyroid hormones (T3, T4, and TSH, or thyroid-stimulating hormone). Testosterone is a hormone produced by the adrenal cortex, testes in men, and ovaries in women.
During peri-menopause, the first hormone that decreases is usually progesterone. This can lead to estrogen dominance, a common symptom of which is weight gain, causing you to store more fat around your stomach area.
In all these effects note that progesterone does not directly cause weight loss. Instead it reduces the effect of other hormones in the body which are causing the weight gain. Think of it as allowing rather than causing the body to lose weight.
Estrogen and progesterone have many characteristics that aid in preventing aging signs on your skin. For example, they naturally increase hyaluronic acid (HA) and prevent the loss of collagen and elastin.
When it comes to happiness, in particular, the primary signaling chemicals include: Serotonin. Dopamine. Endorphins.
It plays an important role in brain function and is often called the “feel good hormone” because of its mood-enhancing and anti-depressant effects. Optimum levels of progesterone promote feelings of calm and well-being, while low levels can cause anxiety, irritability, and anger.
Estrogen and Progesterone
These hormones also help with hair growth. Estrogen and progesterone can help keep your hair in the growing (anagen) phase. Therefore, these hormones can help your hair stay on your head longer and may even help your hair grow faster.