progesterone Archives – Wild Lyons Wellness

Women shouldn’t only feel alive for two weeks of the month

One thing a lot of women have in common is they feel like complete trash the week before their periods and during.

For some it starts as early as right after ovulation, giving them three weeks of hormonal symptomatic, emotional chaos. Their symptoms can take over their life and in some cases can ruin their life.

Another thing most of these women have in common?

Blood sugar dysregulation.

It’s no surprise that once they start working on blood sugar balance their moods get better, they are no longer an emotional wreck leading up to their periods, they are no longer in pain or having to spend their period in bed, they feel lighter, less anxious and honestly, are so much more fun to be around.

It may sound simple but by balancing your blood sugar consistently you can get your life back.

Ready to join a community of like-minded women ending the war on their bodies and breaking free from diet culture? Ready to finally balance your hormones, understand your body, and become your own health advocate? Ready for unfiltered and uncensored wellness talks? Then you’re in the right place! Click here to learn more + enroll.

A self-paced program designed to help you overcome your uncomfortable digestive symptoms without restrictive diets and stressful protocols so you can enjoy food again and live a happier, healthier life. Click here to learn more + enroll.

The best kept anti-aging secret: A healthy menstrual cycle

Girlfriend put down the fancy expensive creams, the botox, and the lip injections.

Your menstrual cycle holds the power!

Or should I say ovulation! It’s the true MVP of your cycle. Keep in mind. You can still bleed and not be ovulating that is why tracking through BBT, cervical mucus and cervix position is key.

But you can only achieve ovulation if you are honoring your cycle and nourishing all month long.

We live in a world where we are handed birth control (a carcinogen) like it’s candy starting as young as 14, shutting down our natural cycles, hormone production and ovulation. Depleting us of vital nutrients and minerals.

I work with women in their 40’s that are just now learning their cycles and have never once had a natural cycle or know if they have ever ovulated.

We are told our diets and lifestyles have nothing to do with our symptoms and increased aging when in fact they are absolutely the biggest and #1 driving factor especially considering a healthy robust ovulation and regular menstrual cycle requires a lot of energy and nutrients.

We are told we only need to be ovulating and having a cycle if we want to get pregnant and progesterone is only the “pregnancy hormone.” When in fact we have progesterone receptors throughout our entire body impacting how we feel physically and mentally.

Our bodies are bombarded with pro-aging, stressful, estrogens in our environment and food leaving most of us estrogen dominant and progesterone deficient.

Estrogen is not the bad guy and actually is just as important but only when in proper balance with progesterone.

Watch your body transform to looking more nourished with glowing skin, fuller hair, less wrinkles and fine lines, and plumper lips when you are fully nourishing yourself and honoring your cycles through blood sugar balance, a vitamin and mineral rich diet, and stress reduction.

Side note.

Can we please stop bragging about how nice it is that we no longer have a period, whether it be from birth control or self-induced through under-nourishment, over-exercising or stress.

We need our natural cycles ladies!

First step: learning, understanding and nourishing your body

What You Should Consider Before Taking Progesterone

Have you been sold on using progesterone oil or cream by an influencer on social media or essential oil consultant? I’m sure it sounds appealing because progesterone is an amazing hormone. But, it is a HORMONE! We should not just be taking hormones willy nilly without working with a legit practitioner.

Sorry to break it to ya but most of these consultants are not educated in women’s health + nutrition. (not dissing consultants by any means) That’s why I am here! To help you understand your body better so you can make an empowered decision to use these products.

So as your consultant would say “ladies, we all need this”- Yup, she’s correct we all need to be making progesterone, key word MAKING progesterone, not putting creams + oils on our body when unnecessary.

However in some cases, taking progesterone can be beneficial but there are things to consider before doing so.

If you are unfamiliar with progesterone it is needed for pregnancy but is also pro-thyroid, anti-stress, anti-aging, promotes restful sleep, and helps with anxiety/ depression.

Sounds amazing right? Well thank god our body naturally makes it!

What would cause low progesterone? A stressed out, nutrient depleted, poor functioning, estrogen/ toxin ridden body.

These are what need to be addressed before jumping into progesterone oils + creams otherwise you are just putting a bandaid on the symptoms or in some cases just adding fuel to the fire.

Other things to consider:

Progesterone can turn into estrogen if over-used/not in the right dosage. Hello estrogen dominance!

Progesterone is a pre-cursor to estrogen, testosterone and cortisol so it will affect these hormones.

Not all progesterone is created equal. Creams + oils that go on the skin are hard to gauge dosing + can easily be over-done. It really depends on what your skin feels like absorbing that day. Another thing to keep in mind- what goes on your skin can rub off onto your husband + kids giving them hormonal probs. 😳

A cycling female should not be taking progesterone all cycle long but only from ovulation until menstruation.

Progesterone speeds up your metabolism + warms you up, great right? But if you are not ready for it you can actually feel worse + not better.

Basically if your body is still stressed out and your are still exposing your body to excess estrogens your progesterone will never get in check.

So the next time you are tempted to hop on the progesterone train, I hope you take this into consideration. Your best bet would be to get tested (urine or saliva, blood work is a waste of money) + address why you might be low in progesterone in the first place before jumping on board.

Ovulation is Necessary for Progesterone Production

Ovulation is Necessary for Progesterone Production, even if you don’t want to get pregnant.

Are you ovulating?

I know what you’re thinking “I get a period every month so DUH I’m ovulating.”

Sorry girlfriend but that is not always the case.

Ovulation happens during the follicular phase or about day 14 of your cycle. After ovulation the corpus luteum is developed and produces enough progesterone for the whole luteal phase of your cycle. The amount of progesterone you produce depends on ovulation and the health of your ovaries to produce that corpus leutum.

SIGNS YOUR OVULATING:

⫸ Egg white cervical mucus
⫸ A rise in basal body temperature
⫸ Loads of energy
⫸ Productivity
⫸ Clear skin
⫸ High self-esteem

“But Laura, I’m not looking to get pregnant so why does any of this matter to me”

Progesterone is not only needed for pregnancy. Progesterone is pro-thyroid, anti-stress and anti-aging, promotes restful sleep, and helps to chill us the F out (less anxiety and nervousness).

Low progesterone is bad news and unfortunately so many of us women have dealt with it – myself included. Thanks birth control.

Low progeserone will leave us with anxiety, PMS, amennorhea, PCOS, poor sleep, sore breasts, and irritability.

Side note about birth control ⫸ unfortunately if you are on birth control you will miss out on the benefits of ovulation because the point of birth control is to prevent you from ovulating!

So how can you support your body to assure ovulation every month? Providing your body with LOTS AND LOTS OF NUTRIENTS. Remember it all goes back to our ovaries and our ovaries require lots of nutrients to stay healthy. Hormones are created in cells- cells need minerals and vitamins to function. This is why I talk about a way of eating that supports your body on a cellular level for hormone health. You can’t expect healthy hormones without proper nourishment.

In my group coaching program Wild Lyons Wellness Academy (May 2021) we go into great detail on topics like this and how to use nutrition to support the production of progesterone.