Lara Briden - The Period Revolutionary
Leading the change to better periods and hormones
Perimenopause is the two to ten years leading up to menopause and is the time when symptoms are most likely to occur. Symptoms of perimenopause include anxiety, insomnia, weight gain, night sweats, and a reduced ability to cope with stress. Treatment options include magnesium and body-identical micronized progesterone such as Prometrium capsules.
Progesterone is a fascinating hormone. It’s calming, protective, metabolically active, and deeply responsive to its environment, especially estrogen and the nervous system. In the right context, it can be transformative for sleep, mood, heavy bleeding, and perimenopausal symptoms. In a not-quite-right context (for example, very high estrogen or inflammation), progesterone can feel strange or uncomfortable, especially at first.
Phytoestrogens are a special group of phytonutrients that occur naturally in most plant foods. The two major classes are isoflavones in soy and lignans in seeds, whole grains, legumes, fruits, and vegetables.
They’re called phytoestrogens because they interact with estrogen receptors, but they’re not estrogen. In fact, they bind so weakly to estrogen receptors that they effectively block estradiol and are more accurately characterized as anti-estrogen.
There are two ways to have low progesterone, and understanding that difference is key to understanding your cycle. The first is an anovulatory cycle, when you don’t ovulate and therefore make no progesterone at all. The second is a short luteal phase, when you do ovulate, but your progesterone window is too brief, and the hormone never reaches its full potential.
Progesterone is not just a lab value. It’s a story told by your cycle, and one of the clearest ways to understand that story is to chart your basal body temperature or BBT.
When it comes to mood, progesterone is a paradox.
For most women, it’s soothing, thanks to its calming effect on the brain. But for some, it can trigger anxiety, irritability, or even rage. What’s going on?
💡 Also read: Troubleshooting progesterone and Top 6 natural treatments for premenstrual mood symptoms