Published March 7, 2024 Have you ever been told by cycle syncing charts or practitioners to push yourself during the week before ovulation and during your ovulation? While this might work for women with really healthy, stable hormones, the reality is that it might be doing more harm than good for many of us. Because let’s face it – a lot of us are stressed OUT and not experiencing optimal hormonal balance! If you’re dealing with low progesterone levels, trace it back to the week BEFORE your ovulation. What do your habits look like this week? Are you pushing yourself too hard? How To Approach The Week Before Ovulation: Are you creating a stress response by the way you’re living your life or are you telling your body you are safe by the way you’re nourishing your body, working out and sleeping? If not, your body can respond by delaying ovulation or not ovulating altogether – therefore, not producing optimal progesterone. Progesterone is SO key! We not only need it for our fertility but also to feel good mentally and emotionally. The Role Progesterone Plays in Your Cycle: During the second half of your cycle, known as the luteal phase, your progesterone levels rise. Progesterone works in conjunction with estrogen to maintain your uterine lining and prepare it for potential embryo implantation. Progesterone plays a crucial role in supporting early pregnancy. After ovulation, if fertilization occurs, your corpus luteum in your ovary continues to produce progesterone so that you don’t shed your uterine lining. During pregnancy, your placenta takes over the production of progesterone to sustain the pregnancy until birth. Progesterone affects your central nervous system and can influence your mood and sleep. Fluctuations in progesterone levels throughout your menstrual cycle can impact neurotransmitters in your brain, contributing to changes in mood, anxiety, and sleep patterns. Progesterone plays a role in bone remodeling and helps maintain your bone density. During menopause, when progesterone levels decline, women may experience accelerated bone loss, increasing the risk of osteoporosis. Learn more about how to eat and exercise for your hormone health with women’s health expert Lauren Papanos on What’s the Juice podcast.
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