The main functions of progesterone in a woman's body are aimed at pregnancy. It is this hormone that makes a woman feel tender when she sees a baby. Its production is carried out in the ovaries, and without it, pregnancy would be impossible. Considering how the hormone progesterone affects a woman's body, its level often needs to be normalized - for example, this is important for the most comfortable pregnancy.
Production
Progesterone is believed to be responsible for femininity. The body begins to produce it by the second half of the cycle. It is secreted from the ovaries, adrenal glands, from the placenta, if the female representative is pregnant. In the male body, seminal vesicles are responsible for its production.
When by the second half of the cycle the body has more estrogen than this hormone, all kinds of diseases can begin - fibroids, mastopathy, endometriosis and many others. The question of how to increase progesterone in a woman's body is often asked by doctors if its deficiency is noted. After all, thisthe phenomenon provokes infertility, miscarriage, reproductive functions are oppressed.
When there is a pregnancy, this hormone acts as a deterrent to the muscles in the uterus. If it is not enough, a miscarriage occurs. If miscarriages occur on an ongoing basis, this indicates a lack of a hormone. In this case, the progesterone content in the woman's body is brought to normal by prescribing appropriate drugs.
Natural birth control
At the same time, the hormone is one of the most important components of contraceptives, as it is able to stop ovulation. The effect of progesterone on a woman's body is such that her mood largely depends on it. For example, if its content is below the norm, by the second half of the cycle a woman will be irritable or simply become depressed.
It is believed that this hormone is responsible for the maternal instinct. The feeling of positive emotions at the sight of babies arises due to its development. Therefore, when it is not enough in the body, a woman at the sight of even her baby will not feel emotion. It is believed that women love soft toys for the same reason, because they have pronounced "infant" forms - the body is small, with a large head and eyes. It is noteworthy that, according to the theory, people like cats so much for the same reason - they have pronounced infantile features: a snub nose, a large forehead and large eyes.
Procreation
Thus, the role of progesterone in a woman's body is associated with the continuationkind. It provides a willingness to nurture and care for children. Mother's milk is also produced under its influence. It prepares the mammary glands for work at the birth of children.
Together with other hormones, progesterone is responsible for a woman's he alth, it controls her ability to conceive, is responsible for the formation of the female body, and regulates metabolism. Finding out what progesterone does in a woman's body, one should not lose sight of its enormous effect on mood. Therefore, it is recommended to constantly monitor its content in the blood. Often a woman does not know that certain phenomena in her life, which can greatly annoy her, are actually caused by a hormonal imbalance.
Riddles
Although this hormone affects a woman's life so much, much of what concerns the increase or decrease in the content of progesterone in a woman's body remains a mystery. It is not clear what exactly is a prerequisite for compliance with the indicators of the norm. Sometimes the process of its development undergoes changes for unknown reasons.
Hormone production
Progesterone is secreted in a woman's body by the corpus luteum and adrenal glands. Thanks to the first, the endometrium becomes more active, new blood vessels are formed. Because of these processes, the mucous membranes in the uterus are ready to receive a fertilized egg. The uterus becomes less mobile, and the body is ready for pregnancy. The placenta also produces this hormone during pregnancy.
Functions
Determining how progesterone affectsthe body of a woman, it must be borne in mind that there are many directions of its influence. The main functions are reproductive, preparation for conception. The immune forces of the body are reduced, due to which the embryo is not rejected. The hormone facilitates the process of childbirth, and when it decreases, the woman becomes ready to breastfeed.
The next direction of how progesterone affects a woman's body is to ensure hormonal balance. After all, its production affects the synthesis of other important hormones. If there is an imbalance, it inhibits the breast tissue, estrogens.
The functions of this hormone are manifested in the effect on the skin. Not all doctors agree with this point of view, but for some it is an axiom - its level affects the rate of formation of wrinkles, the elasticity of the skin. After the level of progesterone in a woman's body increases while she is taking drugs containing such a hormone, her skin becomes better.
It is partly produced by the central nervous system. It is an endogenous steroid. In addition, its production serves as a prerequisite for the synthesis of allopregnanolone. It is extremely important for the body.
According to another point of view, the effect of progesterone on a woman's body is also manifested in the sexual sphere. He is responsible for her sex drive. According to some studies, progesterone affects the tendency to homosexuality. However, most doctors recognized this conclusion as unfounded.
Norms
Toto determine what content of a given substance in the body is normal, it must be taken into account that the level of the hormone in the body is constantly changing. This happens in different phases of the cycle, there is a norm for those who use hormonal contraceptives. In different trimesters of pregnancy, the norm will again be different. Thus, the normative range is extremely wide.
The level of progesterone also depends on the time of day, the emotions experienced by the patient, the presence of physical activity, and lifestyle features. None of these factors can lead to serious pathologies.
The amount and effect of progesterone on the body of a woman who has become pregnant is rapidly increasing. This serves to confirm to doctors that it is, in fact, a pregnancy hormone.
Only a specialist should analyze its content in the blood, determine compliance with the standards. Self-diagnosis on this issue is not allowed. And if the numbers in the analysis turned out to be high, this may simply be an individual feature of the organism.
Elevated symptoms
In cases where the effect of progesterone on a woman's body due to its high content is high, this manifests itself in a number of symptoms. For example, the number of acne on the skin increases, new hair grows on the body, a woman gains weight for no reason, suffers from general weakness, gets tired quickly and experiences constant stress and depression.
Allergic reactions often occur, headache occurs on a regular basis, the mammary glands become painful,vaginal discharge is bloody. These signs alone are never diagnosed. However, their combination is an indication for taking tests to detect the level of the hormone in the blood. If the pathology is detected at an early stage, the therapy will be facilitated, it will not entail unpleasant consequences. If progesterone has increased dramatically, this is a sign of pregnancy. As a rule, a woman is checked on her first of all.
Pathologies
There are some pathological conditions that manifest themselves, among other things, in an increase in the level of this hormone. As a rule, bursts accompany disorders of the adrenal glands. As a result, their production of hormones is not carried out correctly - some are not enough, and some are released too much.
The content of almost all hormones increases if there is a hydatidiform mole - this is a pathology during pregnancy. It leads to fertilization by several spermatozoa at once, defects in the egg. Because of this, the influence of progesterone on a woman's body is steadily growing: there are too many hormones. In this case, very intensive treatment, including chemotherapy, is necessary. Since the development of pathology leads to the emergence of a malignant neoplasm.
Progesterone also increases with ovarian cancer. For this reason, when faced with such pathological conditions, noticing the signs characteristic of an excess of the hormone in the body, it is important to consult a doctor.
How to lower the level
To lower the hormone, first of all, exclude pregnancy. The thing is that the effect on the hormonal background in this condition of a woman will have an extremely negative impact on her he alth. In addition to traditional medicines, some products also affect the lowering of progesterone in the blood. For example, nuts, legumes, dairy products, poultry meat can complement the drug effect. Mint is also believed to normalize hormone levels. It is recommended to drink tea with this medicinal plant up to 3 times a day.
As a rule, the increase in the level of the hormone begins by the 14-15th day of the cycle. At this point, ovulation occurs. Its highest level is in the luteal phase, when the egg is transformed into the corpus luteum.
All this is thought out to the smallest detail by nature. At first, in preparation for ovulation, the pregnancy hormone is simply not needed. After ovulation, pregnancy is theoretically possible, and therefore the effect of progesterone on the woman's body begins, thereby ensuring the highest probability that the fertilized egg will successfully attach to the uterus. Over time, the hormone provides an increase in the uterus.
Tests
To determine the level of its content, women donate blood. It is best to do this on an empty stomach or at least 7 hours after eating. It is necessary to take an analysis on a strictly designated day, since the norm changes repeatedly throughout the cycle.
If the cycle lasts 28 days, donate blood on the 21st-22nd day. It is at this time that the result will be most accurate. If the cycle lasts 34 days, it is necessary to take the analysis on the 27th day. If the cycle is regular, it will not be difficult to determine whether the content of this hormone is normal. If it is irregular, additional studies will be needed, measurement of basal temperature.
Very often you have to take the test again, as the hormonal background changes a lot in a month. Normal values for women of childbearing age and postmenopausal women will be different.
During pregnancy, with each trimester, the content of progesterone increases significantly. Taking medications can have the strongest effect on blood progesterone levels, and therefore it is necessary to inform specialists about which drugs the patient is taking before taking tests.
Reduced level
If the concentration of the element is reduced, violations occur in the cycle, pregnancy becomes impossible, and miscarriages simply occur at the initial stage. Low progesterone occurs in he althy women.
Leveling may occur due to a strict diet, when the body does not receive nutrients for a long time. Stress, overwork, genetic predisposition also affect.
Pathological conditions of the ovaries, thyroid gland, pituitary gland can also be the reason that the hormone in the body of a woman is not enough.
At the same time, the symptoms are quite bright - cycle disturbances occur, menstruation is delayed, amenorrhea develops,oligomenorrhea. In cases where a woman is interested in pregnancy, she will not come. Lack of the hormone will lead to arbitrary termination of pregnancy.
For this reason, the normalization of the level of this hormone is started at least 2-3 months before the moment when a woman wants to become pregnant. As a rule, treatment consists in taking hormonal medications. Since the risk of miscarriage increases many times with a drop in the level of the hormone, the question of how to increase progesterone in a woman's body is asked by doctors, prescribing similar drugs to already pregnant women.
It is important to adjust the diet of the patient. To normalize the level for the long term, it is important to correctly identify the causes of failures. In cases where a woman is pregnant, seek and eliminate the cause after she gives birth.
Symptoms of elevated progesterone levels will vary from patient to patient. Indeed, in many ways, the effect of the hormone on the body is also due to the individual characteristics of the body. So, in someone, its increased content is manifested in visual impairment.
Uterine bleeding, liver cirrhosis can affect the level of progesterone in the blood. In some cases, this is a side effect of kidney failure. A malignant neoplasm in the adrenal glands also provokes disruptions in the production of progesterone.
For these reasons, it is important that the hormonal background is corrected strictly under the supervision of specialists of the appropriate profile. Unauthorized intake of certain drugs can only aggravate the pathological condition of a woman, as well as ignoringsymptoms.
It is unlikely that the hormonal background in the presence of pathology normalizes on its own, most likely, a woman will only miss the time when treatment could be simpler. At the same time, such violations will significantly interfere with the normal life of a woman. It is extremely important to adjust its content during pregnancy, because progesterone affects both the general condition of the woman and the development and formation of some tissues of the embryo itself. He is also responsible for the elasticity of ligaments, muscles during childbirth. Its deficiency can increase the likelihood of perineal rupture. It is for these reasons that all pregnant women are advised to see a doctor on a regular basis.
