How To Increase Progesterone Naturally – My 3-Step Proven Method

Weight gain, bloating, irritability, painful periods, hot flashes, or trouble sleeping? These are only some of the low progesterone symptoms. When I did my hormone test in my late 20’s my progesterone levels were almost non-existence which came as a huge surprise as in your 20s you should enjoy peak fertility and hormonal balance. It was not the case because of my diet and overexercising. So, in this article, I want to share with you my 3-step effective and proven methodd to increase your progesterone levels naturally and discover more balanced and harmonious life! 🙂

The Impact of Progesterone on Women’s Health

Progesterone is known as a fertility or pregnancy hormone and it is but… There is so much more to it! Balanced progesterone levels in relation to estrogen help you feel more relaxed, sleep better, enjoy pain-free periods and healthy lean body. Nowadays, because of stress, toxins and foods depleted from nutrients, a lot of women struggle with low progesterone and estrogen dominance symptoms. Thats why if you want to feel and look at your best, ensuring your progesterone levels are optimal is so important. You can do it by implementing simple habits and certain foods that will help you support and increase progesterone levels naturally! Let’s dive into the world of how to increase progesterone levels and support hormonal balance.

What Is The Best Way To Increase Progesterone Naturally? My 3 Step Method

There are several natural approaches to increasing progesterone levels. However, today, Im going to share with you my 3 step method that I found the most effective if it comes to increasing progesterone levels.

• Step 1. The first one you may not like it but it is reducing stress. Both physical stress and emotional stress. Physical stress is excess exercise, lack of sleep or too much coffee and sugar. Emotional stress is not feeling enough, lack of acceptance, overthinking, need to control everything or people pleasing. Excess stress increases cortisol that will ‘steal’ your progesterone. I will explain more in a bit.
• Step 2. Once you create a favourable environment (low to moderate stress), then it’s time to ensure you get enough of key nutrients necessary to produce progesterone. Zinc (gras feed beef, pumpkin seed), Vitamin B6 (sweet potatoes), magnesium (raw cacao) and vitamin C (kiwi or bell peppers) are the most important for progesterone production. Getting enough of those will help you increase progesterone levels naturally.
• Step 3. Then hydration & electrolyte balance. Poor hydration and not getting enough electrolytes like sodium, potassium, magnesium can increase cortisol. With increased levels of cortisol, your body will struggle with producing enough of progesterone. My favourite way to stay hydrated and get the key electrolytes is adding pinch of himalayan salt to filtered water and drinking coconut water. Especially when I exercise as with sweat we lose lots of minerals

These, are the 3 essential steps if it comes to increasing progesterone levels naturally but there are also few other changes if you want to really optimise your hormonal balance and progesterone-estrogen ratio.

What is The Best Diet To Increase Progesterone Levels Naturally?

If you know me already, you probably know that Im not really advocate for any diet but more balanced and personalised approach. However if it comes to increasing progesterone levels naturally, I definitely don’r recommend vegan, vegetarian or purely carnivore and keto diets. With health and feeling great it’s always about balance so as a rule of thumb you want to aim more for mediterranean and palo style diet with moderate amount of quality carbs. That means consume variety of fruits, vegetables, olive oil, quality meats, fish, nuts & seeds and low lectins grains like quinoa for example.

Vegan and vegetarian diets are pretty low in essential nutrients like zinc for example unless you eat unrealistic amounts of pumpkin seeds. Carnivore and keto are rich in those nutrients but if you continue with carnivore or keto diet for too long it can negatively impact your gut microbiome and increase gut inflammation or gut permeability (so called leaky gut).

When you gut is compromised, progesterone production will be impaired

What Else Helps To Increase Progesterone Levels

What else extremely important if it comes to increasing progesterone levels naturally are healthy fats.

• Incorporating healthy fats into your diet is also key to boosting progesterone levels. Foods like avocados, olive oil, chia seeds and fatty fish provide essential fatty acids that are vital for hormone production. These fats not only promote the synthesis of hormones but also help reduce inflammation in the body, which can further support hormonal balance and optimal levels of progesterone. Aim to include a variety of these healthy fats in your meals for optimal results. You can also read here more how to improve omega 3:6 ratio – also very important for keeping inflammation in check and increasing your progesterone levels

Foods To Improve Progesterone-Estrogen Ratio

Increasing your progesterone levels successfully is also influenced by your current levels of estrogen. Unfortunately estrogen dominance is so prevalent amongst women nowadays (even in menopause). Below I will share with you few diet changes you can incorporate to ensure that your estrogen is broken down to healthy metabolites (like 2-OH and not 4-OH) and also it gets excreted instead of being reabsorbed from your gut.

• First, cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli (especially broccoli sprouts), cauliflower, swiss chard. They are particularly noteworthy as they contain compounds that help the body metabolize estrogen effectively. By promoting estrogen clearance, these foods can aid in increasing your progesterone levels.

• Secondly, high fiber foods (soluble fibre in particular). Fiber helps regulate blood sugar levels and promotes healthy digestion, which can influence hormone production. Foods like organic oats, chia seeds, carrots, yellow-green bananas and apples excellent sources of fiber. Moreover, carrots and bananas also contain pectin – a special type of fibre that is important for estrogen clearance and increasing your progesterone levels naturally.

• Lastly, sugar! Don’t forget about hugely damagin impact of sugar on hormonal balance and progesterone production. Sugar depletes your body from zinc. As we said earlier, zinc is number one nutrients that your body uses to make progesterone. Also, high sugar intake can lead to insulin resistance, which may contribute to hormonal imbalances, including low progesterone. Aim to limit processed sugars, sweeteners and refined carbohydrates in your diet. As a rule of thumb the less sugar the better and aim for 50-60g of all sugars a day. Replace added sugars and sweeteners with honey where possible. By choosing the right foods that supports both progesterone and estrogen levels, you can foster a healthier hormonal environment and simply feel better:)

Here you can download my FREE Sugar Detox Guide How To Over Come Sugar Cravings in 14 Days

Supplements to Increase Progesterone Levels

When it comes to naturally increasing progesterone levels, supplements can help you massively as well as sometimes it’s simply difficult to get enough nutrients from food. Especially if you are stressed and working out couple of times a week.

So the top 3 supplement are vitaminC, B6 and also L-Arginine. One study showed that women who supplemented 750mg of vitamin C, their progesterone levels increased by over 70%. Another study showed that L-Arginine helped to increase progesterone levels in 71% women. However, if it comes to L-arginine, be careful if you struggle with histamine intolerance, allergies or MCAS as l-arginine apart from its benefits, it is also known to increase histamine.

Adaptogenic Herbal Remedies To Boost Progesterone Production

Certain herbs have been traditionally used for their hormone-balancing properties. One of the most notable herbs is Vitex, also known as Chaste Tree. This herb has been shown to help stimulate the pituitary gland, which in turn can increases progesterone production. Studies suggest that Vitex may be particularly beneficial for women experiencing premenstrual syndrome (PMS) or irregular menstrual cycles, as it helps to normalize hormonal fluctuations.

Another effective herbal remedy is Maca root, a Peruvian plant known for its adaptogenic properties. Maca has been associated with improved hormone balance, and while it doesn’t directly increase progesterone levels, it helps support overall hormonal health. By nourishing the endocrine system, Maca can enhance your body’s ability to produce progesterone naturally. This makes it an excellent addition to your daily regimen or smoothies, particularly if you’re feeling the effects of hormonal imbalances.

In addition to these herbs, another one to consider are adrenal supporting herbs. When adrenals are under stress, they will always prioritise to produce cortisol first and not progesterone. There are quite few adrenal herbs like Ashwagandha, Rhodiola Rosea, Holy Basil, Schisandra. Which one is the best? Each of them has slightly different properties so when choosing herbs it’s good to consider what are other symptoms that you struggle with at the moment.

7-9h Restful Sleep to Support Progesterone Levels

One of the most impactful changes you can make is to prioritize a balanced sleep schedule. Quality sleep is essential for hormone regulation, including the production of progesterone. Aim for 7-9 hours of restorative sleep each night, and establish a calming bedtime routine to enhance your sleep quality. This could include activities such as reading, meditation, or gentle yoga, which can help signal your body that it’s time to wind down. Using fitness tracker like Whoop or Oura can be helpful as well as they will literally notify you when to go to bed and also you will see more detailed breakdown of your sleep and how much you spent in the ‘restorative sleep’ zone.

Toxins – The Biggest Enemy For Progesterone-Estrogen Balance

Furthermore, consider reducing exposure to environmental toxins, as these can disrupt progesterone-estrogen balance. Everyday products, from cleaning supplies to personal care items, can contain endocrine disruptors that may increase estrogen levels and lead to estrogen dominance (low progesterone). Opt for natural or organic products when possible, and educate yourself on ingredient labels to minimize exposure to harmful substances. By making conscious lifestyle choices, you can significantly support your body’s ability to maintain optimal progesterone levels.

Reduce Stress To Boost Progesterone

Chronic stress is one of the most significant factors affecting hormonal balance, including progesterone production. Mindfulness practices, such as meditation or breathwork (my favourite) and journaling can effectively reduce stress levels, allowing your body to focus on producing essential hormones.

Additionally, spending time in nature can significantly reduce stress and improve your overall well-being. Nature has a calming effect on the mind and body, helping to lower cortisol levels and promote relaxation. Aim for at least 1h outdoors a day. Whether it’s a walk in the park, hiking in the woods, or simply sitting in a park, immersing yourself in nature can be a simple yet effective way to alleviate stress and support healthy progesterone levels.

How To Workout To Support Progesterone Levels?

Regular moderate exercise is one of the best natural methods to support hormonal balance However, excess exercise, especially in the luteal phase (second half of the cycle) can negatively impact your progesterone levels. That was the biggest mistake I have been doing for years and as a result ended up with pretty non existent progesterone levels.

So heavy weights, crossfit and overexercising in general are big ‘NOs’ if it comes to maintaining healthy progesterone levels. Moderation is the key. If you like push yourself hard at the gym, do it but not everyday and make sure you balance it with enough rest, sleep, enough carbs, anti-inflammatories like turmeric or ginger for example and also probiotics as excess exercise can be disrupt your gut microbiome.

Here you can watch my video guide ‘How To Workout For Hormonal Balance & Fat Loss’

If you want to increase your progesterone levels, choose moderate aerobic activities, such as walking, cycling, dancing or swimming. Incorporating strength training into your routine can be also benefitial but focus on less weights and more reps. Resistance training helps increase muscle mass, which can improve insulin sensitivity and overall metabolic health. This, in turn, can positively influence hormonal balance.

Key Takeaways

Follow the 3 steps I shared with you as your bare minimum. If you feel that’s easy, add more:)

Focus on progesterone boosting foods: grass fed beef, sweet potatoes, raw cacao + plenty of colorful veggies

Stay hydrated

Active and…

Don’t forget that managing stress should be number one priority!