Natural progesterone improves sleep, has a calming effect, lowers blood pressure, increases scalp hair, and is a natural anti depressant & diuretic. It stimulates production of new bone, improves libido & enhances the thyroid hormones.
Symptoms of low progesterone include anxiety, depression, irritability, mood swings, insomnia, pain & inflammation, excessive menstruation, nervousness, migraine headaches especially before the period, weight gain, decreased libido & decreased HDL cholesterol.
Causes of low progesterone include impaired production from low LH ( from pituitary ), increased prolaction production, stress, certain anti depressants, excessive arginine consumption, sugar, or a decrease in thyroid activity, low vitamin A, B6, C & zinc.
Like with everything if there is an imbalance and progesterone is taken for a prolonged time without adequate estrogen, you may experience weight gain, depression, fatigue, lowered libido, increased insulin resistance, increased carbohydrate cravings, gut bloating with constipation and increased cholesterol levels.
Recently because progesterone relaxes coronary arteries and blood pressure, the clotting risk is reduced particularly after surgery. It also has been shown to have a protective effect on stroke, brain & spinal injury cases.
Progesterone can be rubbed on as a cream or taken as a slow release capsule which crosses the blood brain barrier to help restore sleep.