Low Progesterone & Mood: The Hidden Cause of Anxiety, Depression, and Poor Sleep

Progesterone, for most women, is your natural Xanax. Your Zoloft. Your Ativan.

When progesterone is abnormally low, women can not only experience infertility, irregular monthly cycles, migraine headaches, miscarriages, PMS, and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), but also anxiety, depression, sleep disorders, changes in appetite, weight gain, aches and pains, irritability and difficulty concentrating.

(No one wants those ⬆️) 

Progesterone converts to a neurosteroid called allopregnanolone which calms GABA receptors (GABA receptors on nerve cells receive the chemical messages that help to inhibit or reduce nerve impulses).

PROGESTIN (note the difference) commonly found in hormonal birth control does not convert to allopregnanolone, so it does not have the same effect on mood.

Typically, an anti-depressant is prescribed for these symptoms, and they may help the symptoms go away for a time. But SSRIs/SNRIs etc don’t address the ROOT cause: low progesterone.

Using bio-identical progesterone under the direction of a functional medicine physician can actually help you feel like yourself again.

(In the meantime, you can also supplement with magnesium glycinate or bisglycinate, which supports a healthy GABA response and the amino acid glycine also calms GABA receptors.)