Every month when we ovulate our ovaries release progesterone. Progesterone does the incredibly important job of maintaining our uterine lining for possible pregnancy, but another one of its often overlooked jobs is to keep us calm. How does it do that, you ask? Once progesterone is released it stimulates GABA receptors in the brain. GABA is our main inhibitory neurotransmitter, meaning that it helps to lower stress and anxiety, producing an overall calming effect. When women don't ovulate, or their ovaries don't produce enough progesterone, they can have difficulty dealing with stress, particularly in the last half of their cycle. Other symptoms of low progesterone include:
Spotting before the first day of bleeding
Cyclical breast pain Period clots If you have any of these symptoms, you should check your progesterone levels. This is best done by measuring serum progesterone on day 21 of your cycle. Your progesterone should be greater then 3 nmol/L - this lets us know that you have ovulated.
If your ready to get support with your hormones, book your appointment today.
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