5 Amazing Ways Progesterone Helps Weight Loss

For women, the balance between oestrogen and progesterone is one really important factor when it comes to holding onto weight. 

When both of these are balanced, metabolism functions well, but if the progesterone levels are too low for the oestrogen, then oestrogen is the dominant hormone and weight gain can be the result. 

Unfortunately, there is no magic bullet for weight loss — and when it comes to hormones, it's important to take the dose that your body needs. But bioidentical hormones can often help weight loss by balancing out the hormones that contribute to weight gain. Here’s how. 

It addresses oestrogen dominance

Oestrogen dominance contributes to belly fat. Farm animals are pumped full of oestrogen-type drugs to fatten them up. 

Classically, oestrogen dominance causes weight gain around the hips, thighs and midsection. And it’s a vicious cycle because once you gain weight, fat cells contain an enzyme called aromatase which produces more oestrogen, which makes you hold on to more weight. So what can you do? 

The obvious thing is to limit excess estrogenic foods such as dairy and too much meat. Instead, increase your consumption of dark green leafy cruciferous vegetables, mushrooms and flaxseeds. 

You can also take a supplement called DIM, which is very effective in supporting healthy oestrogen metabolism. Perhaps the most powerful way to address oestrogen dominance is to supplement with natural, bio-identical progesterone. 

Progesterone helps thyroid function

Progesterone works synergistically with the thyroid. The main job of the thyroid is to control your metabolism, which is the process that your body uses to transform food into energy. 

Thyroid hormones tell your body how much energy to use. But in the presence of low progesterone, thyroid hormones can’t do their job properly. That’s because low levels of progesterone make your body produce more thyroid-binding globulin. This binds to the thyroid hormones in your body and stops them from being utilised properly.

Increasing progesterone levels will lower the thyroid-binding globulin, allowing more of your thyroid hormones to be freely available to get on and do what they are supposed to do. 

It stops sugar cravings

Progesterone helps us relax and feel calm. Conversely, low progesterone can leave us irritated and wired, reaching for the sugar. The problem with eating sugar is that it's addictive. Once it starts it's all too easy to get trapped on a blood sugar rollercoaster, where you’re oscillating between high and low blood sugars and gaining weight around the middle. 

This belly fat contributes to oestrogen dominance, which can lead to the release of excess insulin. Correcting oestrogen dominance with progesterone can stop the release of excess insulin. 

Progesterone helps you sleep

Progesterone upregulates (increases the level of) our calming neurotransmitter, GABA. This means that progesterone can be a wonder for quieting a racing mind and helping us sleep. 

Too much oestrogen, on the other hand, has an excitatory effect on the brain; women with oestrogen dominance typically sleep very restlessly. 

Sleep deprivation is associated with weight gain because it disrupts anabolic hormone production and leptin production. Leptin is really important because it’s the hormone that is made by fat cells that signal to the brain to lower our appetite and increase metabolism. 

Lack of sleep has been linked to both increased calorie consumption and reduced energy expenditure (more calories in and fewer calories out). Giving back bioidentical progesterone can restore healthy sleep cycles. 

Progesterone reduces fluid retention

Progesterone is a natural diuretic. Low progesterone levels mean more fluid retention and symptoms such as swollen fingers and sore breasts. Having adequate progesterone levels helps you lose that fluid puff that can greatly reduce bloating and swelling.  

All of the above refers to bioidentical progesterone, not synthetic progestins. It is critically important to understand the differences between bio-identical progesterone and hormone-like drugs called progestins, because they can have opposite effects. 

Bio-identical progesterone is identical in structure to your body’s own progesterone, and it may balance other hormones to promote weight loss. When you are looking at progesterone treatment, it is key to invest in a bioidentical hormone cream.

Synthetic progestins vs progesterone

Synthetic progestins do not have the same molecular structure as your body’s own progesterone and are not treated the same way by your body. 

Progestins don’t relieve the symptoms of oestrogen dominance, and they can actually worsen or even be the cause of the problems in the first place — even shutting down your body’s production of its own progesterone. 

When women use birth control pills, which contain synthetic progestins, they are prone to the opposite effects such as gaining weight and getting fluid retention. Taking bioidentical hormones can balance your hormones to improve sleep, mood, energy, mental function and metabolism.

If you suspect you could benefit from our bioidentical PMS cream treatment, complete our online consultation process here. For more information, please get in touch with our team of expert medical advisors.