How to Naturally Support Progesterone Levels

Helpful ways to balance our hormones with Madeline MacKinnon

I’ve shared with you all before on my journey to balancing my hormones. Like many women, I was high on estrogen in my thirties. This led to anxiety, swollen breasts, and ovarian cysts. Unfortunately our environment makes this balancing act very challenging. The benefits of having healthy levels of progesterone are higher and lasting feelings of well-being and relaxation, greater fertility, increased libido, prevention of bone loss, and much more.

I am thrilled to have Madeline MacKinnon share her wisdom and knowledge on how she can help us in this state. He is the founder ofNatural Hormone Healingnutritionist, and women’s health coach. This short interview that gives us a window into Madeline’s habits is followed by her detailed article on how to naturally support progesterone levels.

Local Rose: What makes your heart sing?
Madeline Mackinnon:Being immersed in nature connects me to my soul. Nothing makes me happier than taking a cold dip in mountain rivers and lakes and lying in the sun afterwards.

LR: What started you on this path to helping women with hormonal health?
MM:In fact, a few years ago I had really strong PMS symptoms. Right after I ovulated, my mood was very bad and it affected my mental health and relationships. I also had abnormally sore breasts and couldn’t wear a normal bra. I had already put on some clothes so I could go without them. Then I changed some things in my diet and started taking a few supplements. And for the first time in years my period ‘appeared’ without warning. I was surprised at how well I was working. It was then that I realized that many of the ‘normal’ period symptoms such as period pain and PMS have hormonal imbalances that can be completely corrected.

LR: Do you feel like hormone problems are an epidemic or are we more aware now?
MM:Yes, hormonal problems are a big problem now because of our modern lifestyle. We’re exposed to more hormone-disrupting chemicals through products and foods, we’re constantly in front of technology that disrupts our circadian rhythms, and we’re managing more stress from our jobs and social circles to be at the top of our game. All of these lifestyle factors affect hormones and as a result I see many symptoms of hormonal imbalance in women.

LR: What are three things women can do to keep their libido hormones on?
MM:A healthy libido is important for normal health, so it is important to pay attention to it. Stress lowers testosterone which is your main libido hormone. To protect your libido, focus on reducing stress through deep breathing, essential oils, meditation, or anything that helps you get out of your head and into your body.

You can also include adaptogenic herbs such as cordyceps mushroom, damiana leaf and schizandra berry. These plants help to get the juices flowing and activate the libido.

Finally, Vitamin D is important for testosterone production. Spending 30 minutes outside without sunglasses and sunscreen, especially in the morning, is the key to high testosterone levels.

LR: Do you have a beauty secret or ritual?
MM:I like spritzing with rose or neroli hydrosol after showering or washing my face. When I trained under a herbalist, I learned that most municipal water is alkaline and these hydrosols have the same pH as the skin. I use these hydrosols to rebalance my skin’s pH and provide the healing compounds of the flowers as well.

LR: Do you have a mantra or motto that you live by?
MM:My mottos are, “Do what makes you alive” and “Be in tune with your heart”.

LR: What 3 foods are always in stock?
MM:Tahini- This is sesame seed butter and I love it because it’s so versatile. I use it to make my own lemon tahini sauce that I use as a vegan gravy, cheese sauce, or as a sweet topping for any savory dish. I also use tahini to make tahini freezer fudge which is my afternoon snack.

Zucchini- I always buy zucchini because it’s so versatile. I like to BBQ it and roll it up for noodle dishes.

Sweet Potatoes- This is my favorite complex carbohydrate. It is also good for building progesterone.

LR: What about your nightstand?
MM:My silk eye mask from Swanwick Sleep, frankincense essential oil, breast massage oil from Living Libations.

How to Naturally Support Progesterone Levels

by Madeline MacKinnon

Progesterone is an important hormone needed for balanced mood, bone density and metabolism; however, I find that most of the women I work with are lacking. Often, women with this hormone imbalance believe their symptoms are ‘normal’ and do not seek treatment.

Common symptoms of low progesterone are:

– The luteal phase is less than 9 days
-menstrual cycle less than 23 days
– PMS emotional imbalances such as anxiety, depression and crying
– dysmenorrhea
– hard times
– ovarian cysts
– uterine fibroids
-fertility problems
– frequent miscarriages
-night sweats
– cyclical acne

From this long list of symptoms, it is easy to see how low progesterone can have a severe impact on quality of life. In this article, I will explain how to restore progesterone levels naturally using diet, herbs and lifestyle.

What is progesterone?
The body creates progesterone through the process of ovulation. After ovulation, the follicle surrounding the egg changes into a corpus luteum, which produces progesterone. Eventually the corpus luteum shrinks and dissolves, and low levels of both progesterone and estrogen cause menstruation.

You can check progesterone levels with a blood or dried urine test taken between days 19-21 of your cycle. If you track your cycle by monitoring your basal temperature, adequate levels of progesterone will cause your temperature to rise and stay high for at least 10 days before your period.

So how can you increase progesterone?
If you have chronically low progesterone, doctors and other doctors often prescribe progesterone cream or bioidentical progesterone pills. This method works for women but can suppress ovulation if not used properly. I prefer to help the body produce its own progesterone if possible. This can be done by improving follicular health, which affects the quality of the corpus luteum and therefore the level of progesterone produced.

Here is my 3-part method for increasing progesterone naturally:

Manage stress
Stress depletes progesterone and other important hormones such as thyroid hormones. Have you noticed that you have a longer or shorter cycle due to stress? That’s because the body prioritizes survival over reproduction in times of stress. To increase progesterone, you may need to see what can be done to reduce and control stress.

Reduce inflammation
Inflammatory foods can increase the production of chemicals that cause pain and nausea during your period. You may need to eliminate refined sugar, gluten and dairy and avoid PUFA fats such as vegetable, corn, and canola oils.

Increase nutrition
Certain nutrients are hormone building blocks and others support the health of the corpus luteum.

Here are my top 4 progesterone builders:

#1 Healthy saturated fats like organic ghee, coconut oil and egg yolks
#2 Selenium from Brazil nuts, shellfish, grass-fed beef, and buffalo
#3 Vitamin B6 in sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, turkey, wild cod, and radishes
#4 Beta Carotene and Fat-Soluble Vitamin A from yams, cod liver oil, and seabuckthorn berry

I also recommend incorporating healing herbs that can help support progesterone such as oregano, thyme, and saffron.

A recipe for increasing progesterone
In my practice I create nutritious recipes to support certain hormones. My signature method of healing includes elixirs, which are herbal tea lattes that provide a delicious delivery system for food-based medicine.

My ‘liquid sun’ elixir lifts mood, boosts energy and relieves PMS symptoms. Seabuckthorn trees grow in abundance on the plains of Canada. They produce bright orange berries that are high in Vitamin E which helps your body process estrogen and is good for the skin.

This delicious drink also contains citrus essential oils to detoxify excess estrogen. Enjoy this elixir daily after ovulation to reap all its benefits.

Seabuckthorn Saffron Liquid Sunshine

2 cups gynostemma tea, warm

2 Tbsp Solberry seabuckthorn puree or powder

1 Tbsps coconut oil

1 Tbsp lucuma powder

2 tsp honey

2-3 strands of saffron

1 drop of food grade tangerine or orange essential oil

1 pinch of sea salt

Place all ingredients in a high speed blender. Blend until smooth and frothy.

The conclusion

Some type of hormonal imbalance is at the root of all period-related problems, and low progesterone is the most common. This hormone imbalance causes short-term problems and long-term health issues, so it’s important to make sure progesterone levels are normal. Whether you have low progesterone or not, you can raise it by actively managing the amount of stress you’re under, avoiding inflammatory foods, and including enough ‘hormone-healthy’ foods in your diet. Just doing these three things regularly will make a huge difference in your hormonal health.

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