HOW STRESS AFFECTS THE LUTEAL PHASE AND THE PRODUCTION OF PROGESTERONE

The luteal phase is the time from ovulation to menstruation, which lasts for 10-16 days. It’s the progesterone dominant half of the female cycle, and the length of this phase, is determined by the health of the corpus luteum. A healthy corpus luteum will produce progesterone during its lifespan, which lasts for a minimum of 10 days. If the corpus luteum aren’t healthy, it won’t produce as much progesterone, and the luteal phase will become shorter, which is why a short luteal phase is associated with low progesterone.

The most common reason for a short luteal phase, is stress. Stress can cause different disturbances in the menstrual cycle, a short luteal phase being the mildest version, to ANOVOLATORY cycles as the more severe, followed by AMENORRHEA as the most severe. Anovolatory cycles, is a menstrual cycle in which ovulation did not occur, while amenorrhea is a total loss of periods, and a sign that your body is under huge amounts of stress. Stress can be; physical, mental, emotional, undereating and deficiencies, as well as certain foods (sugar, coffee, alcohol), over exercising etc.

Pregnonelone, called «the mother hormone» is the hormone in which you produce cortisol and progesterone from. Stress causes high cortisol, so when you’re chronically stressed you will sacrifice the production of progesterone, and rather make cortisol (called pregnenolone steal). Under normal circumstances, pregnenolone is converted into progesterone, but when you are stressed, you’ll convert your pregnenolone to cortisol at the expense of progesterone, which gives you less progesterone, and more cortisol. This shows how your body DOES NOT want to, nor can, make progesterone in an stressful environment.

For this reason, reducing stress is actually the most important way to increase progesterone production.

REDUCE STRESS

• Find methods to manage stress (nature, yoga, meditation, walks, reading)

• Sleep enough (sleeping by 10pm is crucial when balancing hormones)

• Eat enough (avoid any kind of starvation that triggers stress)

• Practice self-care