Hormone Highlight: Progesterone

Progesterone is made in the ovaries, corpus luteum, placenta, and the adrenal glands. The main way we make progesterone on a regular basis is by ovulating during our menstrual cycles.

Progesterone, like estrogen, is an important hormone for your health. It has numerous roles in the body:

  • it causes the uterine lining to stay thick and stable in the 2nd half of your menstrual cycle to allow for egg implantation
  • it decreases uterine contractions
  • it supports blood flow to the uterus
  • it helps maintain pregnancy and low progesterone is implicated in recurrent pregnancy loss and unexplained infertility
  • it increases the process of bone formation
  • it supports brain cell survival
  • it has anti-inflammatory properties
  • it balances out i.e. opposes the effects of estrogen
  • it makes cervical mucus tackier and thicker in the second half of the cycle creating a less hospitable environment for sperm (and anything else that might get in vaginally
the word "progesterone" in bold hot pink letters with 3 shining starts beside it