How to Support Progesterone Naturally And Why Low Progesterone Is Not “Just Aging”
Paige Elizabeth
Founder and Coach
Let’s start by clearing the biggest misconception in women’s health:
Low progesterone is not an inevitable consequence of getting older.
It’s a physiological adaptation to an environment that no longer feels safe.
And for many women, the issue isn’t that their body is failing — it’s that their body has been forced into long-term survival mode, where reproduction and repair are no longer priorities.
Progesterone doesn’t disappear because you hit a certain birthday.
It disappears because the system has been under-resourced, over-activated, and stuck in limbo for too long.
How Your Body Naturally Produces Progesterone
Progesterone is produced after ovulation, by the corpus luteum.
No ovulation → no progesterone.
Ovulation requires:
adequate energy
stable blood sugar
sufficient nutrients
low enough cortisol
a nervous system that does not perceive chronic threat
When the body is stressed, underfed, inflamed, or constantly braced, it makes a very intelligent decision:
“This is not a safe time to ovulate.”
That’s not dysfunction. That’s prioritization.
The Real Root Cause of Low Progesterone
Most women with low progesterone didn’t “do something wrong.”
They did what modern life quietly rewards:
chronic dieting or under-eating
fear of fat and calories
blood sugar instability
over-training or pushing through exhaustion
emotional over-responsibility
long periods of uncertainty without resolution
outsourcing decisions, authority, and intuition
living in sympathetic dominance for years
Over time, this creates a perfect storm:
cortisol stays elevated
pregnenolone is diverted to stress hormones (pregnenolone steal)
ovulation becomes inconsistent
progesterone drops
symptoms appear
Then women are told it’s aging or perimenopause, as if there’s nothing to be done.
That narrative is incomplete at best — and harmful at worst.
Stress is not the problem Unresolved stress is
I hate the advice “just lower your stress.”
That’s not realistic — and it’s not how the nervous system works.
The real issue isn’t stress itself.
It’s lack of resolution.
When decisions aren’t made and actions aren’t taken, cortisol loops.
Indecision is not neutral.
Limbo is a physiological stressor.
Unfinished business, unasserted boundaries, waiting for clarity that never comes — this erodes well-being faster than almost anything else.
Your nervous system relaxes after decisions are made, not while you’re endlessly considering them.
Authority is calming.
Authority is not control — it’s permission to assert
This is a crucial distinction.
Authority looks like:
permission to say no
permission to choose
permission to act
permission to meet your needs without justification
Authority is internal safety.
What authority is not:
outsourcing your experience
waiting for permission
letting protocols replace intuition
handing your body over to experts without context
When women live without authority, their bodies stay in a guarded state.
Guarded bodies don’t ovulate well.
Fat matters (and this is where many women go wrong)
You cannot support progesterone without adequate fat intake.
Fat is not optional for hormone health.
Progesterone is a steroid hormone. Steroid hormones require:
cholesterol
fatty acids
adequate caloric intake
Chronic low-fat or low-calorie intake:
raises cortisol
suppresses ovulation
destabilizes blood sugar
worsens hormonal signaling
Many women trying to “balance hormones” are unknowingly starving the very system they’re trying to heal.
Eating more is not the problem.
Eating enough is the solution.
Five ways to support progesterone naturally
1. Stabilize Blood Sugar
This is foundational. Blood sugar crashes trigger cortisol and adrenaline. Cortisol suppresses progesterone.Practical reality:
- Eat regularly
- Eat protein
- Eat carbs for activity level
- Stop skipping meals
- Stop glorifying hunger
2. Exit Sympathetic Dominance
Sympathetic dominance means always “on” and never landing. You fix it with:- Consistent routines
- Predictable meals
- Resistance training
- Walking after meals
- Reduced decision fatigue
- Clear boundaries
3. Resolve Stress via Action
Cortisol resolves when decisions are made and actions are taken.Waiting, hoping, and ruminating keep cortisol elevated. Clarity doesn’t come before action. It comes after.
4. Support Nutritionally
Supplements matter only when the foundation is in place.Key supports:
- Zinc (synthesis & sensitivity)
- B vitamins (especially B6)
- CoQ10 (mitochondrial energy)
- Omega-3s
- Trace minerals
5. Build Capacity
Progesterone rises when the body perceives resilience over perfection.Body perceptions:
- Adequacy
- Safety
- Authority
- Nourishment
- Resilience
| 1. Stabilize blood sugar | 2. Exit sympathetic dominance | 3. Resolve stress through action | 4. Support hormone production | 5. Build capacity, not fragility |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
This is foundational. Blood sugar crashes trigger cortisol and adrenaline. Cortisol suppresses progesterone. Practical reality:
|
Sympathetic dominance means always “on,” always braced, and never landing. You fix it with:
|
Cortisol resolves when decisions are made and action is taken. Waiting and ruminating keep cortisol elevated. Clarity doesn’t come before action. It comes after. |
Supplements matter only when the foundation is in place. Key supports:
|
Progesterone rises when the body perceives resilience over perfection. It requires:
|
The Truth About HRT and a Dysregulated System
Hormone replacement therapy is not inherently bad — but it is not neutral.
In a dysregulated system, HRT can increase dysfunction, not resolve it.
Common reactions include:
headaches
bloating
agitation
anxiety
shortness of breath
visual blurring
histamine-type responses
Why?
Because adding hormones to a system with:
unstable blood sugar
high cortisol
nervous system dysregulation
inflammation
can overwhelm receptors and amplify symptoms.
HRT is not a shortcut to regulation.
For some women it helps.
For others, it reveals how unstable the system still is.
Repairing the foundation first makes everything work better — including hormones.
The True Path to Supporting Progesterone
Low progesterone is not a personal failure.
It’s a protective adaptation.
The body will not prioritize reproduction in an environment of:
-
starvation
-
chaos
-
unresolved stress
-
chronic self-override
You don’t force progesterone back.
You create the conditions where the body says:
“We’re safe enough now.”
That’s when hormones normalize — not because you aged differently, but because you rebuilt the system they depend on.
Stop Waiting for Permission to Heal.
Low progesterone is a signal that your system is stuck.
If you are ready to stop guessing and start rebuilding the physiological safety your hormones require, let’s map out your path.