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Stacey Feintuch

Stacey Feintuch is a Blogger, Freelance Writer, Public Speaker and Young-ish Widow

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woman suffering from a headache due to Low Progesterone Symptoms
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Low Progesterone Symptoms

Progesterone is a hormone that regulates many functions in a woman's body. Learn to recognize low progesterone and what you can do about it.

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Your Health

Progesterone is a hormone in the body that stimulates and regulates various functions. It's produced in the adrenal gland, the ovaries and the placenta (if you’re pregnant). It helps prepare your body for pregnancy and conception, regulates your menstrual cycle and affects your libido. If you don't have enough progesterone, you may have difficulty getting or staying pregnant.

Progesterone levels

Progesterone levels fluctuate throughout your menstrual cycle. Your numbers rise each month during the second half of the menstrual cycle, about seven days before your period. That's because one of progesterone’s most important functions is to cause the uterine lining to give off special proteins to prepare it for an implanted fertilized egg. If the lining isn't thick enough, implantation won't happen.

If you don't have an implantation, your estrogen and progesterone levels drop. That triggers your uterine lining to break down, and you get your period, which sheds the lining.

Read: The Female Reproductive Cycle >>

If you do have an implantation and get pregnant, progesterone is produced in the placenta and the levels remain high during pregnancy. Levels are even higher if you're having more than one baby.

The combination of high estrogen and progesterone levels stops ovulation during pregnancy. Progesterone also causes your milk-producing glands in the breast to grow during pregnancy, which is what allows your breasts to make milk for nursing.

“Normal” progesterone levels depend on a person's age and gender. For women and people assigned female at birth, factors include where you are in your menstrual cycle and whether you’re pregnant.

Low progesterone causes

Low progesterone levels may be caused by:

  • Possible miscarriage
  • Ovulation or ovary problems
  • Menopause

Low progesterone symptoms

If you’re not pregnant, some symptoms of low progesterone include:

If you're pregnant, you need progesterone to maintain your uterus until you give birth. If your levels are too low, you may not be able to carry the baby to term.

Some symptoms of low progesterone levels in pregnant women include:

  • Spotting
  • Abdominal pain
  • Frequent low blood sugar
  • Regularly tender breasts
  • Constant fatigue
  • Vaginal dryness

Progesterone and estrogen hormones complement one another. So, when you don't have enough progesterone, estrogen dominates. And that can lead to symptoms such as:

A simple blood test — a PGSN, or progesterone test — can help you find out if your progesterone levels are too low. It can help you figure out why you’re having trouble getting pregnant, confirm whether you’ve ovulated, monitor hormone therapy (formerly called hormone replacement therapy) and assess the status of a high-risk pregnancy.

Read: Clinically Speaking: What You Need to Know About Hormone Therapy >>

Treatment for low progesterone

Several types of treatments can help address low progesterone symptoms. If you're trying to conceive, hormone therapy can help increase progesterone and thicken your uterine lining. That may improve your chances of getting pregnant. If you have severe menopause symptoms, your hormone therapy will likely be a combination of progesterone and estrogen.

Natural remedies to boost low progesterone levels include:

  • Eating more foods with zinc, such as shellfish, whole grains and nuts
  • Upping your intake of vitamins B and C, which help maintain progesterone levels
  • Regulating stress levels (cortisol is released when you're very stressed, reducing progesterone levels)

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C. diff is the name of a common, easily transmittable infection caused by the bacterium Clostridioides difficile. The infection causes your colon (bowel) wall to become inflamed, resulting in severe, watery diarrhea. Left untreated, it can cause a serious complication called toxic megacolon.

C. diff affects about 250,000 people in the United States every year. Some people get it only once in their lifetime, but if you have a C. diff infection, there is up to a 1 in 4 chance you might relapse (the same infection returns) or get it again within eight weeks. People at the highest risk for a C. diff infection are those who take or have recently taken antibiotics, especially if they have a weak immune system.

The bacteria live in feces (poop), and in soil and water. They spread easily and can live for a long time on hard and soft surfaces, like linens and clothing. If someone who has C. diff on their hands touches a door handle and you touch it after, the bacteria transfer to your hand. They then can enter your gastrointestinal system if you touch your mouth or handle food before washing your hands.

Protect yourself and others from getting a C. diff infection in a healthcare setting

hand washing in a hospital

If you are a patient in a hospital, skilled nursing facility or rehabilitation center, you are at higher risk of getting a C. diff infection — not just because you likely have a weak immune system from the condition that put you in the facility but also because of the number of people you may encounter while you’re there.

Here are some steps you can take to lower the risk of getting C. diff in a healthcare facility:

  1. Make sure all healthcare workers and visitors wash their hands before they touch you and your things. If you don’t see them wash their hands, ask them to do so.
  2. Wash your hands well with soap and water every time you use the bathroom. If you use a bedside commode, ask to be transported to a sink to wash your hands or use a waterless hand sanitizer.
  3. Wash your hands before eating or drinking. If you can’t get to a sink, ask the staff or a friend to supply you with a waterless hand sanitizer to use while you are in bed or sitting in your chair.
  4. Allow cleaning staff access to your environment. Clear everything off the bedside table or nightstand, and remove clothing or linens from the bedside rails so they can be wiped down.

Patients with a diagnosed C. diff infection should not share a room with someone who does not have the infection. If you do share a room and your roommate contracts C. diff, ask to be moved.

Stop the spread of C. diff at home

household cleaning supplies

C. diff doesn’t just affect people in healthcare facilities. It can happen at home, too.

Here are steps you can take to reduce the risk of spreading C. diff at home:

  1. If your home has a second bathroom, reserve one for the person with the C. diff infection to limit exposure to others.
  2. If your home has only one bathroom, make sure the toilet seat, flusher, faucets, light switches and doorknob are cleaned with a bleach-based cleaner after each use.
  3. If the infected person is immobile, keep waterless hand sanitizer within reach.
  4. Clean common home surfaces (door knobs, light switches, fridge handles, etc.).
  5. Wash clothing (especially underwear), towels and linens separately and in the hottest water possible.
  6. Wear disposable gloves while handling clothing and linens, especially if the person is incontinent (loses control of their bowels). Wash your hands after removing the gloves.
  7. Shower with soap to remove C. diff that may be on the skin.

This educational resource was created with support from Seres Therapeutics and Nestle Health Science.