Can low progesterone cause infertility? A guide to reproductive health

Progesterone is one of the two primary sex hormones in females. Rising right after ovulation, it thickens your uterus lining to allow implantation. Later, in early pregnancy, it prevents subsequent ovulations, prepares your breasts for lactation, and otherwise helps support pregnancy.

Can low progesterone cause infertility? Yes. When this hormone is deficient, implantation may fail or there might be a miscarriage in later stages. Thus, if you are planning pregnancy, it’s important to monitor additional symptoms and consult with a healthcare provider to diagnose and treat low progesterone early.

Essential sex hormones are directly linked to your overall health and your reproductive health, in particular. While some hormonal fluctuations are completely natural during different stages of your cycle and special occurrences like pregnancy or menopause, changes in your hormonal balance that are beyond this can cause significant damage to your body and health. They can take place due to various factors, including poor lifestyle, consistent stress, and medical conditions like PCOS or PCOD. Tracking these changes is especially important when planning pregnancy because hormonal balance directly impacts the ease of conception and maternal and fetal health.

In this article, we’ll look at the impact on your fertility of one of your key hormones and answer the question – Can low progesterone cause infertility?

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What Is Progesterone?

Progesterone is one of the two main sex hormones in women. It’s an endogenous steroid hormone produced primarily in the ovaries from the corpus luteum that appears from ruptured follicles after ovulation. In smaller amounts, progesterone is also produced by your adrenal glands and by the placenta.

Progesterone levels, along with other female hormones, change through a healthy menstrual cycle. It rises right after ovulation, in the luteal phase, and drops before the start of your period if pregnancy didn’t occur.

The Role of Progesterone in Pregnancy

So, can low progesterone cause infertility? To answer this question, you need to understand the role this hormone plays in pregnancy. Let’s explore it by clarifying the function of this hormone.

Progesterone plays several important roles in your body. In particular, it helps regulate your cycle, affects mood, and impacts thyroid function. Yet, its main function is preparing your body for pregnancy.

As you already know, progesterone peaks right after the ovaries release a mature egg (ovulation) that can be fertilized. Released progesterone stimulates the endometrium (uterus lining) to grow and thicken. This is a crucial process for facilitating the implantation of a fertilized egg.

Further, progesterone plays a pivotal role in early pregnancy. If implantation occurs, its levels start growing to support fetal growth.

Progesterone builds up through all weeks of pregnancy until you go into labor. Apart from preparing the womb for implantation, it also prevents ovulation during pregnancy and prepares your breasts for lactation. That is, this hormone is important during all trimesters. However, it’s the most crucial in early pregnancy as it helps to establish and maintain a healthy pregnancy.

So, can low progesterone cause infertility? Yes, low progesterone levels before pregnancy can result in your uterine lining not being thick enough to allow implantation. This can make it harder for you to conceive. If pregnancy does occur, low progesterone levels can also give you challenges in maintaining it. So, yes, low progesterone infertility is a real thing.

Causes of Low Progesterone

Now that you know that low progesterone can contribute to infertility, you probably want to learn what can cause it in the first place. Let’s look at the most common factors:

Luteal Phase Defect

Luteal phase defect or luteal phase deficiency is a condition in which the luteal phase of your cycle doesn’t run as it’s supposed to. Scientists still don’t know the specific cause of this defect. Nevertheless, it’s certainly related to lowered progesterone levels, which result in the inability of your uterine lining to grow and thicken enough to support pregnancy. Females with this condition can face infertility or miscarriage. 

Ovulation Issues

Any kind of ovulation problem can cause low progesterone levels, including anovulation (when you don’t ovulate at all) and irregular ovulation (when it doesn’t happen every month as supposed to). When you don’t ovulate, the egg is not released, and the follicle doesn’t burst. Respectively, there is no corpus luteum to produce enough progesterone. Such issues can occur due to a variety of reasons, including:

• You have just started getting your period;
• You are in perimenopause;
• You have an insufficient body mass index (BMI);
• You have primary ovarian insufficiency (POI) or another condition affecting ovarian function, such as PCOS.

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)

PCOS is a hormonal condition that affects women in their reproductive years. This disorder is mainly characterized by irregular (or absent) periods, high levels of androgens (male hormones), and formation of multiple cysts on the outer edge of the ovaries. By affecting the ovarian function (meaning you may not have regular ovulation) and creating a hormonal imbalance, PCOS can affect your pregnancy success. And since there might be issues with ovulation, PCOS can also cause low progesterone levels.

Thyroid Dysfunction

Hypothyroidism is a condition in which your thyroid gland is slow or underactive. It can make it harder for your body to produce and release enough progesterone, causing hormonal imbalances. It can be a separate condition or go hand in hand with other conditions, often with PCOS.

Other Causes

Apart from the aforementioned issues, low progesterone can result from age-related changes. As you are getting older, your estrogen and progesterone levels change naturally. When you finally enter menopause, your levels drop significantly.

If you are not facing significant age-related changes yet, low progesterone can also result from chronic stress or use of certain medications, such as hormonal birth control and other medications that affect your metabolism or hormone production (e.g., antiprogestogens, GnRH agonists, etc.).

How to Recognize When You Have Low Progesterone Infertility

If you are trying to conceive and either can’t get pregnant or face a miscarriage in early pregnancy, there is a possibility that this is due to low progesterone. Some of the main signs that can signal this include:

• Menstrual irregularity
• Short menstrual cycle
• More pronounced premenstrual syndrome (PMS), mood swings, or anxiety
• Spotting between periods
• Sleep disturbance
• Headaches

If you notice these signs along with difficulty conceiving or maintaining pregnancy, it’s recommended that you schedule an appointment with your healthcare provider for further diagnosis.

There are several ways to detect low progesterone in a medical setting. Most often, you will take a blood test during the mid-luteal phase of your cycle, about 7-10 days after you ovulate. This test is meant to measure progesterone levels and understand whether it’s within the normal range. 

Based on test results, a healthcare professional can assign the necessary treatment and suggest working with other professionals to boost your chances of getting pregnant. 

Can You Get Pregnant With Low Progesterone?

If you are suspecting low progesterone levels but want to get pregnant, it’s natural to ask around: can you get pregnant with low progesterone? In fact, it is possible. However, as you now know, low progesterone levels can make it significantly harder to conceive and maintain your pregnancy. That’s why, if you are planning a child, proper monitoring of your symptoms and timely treatment are crucial for success.

If you consult with a healthcare provider and get diagnosed with low progesterone, there are a few management options that can help regain your hormonal balance:

• Progesterone supplementation (oral, vaginal, or injectable) - May be prescribed when the cause of infertility or miscarriage is low progesterone.
• Hormone replacement therapy - May be prescribed for your luteal phase to support the thickening of your uterus lining and make it easier to facilitate and support pregnancy.
• Ovulation stimulating medicine - May be prescribed if the cause of low progesterone is anovulation.

Additionally, healthcare providers typically recommend implementing lifestyle changes to increase the likelihood of conception. Following a proper diet and taking supplements like zinc, magnesium, and vitamin B6 can help support your reproductive and hormonal health on the inside. Proper sleep and stress-management techniques like yoga or meditation can help get rid of stress, which might exacerbate a hormonal imbalance. And managing your physical activity and weight can also boost the chances of getting pregnant.

With the right and timely approach, it’s possible to restore hormonal balance, treat low progesterone infertility, and conceive. However, it’s important to work with a healthcare provider and fertility specialists to ensure that you are getting proper treatment.

FAQ

Can low progesterone cause infertility?

Yes. Progesterone is one of the essential hormones in your reproductive system. It’s responsible for preparing your uterus lining for implantation and supporting pregnancy after implantation. When its levels are low, you can have difficulty conceiving and maintaining pregnancy.

How do I know I can’t conceive because of low progesterone?

Difficulty with conception can’t be caused by a variety of reasons, not only low progesterone. Thus, it’s important to pay attention to other symptoms, such as menstrual irregularity, short menstrual cycle, PMS, mood swings, anxiety, spotting between periods, sleep disturbance, and headaches. To know for sure, you should consult with a healthcare provider and take a blood test for progesterone levels.

Can you get pregnant with low progesterone?

It’s possible. However, low levels of this hormone can complicate conception and pregnancy maintenance. If unaddressed, this can lead to a miscarriage. That’s why detecting low progesterone early and treating it as suggested by a doctor is important for a successful pregnancy.

Conclusion

So, can low progesterone cause infertility? As you now know, the answer is “yes.” This hormone plays a huge role in conception and pregnancy by preparing your body for implantation and maintaining pregnancy at different stages. Respectively, when its levels are low, it can cause trouble conceiving and even miscarriage.

Luckily, this doesn’t mean that you can’t get pregnant if you have low progesterone. You just need to watch out for symptoms of hormonal imbalance and diagnose it early. A healthcare provider can help you improve your progesterone levels and successfully conceive.

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