Have you ever had such an experience-

clearly you didn't do any heavy work, but you were inexplicably irritated and wanted to get angry; you were so sleepy in bed at night, but your brain felt like a small concert; no matter how expensive the essence was applied to your face, your skin color was still dark and yellow; menstruation came in a mess, either in advance or delayed, and the amount suddenly increased and decreased.

If you are in your thirties or early forties, these symptoms are likely not that you have changed, but that the progesterone in your body is decreasing.

1. What is progesterone?

Progesterone, also known as progesterone, is one of the two core sex hormones in women. Estrogen is responsible for making women "grow", while progesterone is responsible for "stabilizing" everything.

Its role in fertility is familiar to everyone: preparing the endometrium to welcome the embryo, inhibiting uterine contraction so that the embryo is squeezed out, and regulating immunity so that the mother cannot reject the fetus. But what many people don't know is that progesterone is equally important for the whole body:

③ Balancing hormones: Prevent estrogen from dominating the family, protect the endometrium and breast

, ③ Soothing nerves: It has a natural sedative effect, which can help you relax, fall asleep, stabilize your emotions

③ Protect bones: Stimulate osteoblasts and help maintain bone density

③ Participate in metabolism: Affects thyroid function, insulin sensitivity and fat metabolism

. It can be said that progesterone is a "stabilizer" in a woman's body-it's here, everything is stable; as soon as it goes, all kinds of chaos comes.

2. If progesterone is insufficient, how will your body call the police?

The decline in progesterone does not happen overnight. It will slowly signal you, but many people don't understand it.

③ Menstruation disorder first: This is the early and most direct signal. Shorter cycles, dragging periods, increasing and decreasing periods, and dripping non-menstrual bleeding-these are all telling you that there is not enough progesterone.

③ Emotional collapse follows: Progesterone has a sedative effect on the nervous system. As soon as it is less, people will easily be irritable, anxious, and easily affected. Many women have dramatic temperaments during premenstrual or perimenopause. It is not a personality problem, but hormones.

③ Unable to sleep well: difficulty falling asleep, always waking up at night, opening eyes before dawn-the natural sleep-aid effect of progesterone disappears, and sleep quality naturally declines.

③ Skin deterioration: The root cause of dullness, sallow, and slack that cannot be saved by skin care products may not be the epidermis, but the endocrine system. If progesterone is insufficient and estrogen is relatively high, the skin condition will deteriorate.

③ Bones quietly become brittle: If progesterone is low for a long time, bone density will slowly be lost. Many people wait until the fracture is broken before discovering it, but by then it is too late.

3. These foods can help you stabilize progesterone

. Of course, food cannot replace drugs, but for people with mild progesterone deficiency or who want preventive conditioning, daily diet is a very mild aid.

·Soybeans and soy products: soy milk, tofu, dried bean curd. Soy isoflavones have a structure similar to progesterone and can play a mild regulatory role. A cup of soy milk a day can help maintain hormone balance.

·Tomatoes: Lycopene can help maintain regular menstrual cycles and relieve skin problems caused by hormone fluctuations. It is better to absorb when cooked and eaten.

·Fig: Contains plant compounds with similar actions to progesterone, and is also rich in dietary fiber and minerals, which indirectly helps hormone synthesis.

·Seaweed such as kelp: Rich in iodine and minerals, thyroid health is a prerequisite for hormone balance. When there is a problem with the thyroid gland, menstruation and ovulation will be affected.

·Nuts such as walnuts and almonds: High-quality fatty acids and vitamin E can protect ovarian cells from oxidative damage and indirectly support the production of progesterone.

·Black rice, black beans, and black sesame: High anthocyanins and vitamin E content, strong antioxidant ability, help delay the decline of ovarian function.

·Flax seeds and pumpkin seeds: Rich in lignans and zinc and magnesium. Zinc is involved in hormone synthesis, and magnesium can relieve anxiety and muscle tension. Eat and absorb better after grinding.

·Dark fruits and vegetables: broccoli, spinach, blueberries, avocados-these foods are rich in B vitamins, magnesium and antioxidants and are the "logistics" for hormone synthesis.

·Lycium barbarum: Traditionally used to nourish liver and kidney. Modern research has found that it can regulate the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis and has a balancing effect on the entire reproductive hormone system.

·Eggs: Especially egg yolks, are a good source of cholesterol. Cholesterol is the precursor of all sex hormones, and moderate intake is essential for hormone synthesis.

4. Written at the end

, progesterone is not a hormone that is only needed for pregnancy. It has been silently guarding your menstruation, emotions, sleep, skin and bones since your adolescence.

If you find yourself having one of the signs mentioned above-irregular menstruation, bad temper, poor sleep, poor skin-don't rush to blame yourself for being "old" or "pretentious." Go to the endocrinology department first and check six hormones. Many times, it's not your fault, it's your progesterone calling for help.

Of course, food conditioning can only play a supporting role. If the symptoms have significantly affected your life, please be sure to seek the help of a professional doctor. Use the medicine when it is time to take it, and don't force it.

After all, the "small matter" of progesterone is related to the quality of your life for the rest of your life.