The 6 Big Reasons Why Menopause, Estrogen Dominance and Low Progesterone Can Greatly Inhibit Your Ability to Lose Weight & Keep it Off

Excessive Estrogen Turns More Calories Into Fat.

You can see the dramatic effects of this in the dairy industry. They give excess amounts of estrogen to the cows because it fattens them up. Which is also why it is a good idea to eat and drink organic dairy and meat products. To make matters worse, your fat cells actually make more estrogen, and your estrogen causes more fatty tissue growth.

This excess fat usually accumulates around the abdomen when you are estrogen dominant, in menopause or perimenopause, because estrogen levels also impact where the body distributes fat. This is a vicious cycle that can be greatly mitigated by balancing your estrogen out with proper levels of natural progesterone.

Progesterone Helps Your Thyroid Hormones Function More Efficiently.

When you have low levels of progesterone your liver produces excess amounts of a protein called Thyroid Binding Globulin (TBG). This TBG binds to the the thyroid hormones your body makes.

This basically means it blocks, or ties up the hormone so that it is not able to be utilized properly by your body. The net effect of this is a form of Hypothyroidism that some refer to as Type 2 Hypothyroidism, which does not show up on blood tests since the problem is within your cells rather than in your blood.

Progesterone Lowers Insulin Levels.

Insulin is affected by hormone imbalance, menopause, perimenopause and estrogen dominance can lead to the release of excess insulin. Increases in insulin can lead to sugar cravings that can be hard to control.

This is why many women crave chocolate or other sweets during PMS. It’s all making sense now isn’t it?

Progesterone is a Natural Anti-Inflammatory and an Appetite Suppressant.

Reducing inflammation also helps your brain to receive anther hormone called Leptin, which helps to regulate your appetite. Balanced hormones make it easier to eat in moderation and lose weight.

Progesterone is a Natural Sleep Aid.

This is because progesterone has a calming effect on the brain. Estrogen on the other hand has an excitatory effect on the brain. Because of this, women with estrogen dominance, a hormone imbalance or in menopause or perimenopause  typically sleep very restlessly.

Sleep deprivation is also associated with disrupting the hormone that regulates your appetite (Leptin). Lack of sleep has been linked to both increased calorie consumption and reduced energy expenditure (more calories in and fewer calories out).

Progesterone Reduces Fluid Retention.

When Estrogen levels are not balanced out by adequate levels of progesterone, as in menopause or perimenopause women tend to retain more fluid than usual. Progesterone is a natural diuretic and can greatly reduce bloating and swelling.

Progesterone vs. Progestins.

It is critically important to understand the differences between bio-identical progesterone and the drugs called progestins. Bio-identical progesterone is molecularity identical to what your body makes, and therefore is able to recognize and use it the same as the progesterone your body makes.

Progestins on the other hand do not have the same molecular structure and as such thy are not treated the same way by your body.
The reason progestins are not the same as what your body makes is because for a drug company to patent their drug it can not be a molecule that already exists in nature.
Patents are how drug companies make money, so bio-identical hormones are not profitable for them, and in fact are in direct competition to their profits.

Not only do Progestins (synthetic progesterone) not relieve the symptoms of menopause, perimenopause, estrogen dominance and hormone imbalances, but they can actually worsen or even be the cause of the problems in the first place.
The negative effects of progestins are exacerbated by the fact that they actually shut down your body’s production of its own progesterone.

This is why when women use birth control pills, which contain progestins, they tend to gain weight, retain fluid and exhibit the other symptoms of estrogen dominance.
An interesting fact about birth control pills is that the original research conducted to develop birth control pills were conducted with natural progesterone, but was later altered so that it could be patented.