If you're low on the female steroid hormone progesterone, you might want to increase your levels to regulate your cycle or help you get pregnant. It's available in pills, creams, shots or suppositories in a naturally sourced or synthetic form, which is called progestin. You'll find it in some contraceptives, such as birth control pills or injections, as well as in hormone replacement therapies for menopausal women. However, there are some side effects associated with taking progesterone, and they are even more common with progestin.
Mood Issues
Some women get irritable or experience mood swings or depression when their progesterone levels are too high, while others get a feeling of euphoria. Depression is most common when taking a product that has only progestin, rather than one that also includes estrogen, which has a neutralizing effect on progesterone.
Sleep Issues
Some women with elevated progesterone levels also find themselves with sleep issues, which can run the gamut from tiredness--even to the point of sedation--to severe insomnia. According to Ray Sahelian, MD, bestselling author and nutrition expert, lower doses of progesterone may promote sleep, while higher doses may inhibit it. For a woman who has epilepsy, the side effect of tiredness can help decrease seizures; similarly, if she's pregnant and in danger of preterm labor caused by uterine irritability, it can reduce contractions. For most women, however, these side effects are not desirable.
Dryness and Lack of Menses
Progesterone counteracts estrogen's lubricating effect, with tends to lead to vaginal dryness. It also reverses estrogen's effect on the uterine lining's growth, which in turn can decrease, or even stop, monthly menstrual flow.
Pain
Dr. Sahelian says high levels of progesterone can cause headaches and pain in the muscles, joints or bones. It can also lead to pain or tenderness of the breasts.
Gastrointestinal Symptoms
According to well-known natural health doctor David G. Williams, MD, author of the Alternatives newsletter, synthetic progestin can cause more negative side effects than natural progesterone, which is made from Mexican yams, soybeans or animal ovaries. If you're taking progestin in particular, you can expect nausea or other gastrointestinal symptoms. Weight fluctuations and fluid retention are also common.
Other Symptoms
Dr. Williams says progestin can cause other serious side effects in women, including jaundice, fever, allergic reactions, and even developing male characteristics.
