82: Progesterone and Perimenopause: Sleep, Period, Histamine, and Mood Changes
Hello Hormones with Dr. Carrie JonesShow Notes
Progesterone can be one of those hormones you do not think much about until your period gets heavier, PMS suddenly feels louder, you are waking up at 3 a.m., and your anxiety seems to have developed a personality of its own. Then you start wondering, "Wait, could low progesterone actually explain some of this?" Especially in your late 30s and 40s, the answer may be yes. Here's where things get interesting. You make most of your progesterone after you ovulate, which means progesterone can start dropping as ovulation becomes less consistent during perimenopause. And the clues can show up in places you may not immediately connect to hormones. Think shorter or longer cycles, heavier bleeding, spotting before your period, breast tenderness, trouble sleeping, feeling more anxious, and even histamine symptoms like itching, stuffiness, headaches, flushing, or a racing heart that seem to get worse at certain points in your cycle. Progesterone also has to be looked at in context with estrogen, because estrogen can be sitting at a perfectly expected level while progesterone is much lower than it used to be. In this solo episode of Hello Hormones, I am breaking down five categories of symptoms that can point toward low progesterone and explaining what is actually happening behind the scenes. We are talking periods, sleep and anxiety, fertility history, the surprising progesterone-histamine connection, and what can happen when estrogen no longer has the same progesterone counterbalance. I am also clearing up the difference between the progesterone your body makes and the progestins found in birth control pills and hormonal IUDs, including why having an IUD does not necessarily mean every progesterone-related symptom is covered. If you have been wondering whether low progesterone could be part of what you are feeling, this episode will help you connect a lot more dots. What's Discussed: (00:00) How progesterone is made, why ovulation matters, and why you do not produce meaningful amounts until after you ovulate. (02:08) Why progesterone is often one of the first hormones to decline in the late 30s and 40s during perimenopause. (02:56) The period changes that can point toward low progesterone, including heavier bleeding, spotting, PMS, breast tenderness, and shorter or longer cycles. (04:25) How progesterone supports calm and sleep through allopregnanolone and GABA, and why low levels may contribute to anxiety or waking at 3 a.m. (05:23) Why fertility struggles, pregnancy loss, or needing progesterone support in the past may be relevant when evaluating progesterone later in life. (07:10) The surprising connection between progesterone, mast cells, and histamine symptoms like itching, congestion, headaches, anxiety, and a racing heart. (09:16) Why low progesterone relative to estrogen may contribute to heavier periods, breast changes, fibroids, endometriosis symptoms, and thickening of the uterine lining. (12:03) The difference between natural progesterone and the synthetic progestins used in birth control pills and hormonal IUDs. (12:37) Why a progestin IUD may help with heavy periods without necessarily providing the same calming, sleep, or histamine effects as progesterone. (13:45) Why being on the birth control pill does not necessarily prevent perimenopause symptoms and what other hormone systems may still be involved.
✍️ FREE GUIDES: Top 7 Perimenopause Myths You Need to Stop Believing ASAP: drcarriejones.com/myths Hormones 101 Cheat Sheet: drcarriejones.com/hormones101 The Perimenopause & Menopause Labs Test Checklist: drcarriejones.com/labs The 101 on Stress, Cortisol And Your Nervous System Ebook: drcarriejones.com/stressfreebie Which Stage of Perimenopause Am I In? Ebook: drcarriejones.com/stages
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More from Hello Hormones with Dr. Carrie Jones
Hormone therapy advice can sound strangely absolute, with one "safe" route, one "right" dose, and a list of options you have been told to avoid entirely. But research changes, medicine changes, and after 21 years as a hormone doctor (and now living in perimenopause myself), I do not see things the same way I did when I started. In this solo episode of Hello Hormones, I am sharing three things I have changed my mind about: oral estrogen, hormone pellets, and how much say women should have in adjusting their own hormone dose. I also talk about what shifted my thinking, why monitoring matters so much, and the one opinion I would happily change if better research came out. If you have ever been told there is only one acceptable way to do hormone therapy, or felt like you were not allowed to trust what your body was telling you, this episode will give you a more realistic picture of your options. The best hormone plan is the one built around you, with the right monitoring in place.
Perimenopause can bring a lot of questions about what to try, what to test, and whether hormone therapy is the only option. With herbs, supplements, labs, and HRT all in the conversation, figuring out what actually fits your body can get confusing fast. In this episode of Hello Hormones with Dr. Suzanne Gilberg. We talk about where botanicals may fit during perimenopause, which labs and health markers can give you a clearer picture of what is going on, and why hormone therapy should be individualized rather than approached with a one-size-fits-all protocol. Dr. Suzanne Gilberg is an OB-GYN with more than 25 years of experience combining conventional women's healthcare with botanical and integrative medicine. If you've wondered how hormones, herbs, and personalized care can work together, this episode will give you a much clearer place to start. What's Discussed: (16:31) Botanicals vs. hormone therapy in perimenopause. (18:21) Chasteberry for PMS, mood, and progesterone support. (19:27) Black cohosh, phytoestrogens, and hot flashes. (23:12) Why supplement quality and sourcing matter. (26:28) What herbs can and cannot do for long-term health. (31:16) Using herbs alongside hormones for sleep and mood. (36:35) The labs Dr. Suzanne checks in perimenopause. (38:25) Why hormone testing does not tell the whole story. (421:2) Why body composition matters more than scale weight. (47:10) How she individualizes estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone therapy. ✍️ FREE GUIDES: Top 7 Perimenopause Myths You Need to Stop Believing ASAP: drcarriejones.com/myths Hormones 101 Cheat Sheet: drcarriejones.com/hormones101 The Perimenopause & Menopause Labs Test Checklist: drcarriejones.com/labs The 101 on Stress, Cortisol And Your Nervous System Ebook: drcarriejones.com/stressfreebie Which Stage of Perimenopause Am I In? Ebook: drcarriejones.com/stages
Shoulder pain, frozen shoulder, hip pain, and plantar fasciitis can all show up during perimenopause, even when there was no obvious injury. And because these symptoms are rarely connected back to hormones, many women assume they are simply getting older or doing something wrong. We dive deeper into this in Hello Hormones with Dr. Carrie Jones with Dr. Fiona Lovely. We also chat about brain fog, memory changes, sleep apnea, blood sugar, HRT, and why "I don't feel like myself anymore" can be part of the perimenopause transition. Dr. Fiona Lovely is a chiropractor, menopause educator, and host of Not Your Mother's Menopause. She has more than 20 years of clinical experience and is the creator of a menopause doula certification program. What's Discussed: (05:43) Why more women are recognizing perimenopause symptoms earlier and how younger women are starting to prepare before symptoms become disruptive. (08:46) What the musculoskeletal syndrome of menopause is and why joint, tendon, and muscle problems may become more common as estrogen declines. (12:29) Why frozen shoulder can be an early sign of perimenopause, especially when shoulder pain appears without an obvious injury or trauma. (14:31) How plantar fasciitis, unexplained hip pain, and glute pain may be connected to hormonal changes rather than simply aging or overuse. (25:05) Why the conversation around HRT extends beyond hot flashes and includes brain, bone, and cardiovascular health. (27:54) Why you can still be experiencing perimenopause even if you rarely or never have hot flashes or night sweats. (40:31) What happens to the brain as estrogen changes, including shifts in blood flow, connectivity, metabolism, and areas involved in memory. (45:51) Why brain fog, forgetting names, and losing your train of thought do not automatically mean you are developing dementia or Alzheimer's disease. (48:14) Why "I don't feel like myself anymore," emotional flatness, and losing interest in things you once enjoyed can show up during the menopause transition. (53:07) How blood sugar changes and sleep apnea may affect brain health in perimenopause, and why sleep apnea in women can be easier to miss than expected.
There are a lot of health numbers you could track, but more data does not automatically mean more clarity. In perimenopause especially, the useful part is figuring out which patterns actually help you understand why your sleep, hormones, energy, or blood sugar may suddenly feel different. In this solo episode of Hello Hormones, I am sharing the health metrics I personally pay attention to and what they have taught me about my own body. I talk about sleep and early-morning waking, hormone patterns throughout the month, glucose and insulin, and a lot more about how I use tracking without letting the numbers take over my life. I also break down how I use tools like sleep data, hormone testing, glucose monitoring, and a very low-tech workout calendar to spot patterns and make small adjustments. If you have ever wondered which health numbers are actually worth paying attention to, this episode will help you simplify the noise and focus on what gives you useful feedback. What's Discussed: (01:05) Sleep tracking and staying asleep during perimenopause. (03:28) Alcohol, late meals, travel, and their impact on sleep. (05:25) Tracking hormone patterns throughout the month. (07:34) Why one hormone test may miss the bigger picture. (08:17) Glucose and insulin changes across the menstrual cycle. (09:00) Fasting glucose and insulin levels worth watching. (11:02) Tracking water and daily movement for accountability. (13:25) A simple way to track workouts consistently.
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