How to Support Progesterone & Stay Pregnant: Your Hormone Superpower for Early Pregnancy

By Dr. Alyssa McPeak, DC, CFMP

If you’re trying to get pregnant, you’ve probably heard a lot about estrogen, ovulation, and timing…But progesterone?

She’s the unsung hero of implantation, early pregnancy, and staying pregnant 🤍

Progesterone is one of the most important hormones for creating a healthy uterine environment and keeping a pregnancy viable. Low progesterone is one of the most common (and overlooked) root causes of early pregnancy loss, short luteal phases, and difficulty staying pregnant.

Let’s break down what progesterone does, when you make it, what supports it naturally, and how stress can sabotage it.

What Does Progesterone Do for Fertility & Pregnancy?

Progesterone literally means “pro-gestation.”

It supports pregnancy in several critical ways:

✨ Thickens and stabilizes the uterine lining for implantation

✨ Keeps the uterine environment calm so the embryo can implant and grow

✨ Supports cervical mucus changes after ovulation

✨ Prevents early uterine contractions

✨ Supports immune tolerance so your body doesn’t “reject” the embryo

✨ Helps maintain pregnancy in the first trimester until the placenta takes over

Low progesterone can show up as:

🚩 Short luteal phase (less than 10 days)

🚩 Spotting before your period

🚩 PMS, anxiety, poor sleep

🚩 Recurrent early pregnancy loss

🚩 Trouble staying pregnant even after conceiving

When Do You Produce Progesterone in Your Cycle?

Progesterone is made after ovulation during the luteal phase of your cycle.

Here’s how it works:

🩸 Menstrual Phase – Progesterone is low

🌱 Follicular Phase – Estrogen rises to mature the egg

🥚 Ovulation – Egg is released

🌙 Luteal Phase – Progesterone rises to prepare the uterus for pregnancy

If pregnancy occurs, progesterone continues to rise to support implantation and early pregnancy.

If pregnancy does not occur, progesterone drops — and your period starts.

👉 No ovulation = no progesterone.

So one of the biggest foundations of healthy progesterone is consistent ovulation.

How to Naturally Support Progesterone Levels

Here’s how you can support progesterone through food, lifestyle, and cycle syncing:

🥑 1. Eat for Progesterone Production

Progesterone is made from cholesterol, so healthy fats are essential:

✔️ Avocados

✔️ Olive oil

✔️ Grass-fed meats

✔️ Pasture-raised eggs

✔️ Nuts & seeds

✔️ Fatty fish

Also support progesterone with key nutrients:

🥩 Zinc (meat, shellfish, pumpkin seeds)

🥬 Vitamin B6 (leafy greens, bananas, poultry)

🥚 Cholesterol & saturated fats (needed to make hormones)

🌙 2. Cycle Sync Your Lifestyle

Your luteal phase is progesterone-dominant and your body needs more rest and nourishment here.

During your luteal phase:

✔️ Prioritize sleep

✔️ Eat more grounding, warm foods

✔️ Lower high-intensity workouts

✔️ Choose strength training, walking, Pilates

✔️ Create slower evenings and earlier bedtimes

This phase is about protecting progesterone, not burning yourself into the ground.

🌻 3. Seed Cycling to Support Progesterone

Seed cycling helps nourish your hormones across the cycle:

🌱 Follicular Phase (Day 1–Ovulation):

• Flax seeds

• Pumpkin seeds

Pumpkin seeds and flaxseeds support healthy estrogen production by providing zinc, magnesium, omega-3s, fiber, lignans, iron, and healthy fats needed for hormone balance and egg development

🌙 Luteal Phase (After Ovulation–Period):

• Sunflower seeds

• Sesame seeds

Sunflower and sesame seeds provide zinc, selenium, vitamin E, and healthy fats that support progesterone production and luteal phase hormone balance.

🧘‍♀️ 4. Reduce Stress to Protect Progesterone (Cortisol Steal)

This is huge.

Stress is one of the fastest ways to tank progesterone levels.

Your body makes progesterone from pregnenolone, which is the “mother hormone.

”Pregnenolone can go two directions:

➡️ Toward progesterone

➡️ Toward cortisol (your stress hormone)

When your body is under chronic stress, it prioritizes survival and sends pregnenolone down the cortisol pathway instead of making progesterone. This is often called “cortisol steal.”

Translation:

🔥 More stress = less progesterone

This can lead to:

🚩 Low luteal progesterone

🚩 Trouble staying pregnant

🚩 Increased PMS and anxiety

🚩 Irregular cycles

🚩 Hormone imbalance

Ways to lower cortisol and protect progesterone:

🧠 Nervous system regulation

😴 Prioritize sleep

🌿 Gentle movement

📵 Less nighttime screen time

🕯 Evening wind-down routine

🙏 Prayer, breathwork, meditation🚶‍♀️ Walking outside

Your body cannot make babies in survival mode.

Safety comes before fertility.

Supporting Progesterone to Stay Pregnant

Progesterone doesn’t just help you get pregnant — it helps you stay pregnant.

The early weeks of pregnancy are heavily progesterone-dependent until the placenta takes over hormone production around weeks 10–12. Supporting progesterone before conception builds a strong hormonal foundation for implantation and early pregnancy stability.

This is why fertility is not just about ovulation timing — it’s about hormone balance, stress resilience, nutrition, and honoring your cycle.

Want to Learn How to Cycle Sync Your Way to Hormone Balance & Fertility?

If you want step-by-step guidance on how to:

✔️ Support progesterone naturally

✔️ Cycle sync your food, movement, and lifestyle

✔️ Balance estrogen and cortisol

✔️ Understand your hormones instead of guessing

✔️ Tap into your hormone superpowers

👉 Check out my online course Cycle Syncing to tap into your hormone superpowers.

This course walks you through exactly how to support your hormones in each phase of your cycle so your body feels safe, nourished, and ready for pregnancy.

Your hormones aren’t broken — they’re communicating.

You just need to learn how to listen. 🤍