Balancing Estrogen & Progesterone: The Key to Feeling Your Best Throughout Your Cycle

If you’ve been feeling off or noticing symptoms like mood swings, fatigue, or bloating, your estrogen and progesterone might be out of balance.

Your hormones might not be something you think about every day (or maybe you do because you’re super dialed into the wellness space on social media) but they’re running the show on a daily basis. They influence everything from your mood and energy levels to your menstrual cycle and fertility. You can think of them as the behind-the-scenes crew that keeps everything running smoothly. Estrogen and progesterone are two of the biggest players in this hormonal dance, particularly when it comes to your menstrual cycle and making sure that time of the month isn’t a nightmare.

In this newsletter, I’m diving into everything you need to know about estrogen and progesterone, what’s happening during each phase of your cycle, and why things can sometimes go out of balance – especially in that tricky luteal phase. I’ll also walk you through what causes these imbalances and, of course, how you can naturally bring your hormones back into harmony!

What is Estrogen and Progesterone?

Estrogen: estrogen gets a pretty bad reputation in the world of hormones, but it’s an incredibly essential! Think of estrogen as the “growth hormone” of the first half of your cycle. It’s busy building up your uterine lining, supporting ovulation, and making you feel like your best self – stronger, more energetic, and more confident. Estrogen even gives you that glowing skin and vibrant mood. But too much of it? That’s when things start to get a little too intense. So, balance is key!

Progesterone: you can think of progesterone as the calming force during the second half of your cycle that balances out estrogen in order to reduce PMS. It’s like a hug for your body - calming your nervous system, preparing your uterus for a potential pregnancy, and even helping you get that much-needed deep sleep. Most often, I see women have too little progesterone production when they’re experiencing a nightmarish luteal phase.

The Menstrual Cycle Breakdown

Let’s go through an overview of what’s happening across the span of a full menstrual cycle because I’ve found that a lot of women were unfortunately never taught this! Knowing what’s happening during the span of your menstrual cycle is incredibly empowering because you can start to understand why some days your energy is better than others, why some times of the month your skin is glowing & radiant and another time it’s a little lackluster, and what’s considered normal to experience and what symptoms are an invitation for you to look more closely at your hormones.

For this breakdown, I’m using the classic 28 days as an example, but just know that it’s normal for a menstrual cycle to range between 26-32 days with slight variances in length between the follicular and luteal phase.

Menstrual Phase (days 1–5)

• What’s happening: marks the start of your cycle, with the shedding of the uterine lining (your period!). Estrogen and progesterone are at their lowest so your body’s in “reset” mode.

• How you feel: energy tends to dip and your body is craving rest, warmth, and nourishment. This is the time to honor your need for a slower pace and extra self-care.

Follicular phase (days 6-14)

• What’s happening: estrogen begins to rise, stimulating the growth of the uterine lining and the maturation of follicles in the ovaries.

• How you feel: energy kicks back in, and you may feel more creative, social, and motivated - this is usually most people’s favorite time of the month!

Ovulation (days 14-16)

• What’s happening: estrogen peaks, and your body triggers the release of an egg from the ovary. Testosterone also spikes, giving your libido and confidence a nice little boost.

• How you feel: this is your “power phase” - it’s a great time for high energy activities and socializing. You’re feeling your best – talkative, confident, and ready to conquer the world!

Luteal phase (days 17-28)

• What’s happening: progesterone rises after ovulation to support a potential pregnancy, while estrogen levels either stabilize or gently decline. If no pregnancy occurs, both hormones drop, triggering your period.

• How you feel: energy may start to dip again during the late luteal phase (about a week before our period). If your hormones are imbalanced, you could feel some classic PMS symptoms like bloating, mood swings, or fatigue.

What a Healthy Cycle Should Feel Like

A balanced menstrual cycle should feel manageable. You experience stable energy, mild mood changes, and little to no physical discomfort before your period. Your periods should arrive on time, last 3–7 days, and involve a moderate flow without significant pain or clotting.

Common questions I get:

How much should I be bleeding? An average menstrual flow typically ranges from 40 to 80 milliliters. You can keep track of this through the menstrual products you use - for example, a regular tampon can hold between 6-9 milliliters of blood. If you're soaking through more than one pad or tampon every 1-2 hours or if you experience periods longer than 7 days, it could indicate a condition heavy menstrual bleeding (menorrhagia).

Are blood clots okay? Small blood clots (less than the size of a quarter) can be normal, especially during heavier flow days. If you notice large clots (larger than a quarter) it could be a sign of a hormonal imbalance (like high estrogen), fibroids, or other issues.

How do I know when my cramps are normal or severe? My rule of thumb is that some mild discomfort is normal that doesn’t interfere with your day to day and can be soothed with simple approaches (heating pad, herbal teas, ginger supplements, etc). But if you are reaching for multiple pain relievers, cramps are debilitating, and/or not responding to pain medication then the cramping is too high!

Luteal Phase Imbalances

Luteal phase imbalances are the most common (but not normal!). The two main hormones we want to keep an eye on is estrogen & progesterone. Typically, we want peak progesterone values to be >12 ng/mL (and >15 ng/mL for fertility) and estrogen to be in the range of 150-250 pg/mL. If there is an imbalance in either of these, it can lead to unwanted symptoms during this time of the month. The tricky thing is that a lot of the types of imbalances mimic one another because it’s the ratio between the two that matters. For example, you can have any of the following imbalances that closely mirror each other in symptoms:

High Estrogen + Low Progesterone: mood swings, bloating, headaches, breast tenderness, sleep issues, and heavy periods

• High Estrogen + Normal Progesterone: mood swings, bloating, headaches, heavy bleeding.

• Normal Estrogen + Low Progesterone: anxiety, insomnia, spotting before periods, or short cycles

• Low Estrogen + Normal Progesterone: low energy, dry skin, irregular periods, poor focus, vaginal dryness

• Low Estrogen + Low Progesterone: low energy, dry skin, irregular or absent periods, poor focus, vaginal dryness

That’s why testing is really important because the approach is going to vary for each of these imbalances!

What Can Cause These Imbalances?

Estrogen Imbalances

• High Estrogen: poor liver detox, digestive issues, environmental xenoestrogens (plastics, pesticides), insulin resistance, endometriosis, chronic inflammation, obesity, or stress.

• Low Estrogen: excessive exercise, restrictive dieting, perimenopause, thyroid imbalance, autoimmune conditions, high stress, or chronic illness.

Progesterone Imbalances

• Low Progesterone: chronic stress, lack of ovulation (anovulatory cycles), low thyroid function, PCOS, diet, chronic illness, or inflammation.

How to Naturally Balance Estrogen and Progesterone

1. Support estrogen detox through diet by incorporating more of the following foods:

• Antioxidants: blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, red cherries, strawberries, red and purple grapes, red beets, red cabbage, purple carrots, eggplant, red bell peppers, purple and orange sweet potatoes, kiwi, cacao (or 70%+ dark chocolate), cranberries, artichokes, plums

• Cruciferous vegetables: broccoli, broccoli sprouts, cauliflower, radicchio, bok choy, brussel sprouts, turnips, watercress, kale, radish

• Allium foods: garlic, onions, shallots

• Healthy fats: wild caught salmon, avocado, macadamia nuts, eggs, extra virgin olive oil (raw), pumpkin seeds, hemp hearts, flax seeds, almonds, olives

• Anti-inflammatories: turmeric, ginger, papaya, pineapple, kiwi, grapefruit, lemons, limes, oranges, artichoke

2. Boost progesterone production by incorporating more of the following foods:

• Vitamin B6: turkey, chicken, tuna, salmon, potatoes, spinach, avocado, bananas, sunflower seeds, pistachios, chickpeas, fortified cereals, wheat germ, sweet potatoes

• Zinc: pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, cashews, chickpeas, lentils, oysters, beef, lamb, turkey, hemp seeds, quinoa, dark chocolate (70%+), mushrooms, spinach

• Magnesium: spinach, Swiss chard, kale, pumpkin seeds, almonds, sunflower seeds, avocado, dark chocolate (70%+), bananas, figs, black beans, sesame seeds, tofu, cashews

• Healthy fats: wild-caught salmon, avocado, macadamia nuts, eggs, extra virgin olive oil (raw), flax seeds, hemp seeds, walnuts, almonds, olives, coconut oil

• Vitamin C: bell peppers, oranges, strawberries, kiwi, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, parsley, cantaloupe, tomatoes, cauliflower, spinach, kale

• Herbs and spices: ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, maca

3. Eat blood sugar supportive meals by pairing protein, healthy fats, and fiber at every meal to stabilize hormone production. I usually recommend aiming for 30g/protein per meal and 30-35g of fiber/daily. Rapid spikes and drops in blood sugar (aka when you skip meals, fuel through the day with just coffee, or lean on carb heavy meals) can lead to cortisol spikes which can worsen symptoms like PMS, increase cramps, and cause a lower production of progesterone! Eating for a balanced blood sugar helps maintain consistent energy levels, improves moods, reduces cravings, supports sleeps and overall supports hormonal balance for a healthier & more predictable cycle.

4. Tweak up your exercise routine! If you’re consistently feeling burnt out and drained after workouts instead of feeling energized & an instant mood boost, you’re pushing your body way too hard. You’re doing a major disservice to your body if you are waking up at the crack of dawn with barely enough sleep, pound back an espresso shot or energy drink, haul yourself to a HIIT workout, then feeling sluggish and inflamed all day long. Try switching up your routine to have more of a balance between moderate intensity workouts (like pilates), strength training, and HIIT. Avoid overtraining and pushing your body too hard because that can suppress ovulation & reduce progesterone production! Keep an eye on where you’re at in you menstrual cycle to determine what type of workout may be best for your body. Typically, energy is higher during the follicular phase and ovulation which may leave you feeling more up to the challenge for higher intensity workouts. As you dip into the late luteal phase (a week before our period) and during your period, your energy levels naturally drop as hormone levels drop which makes it a better time to shift towards moderate and low intensity forms of movement.

5. Make sure you are sleeping enough! And not only that, you need to be make sure you are getting good quality sleep - 7-9 hours a night, able to fall asleep easily and stay asleep with minimal disruptions (an occasional bathroom break is okay!). You shouldn’t be sleeping less than 7 hours, it shouldn’t take you more than 30 minutes to fall asleep, you shouldn’t be waking up all throughout the night and having a tough time going back to sleep, and you definitely shouldn’t be waking up feeling groggy instead of refreshed. If any of that is going on, I’d look into optimizing sleep hygiene before investigating a cortisol imbalance:

• Avoid blue and bright light exposure for at least an hour before bed. This type of lighting can cause the body to produce more cortisol at night, as opposed to melatonin, which will make it hard to fall asleep and stay asleep.

• Keep a consistent bedtime routine. Your body & your hormones love consistency and routine - your sleep is no different from that! Your circadian rhythm is ruled by two hormones (cortisol and melatonin) so getting into a predictable pattern can help the body know when to start reducing cortisol output and increasing melatonin production.

• Avoid stressors (like your phone or checking your emails or scary movies) for at least an hour before bed to prevent spikes in cortisol.

• Keep your bedroom cold and dark when sleeping.

• Try out a white noise machine if you are prone to waking up due to outside noises.

• Create a wind-down routine at night, for example: warm shower, soothing cup of tea like chamomile or passionflower, light stretching, reading, etc.

6. Find meaningful ways to reduce stress on a day to day basis. I could write a whole novel about how stress is the silent killer in our society because of the way the system is set up - but we’ll save that for another day! When I say find meaningful ways to reduce stress, I mean it’s going to look different for each person. Some people thrive with starting their days meditating. That could never be me, I’m sorry. So instead of trying to force myself into a habit that I don’t enjoy and then stressing about how hard it is to maintain it, I’ve found other habits that reduce my stress and bring me happiness & joy - reading fiction books, coloring, cooking new recipes with a fun playlist on, laying in the sun with my dog Olive. Finding ways to invite joy into your life on a day to day is HUGE when it comes to supporting your nervous system because most of us simply don’t give ourselves the permission to do thing solely for selfish reasons. Yes, moving your body and eating healthy are great ways to take care of your physical body, but you need to find ways to nourish your soul too! And of course - therapy. You know I love therapy, especially somatic and experiential forms of therapy.

“Okay great, tell me about the supplements now!!”

When it comes to supplements, let me just say this upfront: they aren’t a magical cure, but they can be game-changers when used the right way. Think of them like tools in your toolbox. If you’re building a house (aka your health), supplements can be the hammer or the screwdriver, but they’re not the foundation—that’s your diet, sleep, stress management, and movement. You need to work the foundational level first before you can start to build! You can’t out-supplement your way out of your lifestyle, but what you can do is use supplements to help nudge you in the right direction and pull you out of patterns you’ve been stuck in.

When we talk about balancing estrogen and progesterone, there are some standout players that I recommend often. But here’s the thing: supplements aren’t one-size-fits-all. What works for your best friend might not work for you, and that’s okay! When it comes to supplements aimed at balancing hormones, I think it’s incredibly important to test your hormones first so that you can pick out the best match. As we chatted about earlier in the post, the type of imbalance you have will dictate which herb is best suited for you AND how to tackle the imbalance at the root cause instead of using supplements ongoing as a bandaid.

Some common supplements I like to recommend include:

• For high estrogen, I’m a huge fan of DIM (diindolylmethane). It helps pull excess estrogen out of circulation and funnel it thought liver & gut detox to eliminate excess estrogen. It’s not suited for someone who has regular estrogen but experiencing symptoms of estrogen dominance because their progesterone is low! It’s also absolutely not meant to be a long term herb because if you take it when you don’t need it OR if you take it for too long, you can start to run into the issue of low circulating estrogen. For a safer bet if you don’t have high estrogen or don’t know your balance, I really like the supplement Detoxification Factors by Integrative Therapeutics because it supports both phase 1 and phase 2 liver detox estrogens and phase 3 detox of estrogen that happens in the gut without worrying about DIM!

• For progesterone support, my go to herb is vitex (chasteberry). It helps increase LH which is an important hormone for triggering ovulation! It’s best taken first thing in the morning and ideally for 3-6 months to see the full impact. However, it may not be suitable for some women with PCOS if you already have a high LH to FSH ratio, which is a common imbalance that occurs in PCOS.

• Magnesium is a non-negotiable for me—it’s the MVP of hormone balance. It supports progesterone, eases PMS symptoms, and even helps with sleep and stress.

  • Magnesium glycinate is a great option for PMS, stress, and sleep support

  • Magnesium threonate is a great option for brain fog, cognition, focus, and headache prevention

  • Magnesium malate is a great option for low energy

There’s so many different herbs and supplements out there that can help support hormones, but this is just a small snippet into some of what I utilize in my practice in order to help support estrogen and progesterone imbalances!

Final Thoughts

Your hormones hold the key to your physical, emotional, and mental well-being! By understanding how estrogen and progesterone work together and taking steps to support them naturally, you can transform how you feel throughout your cycle. But don’t stress – balancing them naturally doesn’t have to be complicated. Your body knows what it needs, so listen to it, give it some love, and watch those imbalances shift!

This week, take note of how your body feels at each phase of your cycle. Are there symptoms signaling an imbalance? If so, consider implementing one or two of the natural strategies listed above. Small changes can lead to big results!

Let me know how this resonates with you—I’d love to hear about your experiences and any steps you’ve taken toward achieving hormonal harmony. 💛