September 18, 2025 • 12 mins
A short luteal phase can quietly sabotage your pregnancy plans—leaving you frustrated, confused, and wondering why things aren’t working. In this episode, Stephanie MacKay, fertility and hormone expert, breaks down what a luteal phase is, why it matters for implantation and conception, and the hidden root causes behind luteal phase defects. You’ll discover natural ways to lengthen and support this crucial phase—through progesterone balance, nutrition, herbs, stress management, and acupuncture.
If you’ve been trying to conceive and feel like your body is letting you down, this episode will give you clarity, hope, and next steps on your fertility journey.
Thanks for tuning in to the Restore Fertility Podcast with Stephanie MacKay. Don’t forget to follow the show so you never miss an episode.
Want more fertility and hormone support? VisitRestoreFertilityAndWellness.com Connect with me on Instagram @RestoreFertilityAndWellness
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Welcome to Restore Fertility,the podcast where women's health
meets holistic healing.
Hosted by Stephanie McKay,fertility and hormone expert.
With 20 plus years inalternative medicine, we dive
into the root causes behindperiod problems, hormonal
imbalances, and fertilitystruggles.
Combining Eastern wisdom withmodern functional medicine,
(00:24):
whether you're trying toconceive.
Navigating PCOS or simplyCraving Hormone Harmony.
This podcast is your space forsupport, education, and
empowerment.
Join us weekly for expert tips,fertility success, stories, and
guidance from someone who trulygets it.
(00:45):
If your period shows up too soonafter ovulation, it could be
quietly sabotaging yourpregnancy plans.
And today we'll uncover why.
Welcome back.
Today we are digging deeper intoreasons why you may not be
getting pregnant.
Today.
We're diving into the lutealphase.
That's the second half of yourcycle, why it matters for
(01:06):
conception and what it means ifit's too short.
I worked with a woman who hadbeen trying for over a year to
get pregnant.
She was tracking her ovulationevery month.
She was hopeful only to see herperiod would arrive just eight
or nine days after ovulation.
She told me it always does this.
She didn't know that her timingwas the issue.
(01:28):
This is called a short lutealphase, and it wasn't giving her
body a chance It needed tosupport implantation.
Her story isn't unique, and ifyou've ever noticed spotting or
an early period after ovulation,this may sound familiar.
I'm gonna break down the problemin a way that blends eastern and
western knowledge.
(01:49):
Let's start with what is theluteal phase.
This is the time betweenovulation and your next period.
It should ideally be 12 to 14days after ovulation.
You might be asking what happensif it's too short?
Well, the embryo may not havetime to implant before the
lining starts to shed.
(02:10):
It may lead to spotting PMS orearly bleeding.
I hear from my patients theythought ovulation was enough.
No one ever told me about theluteal phase and why it's so
important.
So let's dig into some rootcauses.
Such as low progesterone stress,thyroid imbalance, inflammation,
and blood sugar swings.
(02:31):
From the Eastern perspective,we're gonna focus on the kidney,
young, deficiency, blooddeficiency, and the q not
holding.
We're gonna take a peek at theseroot causes and I'll provide
some helpful tips.
Number one, low progesteroneproduction.
Progesterone stabilizes theuterine lining, making it sticky
(02:54):
for implantation.
If levels drop too soon, thelining sheds early, which means
you either have an early periodor spotting.
So let's take a look at what ourhormones are actually doing.
Estrogen is the foundation andframework in the first half of
the cycle, which is called thefollicular phase.
Estrogen stimulates the uterinelining, which is our endometrium
(03:16):
to grow and thicken.
Think of it as laying down theinitial groundwork and
scaffolding for a future home.
The implantation site,progesterone is the builder and
stabilizer.
After ovulation, progesteronetakes over In the luteal phase,
it makes the lining moreglandular, nutrient rich, and
(03:38):
receptive.
Essentially, it's adding theplush layers, the soft carpets,
the cozy environment for anembryo to implant.
Every month we're recreatingthis luxurious home for the
embryo to implant and grow.
From the Eastern perspective,estrogen's action is nourishing
blood, providing yin to buildtissue.
(04:02):
So progesterone's action isgonna be the kidney yang and
chi, securing that pregnancy,warming, and holding the lining
in place.
This could be happening becauseyou have poor ovulation.
Quality stress could besuppressing your ovulation, or
you could have nutrientdeficiencies such as B six,
(04:23):
magnesium or zinc.
Some helpful tips would besupporting ovulation quality
with blood sugar balance.
That means no skipping meals.
Make sure you add protein andfat for your snacks.
Eat foods that are rich in Bsix, such as bananas, chickpeas,
and salmon.
And this naturally supportsprogesterone from the eastern
(04:43):
perspective.
You'll wanna strengthen thatkidney yang.
So we would use, special herbalformulas, warming soups, cooked
root vegetables, and even trymaybe a ginger tea.
Reason number two, thyroidimbalance.
Thyroid hormones regulatemetabolism and fertility.
Even mild hypothyroidism canshorten the luteal phase.
(05:06):
Some clues to look for would befatigue, tiredness, cold
intolerance, constipation, andhair loss.
Some helpful tips would be torequest a thyroid lab and you
want one that looks beyond justTSH.
You wanna include free T three,free T four, and both of the
thyroid antibodies.
(05:27):
Make sure that we're feeding ourthyroid with nutrients such as
selenium.
Remember just two Brazil nuts aday.
Iodine such as seaweed, but makesure that you're not doing a
huge iodine supplement becauseit could be overwhelming taxing
to your thyroid and good sourcesof iron would be lentils and
grass-fed meats.
(05:48):
From the eastern perspective, wefocus on the kidney yang and
spleen cheese, so we wanna oftenstrengthen them for metabolism
and more.
reason number three, chronicstress and cortisol
dysregulation.
High stress can steal fromprogesterone.
This leads to all lutealdeficiency.
Stress also signals the bodythat it's not a safe time for
(06:12):
pregnancy.
So let me explain.
Pregnenolone is the motherhormone, the precursor that can
be converted into eitherprogesterone, which is then
converted to estrogen,testosterone, or some other
hormones.
Or it can be converted tocortisol, which is a stress
hormone through differentpathways.
(06:33):
Under chronic stress, your bodyprioritizes survival over
reproduction, so morepregnenolone gets shunted
towards cortisol projectioninstead of progesterone.
The result is lower progesteronelevels.
Creating a weaker luteal phaseand a harder time maintaining
implantation in early pregnancy.
(06:56):
Your body uses its core reservesfor fight or flight instead of
reproduction, leaving lessavailable to nourish and hold a
pregnancy.
Some helpful tips would be toreduce pregnenolone, steel and
support cortisol regulation.
For stress regulation, you needto prioritize daily rituals to
calm your HPA axis.
(07:18):
Things such as yoga, meditation,nature walks and journaling.
Blood sugar balance is veryimportant.
It prevents additional cortisolspikes, so eat regularly and
make sure you have adequateprotein and fats.
We wanna support our nutrients.
Such as vitamin C, magnesium andB vitamins, especially B five.
(07:42):
'cause these are co-factors inadrenal and progesterone
pathways.
Make sure that you're gettingrestorative sleep.
Deep sleep restores ouradrenals, so we wanna aim for
seven to eight hours and try toget an optimal environment and a
nice, cool, dark bedroom.
Reason number four.
(08:03):
Inflammation and gut healthinflammation increases
prostaglandins, which candestabilize the uterine lining
and shorten luteal phases.
So poor gut health disruptsestrogen and progesterone
metabolism.
Some helpful things would be toadd anti-inflammatory foods,
omega threes, like wild salmonchia seed, add some
(08:27):
anti-inflammatory turmeric andgreen leafy veggies.
Make sure you limit processedsugar and alcohol because
they're very high andinflammatory markers, and really
affect the gut and the liver.
From the eastern perspective, wewanna move blood and qi with
circulatory herbs such as dongaand swong, which would be most
(08:48):
likely in your herbal formulasduring that part of your cycle.
And we wanna gently supportdigestion with warming spices.
Reason number five, blood sugarimbalance.
We've mentioned this a coupletimes.
Blood sugar swings can causeinsulin resistance that can
disrupt ovulation leading to lowprogesterone, which then leads
to a shorter luteal phase.
(09:10):
Some helpful tips would bepairing carbs with protein and
fat, such as apples and almondbutter.
Avoid long gaps without eating,so make sure you keep some
snacks in your bag.
And from the easternperspective, we wanna focus on
our spleen cheese.
We want to eat warm cooked mealsrather than cold, raw salads and
foods.
(09:30):
And I know people hate it, buttry to avoid ice in your drinks.
Reason number six, nutrientdeficiencies.
First of all, our soil is sodeeply depleted.
Almost everyone needs support,vitamins and minerals, fuel, egg
quality, progesteroneproduction, and endometrial
stability.
(09:51):
Some of the key nutrients aregonna be vitamin D, magnesium,
omega threes, B vitamins, andiron.
Some helpful tips would be tofocus on a whole food nutrient
dense diet.
Again, we wanna add grass fedmeat, leafy greens, seeds, nuts,
and colorful veggies from theeastern side of things, think of
(10:14):
blood deficiency signs, whichwould be a pale tong fatigue or
tiredness, a light or scantyperiod.
You can nourish this with bonebroth, goji berries, and dark
leafy greens.
We've talked about six greatways to support our luteal face.
So let's recap real quick.
Focus on progesteroneproduction.
(10:37):
Get to know your thyroid numbersand function.
Reduce and regulate your stress,heal your gut.
Keep your blood sugar balancedand feed your body where it's
deficient.
It a short luteal phase is not alife sentence.
You can change it.
The woman I was speaking aboutin the beginning, after a few
months of balancing herhormones, supporting her luteal
(10:59):
phase with herbs, nutrition, andlifestyle shifts, her cycles
lengthen.
And she finally saw two pinklines on her pregnancy test.
So when we support our body'snatural rhythm, fertility often
flourishes.
Some actionable insights thataren't overwhelming for you
today would be.
Track your cycle length andluteal phase simple BBT
(11:23):
charting.
You're gonna take yourtemperature first thing in the
morning before you get up to usethe restroom or talk to your
spouse.
This will tell you so much morethan many of those expensive
gadgets and tests.
Focus on supportingprogesterone, healthy fats,
stress reduction and blood sugarbalancing.
Make sure you're incorporatingrestorative lifestyle practices.
(11:44):
Better sleep, lower your stress,eat warming foods in the luteal
face.
So if you're listening andrealizing this might be your
missing piece, please know youdon't have to figure it out
alone.
Make sure you click the link inthe show notes to schedule a
consultation.
Currently, I'm also offering aFlourish fertility program.
(12:05):
It's a six month program and wego far beyond surface level
advice.
We combine lab testing, customherbs, nutrition strategies, and
emotional support so you canfinally feel confident in your
ability to conceive.
And most importantly, you won'tbe doing this journey alone.
I'll be with you every step ofthe way.
(12:26):
So until next time, take care.
Welcome to Restore Fertility,the podcast where women's health
meets holistic healing.
Hosted by Stephanie McKay,fertility and hormone expert.
With 20 plus years inalternative medicine, we dive
into the root causes behindperiod problems, hormonal
imbalances, and fertilitystruggles.
Combining Eastern wisdom withmodern functional medicine,
(00:24):
whether you're trying toconceive.
Navigating PCOS or simplyCraving Hormone Harmony.
This podcast is your space forsupport, education, and
empowerment.
Join us weekly for expert tips,fertility success, stories, and
guidance from someone who trulygets it.
(00:45):
If your period shows up too soonafter ovulation, it could be
quietly sabotaging yourpregnancy plans.
And today we'll uncover why.
Welcome back.
Today we are digging deeper intoreasons why you may not be
getting pregnant.
Today.
We're diving into the lutealphase.
That's the second half of yourcycle, why it matters for
(01:06):
conception and what it means ifit's too short.
I worked with a woman who hadbeen trying for over a year to
get pregnant.
She was tracking her ovulationevery month.
She was hopeful only to see herperiod would arrive just eight
or nine days after ovulation.
She told me it always does this.
She didn't know that her timingwas the issue.
(01:28):
This is called a short lutealphase, and it wasn't giving her
body a chance It needed tosupport implantation.
Her story isn't unique, and ifyou've ever noticed spotting or
an early period after ovulation,this may sound familiar.
I'm gonna break down the problemin a way that blends eastern and
western knowledge.
(01:49):
Let's start with what is theluteal phase.
This is the time betweenovulation and your next period.
It should ideally be 12 to 14days after ovulation.
You might be asking what happensif it's too short?
Well, the embryo may not havetime to implant before the
lining starts to shed.
(02:10):
It may lead to spotting PMS orearly bleeding.
I hear from my patients theythought ovulation was enough.
No one ever told me about theluteal phase and why it's so
important.
So let's dig into some rootcauses.
Such as low progesterone stress,thyroid imbalance, inflammation,
and blood sugar swings.
(02:31):
From the Eastern perspective,we're gonna focus on the kidney,
young, deficiency, blooddeficiency, and the q not
holding.
We're gonna take a peek at theseroot causes and I'll provide
some helpful tips.
Number one, low progesteroneproduction.
Progesterone stabilizes theuterine lining, making it sticky
(02:54):
for implantation.
If levels drop too soon, thelining sheds early, which means
you either have an early periodor spotting.
So let's take a look at what ourhormones are actually doing.
Estrogen is the foundation andframework in the first half of
the cycle, which is called thefollicular phase.
Estrogen stimulates the uterinelining, which is our endometrium
(03:16):
to grow and thicken.
Think of it as laying down theinitial groundwork and
scaffolding for a future home.
The implantation site,progesterone is the builder and
stabilizer.
After ovulation, progesteronetakes over In the luteal phase,
it makes the lining moreglandular, nutrient rich, and
(03:38):
receptive.
Essentially, it's adding theplush layers, the soft carpets,
the cozy environment for anembryo to implant.
Every month we're recreatingthis luxurious home for the
embryo to implant and grow.
From the Eastern perspective,estrogen's action is nourishing
blood, providing yin to buildtissue.
(04:02):
So progesterone's action isgonna be the kidney yang and
chi, securing that pregnancy,warming, and holding the lining
in place.
This could be happening becauseyou have poor ovulation.
Quality stress could besuppressing your ovulation, or
you could have nutrientdeficiencies such as B six,
(04:23):
magnesium or zinc.
Some helpful tips would besupporting ovulation quality
with blood sugar balance.
That means no skipping meals.
Make sure you add protein andfat for your snacks.
Eat foods that are rich in Bsix, such as bananas, chickpeas,
and salmon.
And this naturally supportsprogesterone from the eastern
(04:43):
perspective.
You'll wanna strengthen thatkidney yang.
So we would use, special herbalformulas, warming soups, cooked
root vegetables, and even trymaybe a ginger tea.
Reason number two, thyroidimbalance.
Thyroid hormones regulatemetabolism and fertility.
Even mild hypothyroidism canshorten the luteal phase.
(05:06):
Some clues to look for would befatigue, tiredness, cold
intolerance, constipation, andhair loss.
Some helpful tips would be torequest a thyroid lab and you
want one that looks beyond justTSH.
You wanna include free T three,free T four, and both of the
thyroid antibodies.
(05:27):
Make sure that we're feeding ourthyroid with nutrients such as
selenium.
Remember just two Brazil nuts aday.
Iodine such as seaweed, but makesure that you're not doing a
huge iodine supplement becauseit could be overwhelming taxing
to your thyroid and good sourcesof iron would be lentils and
grass-fed meats.
(05:48):
From the eastern perspective, wefocus on the kidney yang and
spleen cheese, so we wanna oftenstrengthen them for metabolism
and more.
reason number three, chronicstress and cortisol
dysregulation.
High stress can steal fromprogesterone.
This leads to all lutealdeficiency.
Stress also signals the bodythat it's not a safe time for
(06:12):
pregnancy.
So let me explain.
Pregnenolone is the motherhormone, the precursor that can
be converted into eitherprogesterone, which is then
converted to estrogen,testosterone, or some other
hormones.
Or it can be converted tocortisol, which is a stress
hormone through differentpathways.
(06:33):
Under chronic stress, your bodyprioritizes survival over
reproduction, so morepregnenolone gets shunted
towards cortisol projectioninstead of progesterone.
The result is lower progesteronelevels.
Creating a weaker luteal phaseand a harder time maintaining
implantation in early pregnancy.
(06:56):
Your body uses its core reservesfor fight or flight instead of
reproduction, leaving lessavailable to nourish and hold a
pregnancy.
Some helpful tips would be toreduce pregnenolone, steel and
support cortisol regulation.
For stress regulation, you needto prioritize daily rituals to
calm your HPA axis.
(07:18):
Things such as yoga, meditation,nature walks and journaling.
Blood sugar balance is veryimportant.
It prevents additional cortisolspikes, so eat regularly and
make sure you have adequateprotein and fats.
We wanna support our nutrients.
Such as vitamin C, magnesium andB vitamins, especially B five.
(07:42):
'cause these are co-factors inadrenal and progesterone
pathways.
Make sure that you're gettingrestorative sleep.
Deep sleep restores ouradrenals, so we wanna aim for
seven to eight hours and try toget an optimal environment and a
nice, cool, dark bedroom.
Reason number four.
(08:03):
Inflammation and gut healthinflammation increases
prostaglandins, which candestabilize the uterine lining
and shorten luteal phases.
So poor gut health disruptsestrogen and progesterone
metabolism.
Some helpful things would be toadd anti-inflammatory foods,
omega threes, like wild salmonchia seed, add some
(08:27):
anti-inflammatory turmeric andgreen leafy veggies.
Make sure you limit processedsugar and alcohol because
they're very high andinflammatory markers, and really
affect the gut and the liver.
From the eastern perspective, wewanna move blood and qi with
circulatory herbs such as dongaand swong, which would be most
(08:48):
likely in your herbal formulasduring that part of your cycle.
And we wanna gently supportdigestion with warming spices.
Reason number five, blood sugarimbalance.
We've mentioned this a coupletimes.
Blood sugar swings can causeinsulin resistance that can
disrupt ovulation leading to lowprogesterone, which then leads
to a shorter luteal phase.
(09:10):
Some helpful tips would bepairing carbs with protein and
fat, such as apples and almondbutter.
Avoid long gaps without eating,so make sure you keep some
snacks in your bag.
And from the easternperspective, we wanna focus on
our spleen cheese.
We want to eat warm cooked mealsrather than cold, raw salads and
foods.
(09:30):
And I know people hate it, buttry to avoid ice in your drinks.
Reason number six, nutrientdeficiencies.
First of all, our soil is sodeeply depleted.
Almost everyone needs support,vitamins and minerals, fuel, egg
quality, progesteroneproduction, and endometrial
stability.
(09:51):
Some of the key nutrients aregonna be vitamin D, magnesium,
omega threes, B vitamins, andiron.
Some helpful tips would be tofocus on a whole food nutrient
dense diet.
Again, we wanna add grass fedmeat, leafy greens, seeds, nuts,
and colorful veggies from theeastern side of things, think of
(10:14):
blood deficiency signs, whichwould be a pale tong fatigue or
tiredness, a light or scantyperiod.
You can nourish this with bonebroth, goji berries, and dark
leafy greens.
We've talked about six greatways to support our luteal face.
So let's recap real quick.
Focus on progesteroneproduction.
(10:37):
Get to know your thyroid numbersand function.
Reduce and regulate your stress,heal your gut.
Keep your blood sugar balancedand feed your body where it's
deficient.
It a short luteal phase is not alife sentence.
You can change it.
The woman I was speaking aboutin the beginning, after a few
months of balancing herhormones, supporting her luteal
(10:59):
phase with herbs, nutrition, andlifestyle shifts, her cycles
lengthen.
And she finally saw two pinklines on her pregnancy test.
So when we support our body'snatural rhythm, fertility often
flourishes.
Some actionable insights thataren't overwhelming for you
today would be.
Track your cycle length andluteal phase simple BBT
(11:23):
charting.
You're gonna take yourtemperature first thing in the
morning before you get up to usethe restroom or talk to your
spouse.
This will tell you so much morethan many of those expensive
gadgets and tests.
Focus on supportingprogesterone, healthy fats,
stress reduction and blood sugarbalancing.
Make sure you're incorporatingrestorative lifestyle practices.
(11:44):
Better sleep, lower your stress,eat warming foods in the luteal
face.
So if you're listening andrealizing this might be your
missing piece, please know youdon't have to figure it out
alone.
Make sure you click the link inthe show notes to schedule a
consultation.
Currently, I'm also offering aFlourish fertility program.
(12:05):
It's a six month program and wego far beyond surface level
advice.
We combine lab testing, customherbs, nutrition strategies, and
emotional support so you canfinally feel confident in your
ability to conceive.
And most importantly, you won'tbe doing this journey alone.
I'll be with you every step ofthe way.
(12:26):
So until next time, take care.
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