Why Am I Suddenly Reacting to Foods, Wine, and Seasonal Allergies? The Overlooked Connection in Women Between Progesterone and Mast Cells
- Liz Riesen, RD
- Jul 10
- 5 min read
Have you noticed that certain foods, wine, or even seasonal changes suddenly trigger uncomfortable reactions? You might find yourself sneezing more, feeling bloated after meals, or becoming sensitive to fragrances that never bothered you before. For many women in their 30s and 40s juggling demanding home and work lives, these symptoms can feel overwhelming and confusing. The root cause often goes beyond allergies or diet alone. It involves a delicate balance between hormones—especially progesterone—and the immune system’s mast cells, which play a key role in histamine release.
Many women come to me saying:
"I used to drink a glass of wine with no problem."
"I've eaten tomatoes my whole life, but now they give me headaches."
"My seasonal allergies have gotten so much worse in my late 30s."
As a hormone health dietitian, I want to help you understand how declining progesterone levels can fill up your body’s “histamine bucket,” lowering your tolerance to foods, alcohol, seasonal allergens, fragrances, and stress. Together, we can support your hormone balance, calm your nervous system, and reduce inflammation to ease these symptoms and improve your quality of life.
What Are Mast Cells?
Mast cells are specialized immune cells found throughout your body, particularly in your skin, digestive tract, respiratory system, and connective tissues.
Think of them as your body's first responders.
When they detect something they perceive as a threat—whether it's pollen, an infection, or a foreign food protein—they release chemical messengers, including histamine, to help coordinate an immune response.
Histamine isn't inherently bad. In fact, it's essential for healthy immune function, stomach acid production, and communication within the nervous system.
The problem occurs when mast cells become overly reactive or release excessive amounts of histamine.
This can contribute to symptoms such as:
Flushing or facial redness
Headaches or migraines
Nasal congestion and seasonal allergies
Itchy skin or hives
Digestive discomfort
Heart palpitations
Anxiety or feeling "wired"
Difficulty tolerating alcohol
Increased sensitivity to certain foods
What's often missed in women is the connection between our hormones and mast cell stabilization.
Where Does Progesterone Fit In?
Progesterone is often thought of as the "pregnancy hormone," but its job extends far beyond reproduction. It also has calming effects throughout the body, especially in the brain.
Progesterone helps:
Support healthy sleep
Promote a calmer nervous system
Balance out some of estrogen's effects
Manage inflammation
Help stabilize mast cells
Research suggests that progesterone can reduce mast cell activation, making these immune cells less likely to release excessive histamine. While this relationship is complex and still being studied, it helps explain why some women notice more histamine-related symptoms when progesterone levels decline in perimenopause, chronic stress, and high estrogen conditions.
For women with declining progesterone, the mast cells release more histamine, adding to this burden. This makes it harder to tolerate certain foods, drinks, and environmental factors.
Why Does Progesterone Decline?
High demand home and work life can create chronic stress, which directly affects hormone production, but also with age we have natural declining progesterone levels.
Chronic Stress and Burnout
When your body is constantly in "go mode," stress hormones remain elevated. Chronic stress can interfere with regular ovulation, and without ovulation, you produce very little progesterone.
Many women don't realize they're under chronic stress because life simply feels "normal." They're juggling work, parenting, caring for aging parents, endless responsibilities, and running on caffeine. Their nervous system never fully shifts into recovery mode.
Over time, that chronic stress can contribute to lower progesterone and a reduced ability to tolerate physical and emotional stressors.
Perimenopause
Beginning in your late 30s or 40s, ovulation becomes less consistent and women can start entering perimenopause well before their cycles and periods become abnormal.
Because progesterone is produced primarily after ovulation, it's often the first reproductive hormone to decline during perimenopause—even before estrogen levels begin to consistently fall.
This helps explain why women may suddenly notice:
Poor sleep
Increased anxiety
Mood swings
Heavier periods
More allergies
New food sensitivities
Feeling inflamed more often
Progesterone and Estrogen Balance
Many women have adequate—or even fluctuating—estrogen levels while progesterone declines.
This creates what's often referred to as relative estrogen dominance, meaning estrogen's effects become more prominent because there isn't enough progesterone to balance them.
This hormonal shift may contribute to increased histamine activity in some women, since estrogen can promote mast cell activation while progesterone appears to have mast cell-stabilizing effects.
Does This Mean I Have
Not necessarily.Many women immediately eliminate foods when they start reacting to them.
Sometimes that's appropriate.
But often, those reactions are a sign that your body has lost some of its resilience rather than proof that the food itself is the root cause.
Instead of asking only, "What food caused this?" it can be more helpful to ask:
Am I ovulating regularly?
Could my progesterone be declining?
How regulated is my nervous system?
Is my gut healthy enough to help metabolize histamine?
Is inflammation increasing my body's overall reactivity?
When you address these underlying factors, many women find they tolerate foods and environmental triggers much better.
Supporting Your Body Naturally
If you suspect hormones are contributing to your symptoms, consider focusing on the foundations before cutting out more foods.
It's also important to monitor hormone levels as we age so that we're able to identify and address declines or imbalances before symptoms become unbearable. Most often I run a full hormone panel on my clients to see the full picture of hormones, metabolism, inflammation, and nutrients.
Support your body by:
Prioritizing consistent, protein-rich meals to stabilize blood sugar.
Eating plenty of colorful vegetables to support your gut microbiome.
Managing stress through nervous system regulation—not just relaxation, but daily practices that help your body feel safe.
Supporting quality sleep.
Limiting alcohol if it consistently triggers symptoms.
Working with a qualified practitioner to evaluate hormone patterns if symptoms are persistent.
Rather than chasing every symptom individually, we need to look at the bigger picture.
Hormones, gut health, nervous system regulation, inflammation, and immune function are all connected. This is exactly what I cover in my Foundations of Hormone Balance Method.
If you're noticing that your body is becoming more reactive to foods, alcohol, seasonal allergies, or everyday stress—and you're also dealing with fatigue, stubborn weight gain, mood changes, poor sleep, or irregular cycles—it may be time to look beyond symptom management.
My comprehensive hormone testing package goes beyond standard lab work to evaluate the patterns that may be contributing to your symptoms, including hormone balance, estrogen metabolism, stress response, nutrient status, detoxification pathways, and other key markers that influence how you feel every day.
Together, we'll review your results, identify the root causes of your symptoms, and create a personalized nutrition and lifestyle plan designed specifically for your body—so you're no longer relying on trial and error.
If you've been wondering whether your hormones are playing a role in your fatigue, mood, inflammation, or increased sensitivities, this is the next step.
Ready to Stop Guessing What's Behind Your Symptoms?
Fill out my short inquiry form to share your symptoms and health history. We'll talk through symptoms and a plan to uncover what your body has been trying to tell you.
Liz Riesen, RD, CD
Registered dietitian and hormone health coach helping women to address hormone imbalances, increase energy, and lose weight naturally. As a busy mom, I know that you need a clear and realistic approach you can fit into a busy lifestyle. I developed my Foundations of Hormone Balance Method to do just this! Helping women feel confident and comfortable in their body and with food is my passion.
Follow me @LizRiesen
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