Side Effects of Progesterone

About five days after ovulation (when it occurs), I have to start taking progesterone. I've never really been told why and I suppose I've never thought to ask since it's so much of an after thought to actually ovulating, but based on some googling, I think it helps to prevent miscarriage in the first trimester. Regardless of its use, it has some fun side effects, such as:

• Nausea
• Fatigue
• Headache
• Breast pain and enlargement
• etc..

If those side effects look familiar, it might be because they are also symptoms of pregnancy! When you get pregnant, your progesterone levels increase causing these early pregnancy symptoms. So every (ovulation) month, I get to enjoy the early symptoms of pregnancy without ever being pregnant (yet)! It's very frustrating. My level of symptom-spotting is way down from where it used to be, but the hope never really goes away ... which inevitably leads to hopes being crushed. Not a fun cycle month after month.

I'm not out just yet, but I'm trying to temper my expectations.