The rate of progesterone in women by phases of the cycle and gestational age
The content of the article:
- The hormone progesterone: the norm in women
- Secretion of progesterone
- The biological role of progesterone
- Abnormal progesterone levels
- Rules for donating blood for progesterone
- Correction of progesterone levels
The rates of progesterone in women are determined by age, the phase of the menstrual cycle and the duration of pregnancy. This is not any exact value, but an acceptable range, since the level of the hormone in the body changes almost constantly under the influence of physical activity, emotional state, diet and even the time of day.
Progesterone is one of the most important steroid hormones, which has a complex effect on the female body. It not only regulates the reproductive system, but also takes part in the synthesis of some other hormones, in particular corticosteroids. However, despite the importance of the hormone for the body, all its functions, as well as the normative indicators and prerequisites for their change, remain completely unexplored.
Decreased postmenopausal progesterone levels lead to skin deterioration and wrinkle formation
The hormone progesterone: the norm in women
In everyday practice, gynecologists and endocrinologists use tables that indicate the norms of progesterone in women for different clinical situations.
Progesterone rates in pregnant women:
| Gestation period | Progesterone rate, nmol / l |
| 1-13 weeks | from 8.9 to 468.5 |
| 14-27 weeks | from 71.5 to 303.2 |
| 27-40 weeks | from 88.7 to 771.5 |
Progesterone rates depending on the phase of the menstrual cycle:
| Cycle phase | Indicators of progesterone, nmol / l |
| follicular phase | less than 3.6 |
| ovulatory phase | from 1.52 to 5.45 |
| luteinizing phase | from 3.1 to 66.8 |
| postmenopause | less than 3.19 |
Thus, the range of progesterone levels in normal women is quite wide. In this regard, only a doctor can correctly interpret the result of the analysis, since normal progesterone for one patient may be high for another or low for a third.
Secretion of progesterone
In the female body, progesterone is produced by the corpus luteum of the ovary and the adrenal glands.
The corpus luteum is a temporary endocrine gland that forms at the site of a bursting Graaf vesicle. The corpus luteum develops rapidly and reaches maturity on day 21 of the menstrual cycle for a 28-day period. This is the so-called corpus luteum of menstruation. If pregnancy has not occurred, then from day 22 it undergoes gradual regression with the formation of a whitish scar (white body) in its place.
In cases where conception occurs, the corpus luteum continues to develop (the corpus luteum of pregnancy) during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. Then, as the placenta forms, the functions of the gland secreting progesterone pass to it and the corpus luteum gradually fades away.
The biological role of progesterone
The main role of progesterone is in the regulation of reproductive function. It prepares the endometrium for the implantation of a fertilized egg, reduces the activity of the immune system, which prevents rejection of the embryo, under its influence, cervical mucus thickens, forming a kind of plug that protects the uterine cavity from foreign agents that can penetrate it from the vagina. A sharp decrease in the level of progesterone in the blood promotes the start of labor, is a signal for the onset of lactation in the postpartum period. It is for these functions that it is called the pregnancy hormone.
Progesterone plays an important role in the secretion of some other hormones. For example, its imbalance leads to a disruption in the activity of aldosterone, and also impairs the susceptibility of breast tissue to the action of estrogens.
Progesterone also affects the condition of the skin. With age, its level in the body of women gradually decreases. As a result, collagen and elastin synthesis is disrupted, skin turgor worsens, wrinkles appear. It is characteristic that when progesterone-containing drugs are prescribed to patients, their skin condition improves markedly.
Progesterone affects the production of an important neurosteroid for the activity of the central nervous system - allopregnanolone. According to the researchers, this neurosteroid, in combination with progesterone, has a significant effect on a woman's sexual arousal.
With all that said, it becomes clear how important it is to maintain normal progesterone levels in women.
Abnormal progesterone levels
The following symptoms are characteristic of a lowered progesterone level:
- scanty menstruation;
- infertility or spontaneous abortion in the early stages;
- high risk of developing low placentation and placenta previa;
- intrauterine growth retardation;
- dyspepsia (flatulence, constipation);
- lower body temperature unexplained by other reasons;
- excessive hair growth (hirsutism);
- lack of engorgement of the mammary glands before menstruation.
In pregnant women, signs of possible progesterone deficiency are pulling pains in the lower abdomen and / or in the lumbar region and bloody discharge.
Normally, elevated progesterone is observed only in pregnant women. If there is no pregnancy, then high levels of the hormone are associated with pathology (for example, malignant tumors of the ovaries or adrenal glands, liver cirrhosis).
Rules for donating blood for progesterone
Blood for progesterone is taken in the morning on an empty stomach. After the last meal, at least eight hours should pass.
Non-pregnant women usually donate blood for testing for progesterone on the seventh day of the luteinizing phase, when the corpus luteum in the ovary is at its maximum. It makes sense to conduct a study on the 21st day of the menstrual cycle only for patients with a regular 28-day cycle. In all other cases, the doctor determines the optimal time for analysis on an individual basis.
Normally, high progesterone is observed only during pregnancy, a decrease in it triggers labor
Normally, the duration of phase II of the cycle is 12-14 days, and the length of phase I may be different (this explains the differences in the duration of the menstrual cycle in different women). Therefore, if a woman has a regular cycle, it is usually recommended to donate blood for progesterone 7 days before the start of the next menstruation.
In cases where the patient's menstrual cycle is irregular, the date of ovulation is determined. This can be done in several ways:
- Determination of basal temperature. Every day at the same time in the morning, without getting out of bed, a woman measures the temperature in the rectum. In the first phase of the cycle, it is below 36.8-37 ° C. 12-24 hours before the upcoming ovulation, the basal temperature decreases by another 0.3-0.5 ° C, and then rises and in the second phase reaches 37.1-37.4 ° C. A repeated decrease in basal temperature is noted 1-3 days before the onset of menstrual bleeding, which is associated with regression of the corpus luteum in the ovary.
- Ovulation tests. You can use over-the-counter urine luteinizing hormone test strips. The test must be performed not with morning urine, as in determining hCG, but with daytime or evening urine. The study of urine should begin 17 days before the onset of menstrual bleeding. With an irregular cycle, the day the urine test starts is calculated based on the shortest cycle.
- Folliculometry. With the help of ultrasound, the doctor monitors the growth of the dominant follicle and the moment of its rupture, that is, ovulation.
Correction of progesterone levels
If a woman has confirmed progesterone deficiency, at the stage of pregnancy planning in the second phase of the menstrual cycle, she is prescribed drugs containing this hormone. In the absence of pregnancy (confirmed by the results of a blood test for hCG), the drug is canceled on days 12-13, which contributes to the onset of menstrual bleeding. If pregnancy has occurred, progesterone preparations continue to be taken until the 16th week of gestation, that is, until the moment when the placenta is completely formed, which will take over the production of the hormone.
In the climacteric period, women can be prescribed combined hormonal drugs containing both estrogens and progesterone. Such therapy reduces the risk of uterine cancer, osteoporosis, eliminates the unpleasant symptoms of menopause and improves the condition of the skin.
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Elena Minkina Doctor anesthesiologist-resuscitator About the author
Education: graduated from the Tashkent State Medical Institute, specializing in general medicine in 1991. Repeatedly passed refresher courses.
Work experience: anesthesiologist-resuscitator of the city maternity complex, resuscitator of the hemodialysis department.
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