Progesterone levels!!!

[bubblebell1]

can progesterone be detected before you ovulate? if so what would be normal?

Usually progesterone is measured around day 21 which is the standard blood test measurement for this hormone. A "normal" level would be over 30.

However, progesterone is only part of the story. What needs to be tested as well far earlier in the cycle is LH and FSH; these two particular hormones kickstart the ovulation process. If the levels of LH and FSH are awry (and this is why they must be compared against each other when tested) then progesterone will also be affected.

thanks Atilla, when i had my blood tests it was cd37. gp said it wouldnt matter what day as my cycle is so irregular. i asked the receptionist the results over the phone and i think she said progesterone level was 5. (will check tomorrow when i go back to discuss results) and the gp had written on them saying that she thought i was in my luteal phase. now im worried that this is low. some websites say that over 5 is normal after ovulation others say it should be higher. after ovulation would there be a surge of progesterone or does it increase gradually?

hi guys, I am new. I am interested in progesterone levels. I have been ttc for 18 months for second child, have light brown bleeding 1 week before period due (for many months now). i believe this is due to low progesterone levels. Gynae was of no use, just wanted to put me on clomid which i tried for 4 months unsuccessfully. has anyone else had this strange bleeding? it seems to be quite a mystery. Thanks

sorry Ailz, i dont have any pre AF bleeding. ive had 1 period since oct and that is very painfull and heavy. some ppl take progesterone suppliments.. could you ask your gp about that?

Thanks bubblebell1. Dont be sorry! I tried progesterone supplements which stopped the bleeding, but didnt get pregnant. now trying the natural cream and seeing a herbalist on Wednesday. sorry about your situation, have you tried Agnus cactus or Vitex or high doses of B6? some people claim they are a miracle for restoring normal cycles.

I also posted this in the other thread on blood tests...

Progesterone level can only be interpreted by knowing where it is in the cycle.

It needs to be taken in the mid luteal phase, which is half way in between ovulation and your period. For most women the luteal phase is fairly consistent at about 12-14 days, it is the first part of the cycle before ovulation that varies.

This means that the blood test for most women should be taken approximately a week before your period (or a week after ovulation if you are monitoring it). For a woman with a 28 day cycle this will be day 21. But no point doing it on day 21 if your cycle is more than a couple of days longer or shorter than 28 days as it will be meaningless. You need to adjust the date.

So after saying that, if your blood was taken at the right time, then a level of 30 or more is needed to say you have ovulated that cycle.

A level of 5 would show either you did not ovulate this cycle or the test was mistimed.

Hope that helps

PS in the follicular phase the progesterone level will be low or undetectable (often

thanks mags! read your other post. how can progesterone levels be interpreted acuratly when you have irregular cycles?

They can't. Its very difficult.

Sometimes the only way to do it if you really need to know if you are ovulating or not is to do it at least weekly and sometimes twice weekly for several weeks - you have to look at the shortest possible cycle you have had and the longest you have had and then do them continously for the whole time.

However generally if you don't have anything approaching regualr cycles you won't be ovulating regularly anyway so not much point doing them.

Note this does not mean 'not ovulating at all', but it likely will not be regular.

Hi bubblebell,

The blood test was done far too late; it should have been around day 21 for it to be at all meaningful. A level of 5 would indicate that ovulation did not occur. Your LH and FSH levels also need to be looked at (I'd put money on it that these levels are awry too).

I had blood tests done by the gynae monthly and my levels of LH, FSH and progesterone did not alter by v much (due to PCOS in my case).

Common causes of irregular periods are PCO (polycystic ovaries) and thyroid problems. Both should be properly looked for through blood tests.

If periods are irregular anyway blood tests can be done according to calendar days (don't think many of them realise that).

Would ask for a referral to a gynae tomorrow and do not take no for an answer. GPs can faff about for too long on this sort of problem when they would be far better referring you to a specialist now. Also such problems are more often than not completely outside a GPs general remit of understanding.

You will need to be persistant in order to get answers.

Atilla,

As far as progesterone goes, you have that wrong. A day 21 level is only meaningful in someone with a 28 day cycle +/- a few days. In someone who has cycles of 37 days or more (as in this case)it will be useless.

In someone with longer cycles you need to time it much later to get accurate results, as I explained above.

In someone with completely erratic cycles you either have to do serial bloods weekly or even twice weekly to try and catch it, or accept that it is very unlikely that the woman with that cycle is ovulating and take steps accordingly.

In someone with such erratic cycles, the next step would be referral to an infertility specialist for further advice. However there is absolutely no reason why the bloods can't be done by the GP while that referral is happening - it is the first thing they will ask for in the clinic anyway so saves a lot of time to have the results at the first appointment. Otherwise you go to the first appointment, then they say get the bloods done, then you wait for that then have to wait 3 months for the next appointment then the results are inconclusive so you start again etc etc...

But get the referral underway now, of course.

I have personally been on both sides of the fence here, I know how it works!

Hi mags

I would certainly agree that this particular blood test was done at the wrong time but having it done any earlier would have not shown a vastly different result. Don't think that GPs realise that blood tests can also be done also according to calendar days.

I would certainly agree with your third para speaking as someone who has also had serial blood tests done over several months at hospital!.

In someone with erratic cycles it is more likely than not that ovulation is not happening regularly, if at all.

My levels rarely altered by very much during that time so it was conclusive that there was an ovulation problem.

You may well be right about the day 21 but the fact remains that it is a standard test done around that time to measure progesterone. Only around 12% of all women have a 28 day cycle so perhaps all these tests need to be looked at more closely anyway. I would hope that a good gynae would be able to interpret such results properly. My levels for the "day 21" never went above 30 (infact were nowhere near) but progesterone as well is only part of the story. If progesterone is measured then LH and FSH should be measured as well far earlier in the cycle (that test was the main indicator of there being an ovulation problem).

Think as well that too many GPS faff about with blood tests pertaining to ovulation; the results of which some do not fully understand or even interpret correctly.

I hope bubblebell gets her referral soon; irregular cycles should always been investigated closely.

thanks again atilla and mags.

i will insist on a referal to a specialist.

i am extreamly confused now as i have a +ive hpt

im also worried.. i hope i got the figures wrong as low progesterone levels can result in miscarriage

Well thats good news!

S0 - When did you have the blood test?

If you have a positive PT today for the first time then you ovulated probably 2 weeks ago. This means that to show a mid luteal rise in progesterone you would have had to have had the bloods done last week. Any earlier than that would show a misleadingly low result.

(PS Atilla, this is the reason why it is important to do these tests at the right time - yes, doing the test earlier in the cycle would not have shown a different result, but it still would have been wrong - it would not have shown the ovulation that has clearly occured recently at that stage. You would not have seen that unless it was done much later!)

PS its not that low progesterone can result in miscarriage, it is that prgnancies that have not implanted properly or have problems do not produce high levels. ie, if there is a problem it is with the pregnancy itself, not the hormone levels.

thanks mags im happy and worried.. cant quite believe it.

blood tests were taken last monday the 9th.

thanks for clearing that up re the low progesterone levels.. i was worrying myself into a frenzy.

do you think i should ask the dr to check my progesterone levels again to see if they are higher?

Hi all sorry to jump on but need advice! I am on my 3rd pregnancy after 2 losses. I got my bloods taken at 3weeks+4days and had good progesterone levels of 69.7 nmol/L. However yesterday when i got my bloods retaken at 5 weeks+3days my levels had dropped to 48.4. Can someone offer me encouragement? On a side note first blood test was at 9.20 am and second was about 11.30am. Can time of day be a factor? On another side note my HCG was extremely high! 29161 IU/L. I have just got progesterone suppositories to take. Is it too late to take them when my progesterone has already dropped? It is still in the normal limits for where i am in my pregnancy. Thank you!