The norm of progesterone in women, deficiency, the norm is too high: what to do if there are changes?

Progesterone is often called the pregnancy hormone, since it is most actively synthesized after fertilization of the egg. During the period of bearing a child, this hormone maintains the uterus in a relaxed state, preventing its contractions and, accordingly, miscarriage or premature birth.

In non-pregnant women, this steroid is produced in smaller quantities, but, nevertheless, its role in maintaining women's health is no less important than during pregnancy.

The level of progesterone in women directly depends on age, period of the menstrual cycle and stage of pregnancy. In this topic, we would like to invite you to understand what progesterone is, what its norm and functions are in the body, and also what changes in its level may indicate. In addition, we will tell you in detail how to determine the amount of progesterone in the blood of women and how to prepare for such a study.

What is the menstrual cycle?

To better understand how progesterone is produced and when it is best to determine it in the blood, we suggest first understanding what the menstrual cycle is.

The menstrual cycle is a sign of puberty in women, which indicates that a woman can perform reproductive functions.

The normal duration of the menstrual cycle is from 25 to 33 days. This period is usually divided into four phases, namely:

• menstrual (from 1 to 5-7 days of the cycle), when the decidual layer of the endometrium is rejected;
• follicular (from 6-8 to 12-14 days of the cycle), which is characterized by the maturation of the dominant follicle in the ovary;
• ovulatory (days 13-15 of the cycle), during which the dominant follicle ruptures and the egg is released into the abdominal cavity;
• luteal, which begins on the day of ovulation and lasts until the next menstruation. In this phase, the decidual layer of the endometrium prepares to fall off and exit with menstrual blood.

Correcting low progesterone

The hormone is increased by regularly taking medications containing an analogue of natural sexual secretion.

Namely:

• intramuscular progesterone injections — 1 ml is administered once a day. active substance;

• Utrozhestan - take 1 capsule 2 times a day, or 1 suppository per day by intravaginal administration;
• Duphaston is an artificial analogue of progesterone, which is available in the form of injections and tablets (prescribed 10 mg 2 times a day during pregnancy to prevent miscarriage);
• Endometrin (vaginal capsule, which is inserted into the penis using a special applicator once a day).

The duration of correction of low hormone levels can vary from 8-10 days to several months, if the cause of the endocrine disorder is associated with dysfunction of individual organs or endocrine glands.

What is the role of progesterone in the female body?

Progesterone in women performs many tasks, including the following:

• preparing the organs of a woman’s reproductive system for pregnancy;
• ensuring the normal course of pregnancy and childbirth;
• ensuring successful implantation of an egg fertilized by a sperm into the endometrium of the uterus.
• stopping the rejection of the decidual layer of the uterus, thereby preventing the appearance of menstruation;
• adaptation of the nervous system during pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding;
• maintaining a relaxed state of the uterus while bearing a child in order to prevent miscarriage or premature birth;
• increased sebum secretion;
• conversion of lipids into energy;
• participation in the development of the glandular apparatus of the mammary gland;
• preparing the mammary gland for lactation;
• reducing the risk of fibrous cysts in the mammary glands;
• participation in maintaining normal blood glucose levels;
• regulates blood sugar levels;
• increased blood pressure;
• providing libido;
• ensuring the formation of maternal instinct, etc.

What is the hormone responsible for?

The value of progesterone for the female body is simply colossal. The hormone is involved in the functioning of all systems and tissues of internal organs.

The following physiological areas for which this sexual secretion is responsible are distinguished:

• expansion of the entrance to the uterus and preparation of its tissues for conception, and then gestation of the fetus (in the first trimester after pregnancy, progesterone suppresses the local activity of cells of the immune system so that the embryo is not rejected as a foreign object);
• during the onset of labor, the concentration of the hormone drops sharply, which causes a decrease in pain, childbirth is much easier, and the woman experiences minimal discomfort (if the level of sexual secretion was the same, the woman would feel the pain much more acutely);
• after the birth of a child, progesterone continues to decrease, which triggers the process of secretion of mother’s milk from the mammary gland tissue;
• participates in the synthesis of other sex hormones, therefore directly affects their percentage and balance in the female body;

• maintains the elasticity and tightness of the skin, takes part in metabolic processes inside epithelial cells (there is a scientific theory that progesterone deficiency leads to the premature appearance of wrinkles with aging skin);
• increases the performance of the central nervous system, because about 15% of the hormone is synthesized in the central nervous system, and then transformed into a neurosteroid, without which the full passage of impulses from the brain to nerve endings in various parts of the body is impossible;
• The norm of progesterone in women ensures sexual attraction to the opposite sex, and a low concentration of the hormone can cause frigidity and lack of desire to have a close relationship with a man.

The effect of this sexual secretion on a woman’s body has not yet been fully studied. Endocrinologists, who are active in scientific work, managed to discover only part of the physiological properties of this hormonal substance, which simultaneously coordinates the work of the nervous, reproductive, and immune systems.

Progesterone: normal in women

The progesterone level in the blood test results is reflected in the form of nanograms per milliliter (ng/ml) or nanomoles per liter (nmol/l). To convert ng/ml to nmol/l, you need to multiply this number by 3.18.

As we have already mentioned, progesterone levels in women directly depend on the age and day of the menstrual cycle, and during pregnancy, on the period. Also, the amount of progesterone in the blood is affected by taking oral contraceptives, so this must be taken into account when deciphering the results.

Progesterone levels in non-pregnant women

As you can see, the trend is quite accurately demonstrated in how the level of progesterone depends on the phase of the cycle, with the maximum level of the hormone corresponding to the luteal phase. Therefore, the most accurate analysis will be carried out from the 19th to the 23rd day of the menstrual cycle.

In postmenopause (menopause) the rate is less than 0.6 nmol/l.

Progesterone levels in pregnant women

The second table also shows us that progesterone levels increase with pregnancy. The highest levels of the hormone are in the last trimester, as this is necessary to prevent premature birth, as well as prepare the birth canal for delivery and the mammary glands for lactation.

The interpretation of a blood test for progesterone should be carried out exclusively by a specialist obstetrician-gynecologist, who will necessarily take into account the characteristics of the course and duration of pregnancy.

How are progesterone levels regulated?

Progesterone, the norm in women, is regulated with the help of medications, the pharmacological properties of which are to reduce or increase the level of this sex hormone.

It all depends on what the results of a biochemical blood test for the concentration of hormonal substances were.

The course of therapy is formed individually for each woman individually, and depends on the cause that caused the imbalance of progesterone, indicators of sexual secretion and the woman’s age.

Progesterone test: how to prepare and when should you take it?

A blood test to determine progesterone levels is prescribed to women in the following situations:

• anovulatory menstrual cycle;
• infertility;
• short duration of the luteal phase of the cycle;
• uterine bleeding of unknown etiology in the absence of organic causes;
• hormonal imbalance in the body;
• threat of premature termination of pregnancy;
• severity of menopausal symptoms;
• diagnosis of ovarian and adrenal tumors;
• adverse reactions in patients taking progesterone;
• monitoring of hormonal levels during stimulation of ovulation;
• monitoring the condition of the placenta.

The progesterone test does not require any special preparatory measures; you just need to avoid eating food 8 hours before blood sampling.
In cases where the cycle duration is slightly longer (32-35 days), the analysis is performed on the 28th or 29th day of the cycle.

The regularity of menstruation plays an important role when choosing the time to take a blood test for progesterone. Therefore, when drawing blood, the nurse will definitely clarify when your last period began and how long your cycle is.

A blood test for progesterone during regular menstruation is carried out in the morning strictly on an empty stomach on the 21st day of the menstrual cycle, if its duration is 28 days. You can also conduct this study on the 22nd day or even the 23rd day, but the most objective results will still be on the 21st day of the menstrual cycle, since at this time the hormone level reaches its peak.

If you have an irregular menstrual cycle, a progesterone test is performed several times. When choosing a date for donating blood, you need to focus on ovulation, which is determined by rapid tests or by measuring basal temperature. In this case, the study is carried out on the 6-7th day after ovulation.

During menopause or during pregnancy, a blood test for progesterone is taken any day.

At your preliminary consultation with the doctor who is referring you for this study, you must inform him about taking any medications, as this may affect the objectivity of the results.

Blood test results for progesterone may be lower or higher than normal.

Diagnosis of changes in progesterone levels

Monitoring of the indicators of this sexual secretion is carried out in medical institutions that are equipped with instrumental methods for studying biological materials.

To diagnose changes in hormone levels, a woman must undergo the following tests every 14 days:

• blood from a vein for its biochemical study for sex hormones;
• morning urine, the composition of which reflects the state of health of the female genitourinary system, and may indicate a possible deficiency or excess of progesterone in the body;
• blood from a finger for a clinical study (this is a mandatory test so that the attending physician has information about the general health of the patient).

If necessary, additional diagnostic examination methods can be used, including the use of ultrasound and MRI.

The use of special medical equipment is necessary in those clinical situations where an excess or deficiency of progesterone has led to changes in the tissues of internal organs and provoked the appearance of tumors in the uterus and ovaries.

Progesterone is higher than normal: what are the reasons?

When progesterone is higher than normal levels, experts call this condition hyperprogesteronemia.

The reasons for increased blood levels of this hormone in non-pregnant women of childbearing age may be the following conditions:

• kidney failure;
• hyperfunction of the adrenal cortex;
• corpus luteum cyst;
• chronic uterine bleeding;
• hormonal disbalance;
• taking oral contraceptives or other medications that contain progestins.

If progesterone in the blood is too high, then a woman experiences symptoms such as:

• fast fatiguability;
• causeless weight gain;
• increased sweating;
• arterial hypertension;
• dysmenorrhea;
• acne;
• flatulence;
• increased sensitivity and soreness of the mammary glands;
• emotional lability.

What causes hormone deficiency?

A lack of sexual secretion of this type is no less dangerous than its excessive concentration. The lack of optimal hormone levels may be due to the following reasons.

Lack of progesterone during pregnancy

No more than 5% of pregnant women experience progesterone deficiency, and this is due to the following factors:

• the first trimester of fetal development, when the endocrine and reproductive systems are just beginning to adapt to new working conditions;
• tumors in the ovaries that were not diagnosed before the child was conceived;
• dysfunction of the thyroid gland, the hormones of which affect the synthesis of progesterone;
• stressful situations and heavy physical activity.

Also, a lack of sexual secretion is observed in the 3rd trimester of pregnancy, which indicates the imminent onset of labor. As the hormone level decreases, the pain threshold increases and it is easier for a woman to give birth to a child.

Menopause

This stage of the formation of the female reproductive system is associated with the end of the childbearing period, so low levels of the hormone are associated with the influence of factors.

They are:

• drop in general hormonal levels;
• rapid decrease in estrogen;
• age-related changes in the body.

Progesterone deficiency during menopause is considered normal, as a woman’s body enters a completely different stage. The percentage of sex hormones changes completely, the aging process accelerates, and reproductive function disappears.

Luteal phase deficiency

This is a period of time in the general menstrual cycle that lasts 14 days from the moment of ovulation.

During this period, progesterone deficiency is possible in the following cases:

• the woman has irregular periods;
• suddenly the menstrual cycle became shorter than 21 days;
• blood discharge has become too abundant (more than 150 ml per day);
• the transformation of the follicle into the corpus luteum stopped.

This reason for the lack of sex hormone is the most difficult to diagnose, and therefore requires a thorough examination and attention from a gynecologist.

Galactorrhea-amenorrhea

A pathological condition of the endocrine system caused by a failure in the synthesis of hormones responsible for the functioning of the nervous system and mammary glands.

In this regard, progesterone deficiency can be caused by the following factors:

• hyperthyroidism of the thyroid gland;
• acromegaly;

• ovarian tumor;
• lack of the hormone prolactin, which is involved in lactation;
• systemic dysfunction of pituitary tissue.

Galactorrhea-amenorrhea can be successfully treated if the cause of the pathology is identified in a timely manner. Immediately after its elimination, the normal level of progesterone in the blood is restored.

Lack of progesterone: what are the causes?

A decrease in the amount of this hormone in the blood is called hypoprogesteronemia.

The causes of such hormonal imbalance may be the following conditions:

• lack of ovulation;
• corpus luteum deficiency;
• chronic diseases of the appendages of an inflammatory nature;
• excessive physical activity;
• chronic stress;
• anorexia;
• taking certain groups of medications.

Symptoms of hypoprogesteronemia:

• infertility;
• frequent miscarriages in the first trimester;
• dysfunctional uterine bleeding;
• dysmenorrhea;
• unauthorized termination of pregnancy or premature birth;
• post-term pregnancy;
• placental insufficiency.

How to reduce excess hormone

Progesterone (the norm in women is disrupted) is reduced with the help of traditional medicine.

To stabilize hormonal levels, a woman is prescribed the following medications:

• Tamoxifen;
• Mifepristone;
• Clomiphene;
• Valproic acid.

The dosage and timing of therapy are individual, since the treatment course is formed based on how high the level of sexual secretion is. The higher its concentration, the greater the dose of the active component of the drug. An endocrinologist should prescribe medication.