Serum progesterone

A blood sample is needed. Most of the time, blood is drawn from a vein located on the inside of the elbow or the back of the hand.

Many medicines can interfere with blood test results. Your health care provider will tell you if you need to stop taking any medicines before you have this test. DO NOT stop or change your medicines without talking to your provider first.

You may feel slight pain or a sting when the needle is inserted. You may also feel some throbbing at the site after the blood is drawn.

This test is done to: Determine if a woman is currently ovulating or has recently ovulated Evaluate a woman with repeated miscarriages (other tests are used more commonly) Determine the risk for miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy early in pregnancy, (now largely superseded by other diagnostic options)

Progesterone levels vary, depending on the timing when the test is done. Blood progesterone levels start to rise midway through the menstrual cycle. It continues to rise for about 6 to 10 days, and then falls if the egg is not fertilized. Levels continue to rise in early pregnancy. The following are normal ranges…

Higher-than-normal levels may be due to: Pregnancy Ovulation Adrenal cancer (rare) Ovarian cancer (rare) Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (rare) Lower-than-normal levels may be due to: Amenorrhea (no periods as result of anovulation [ovulation does not occur]) Ectopic pregnancy Irregular periods Fetal death Miscarriage

Bulun SE. Physiology and pathology of the female reproductive axis. In: Melmed S, Auchus, RJ, Goldfine AB, Koenig RJ, Rosen CJ, eds. Williams Textbook of Endocrinology . 14th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 17. Humphreys MA, Branch DW. Recurrent pregnancy loss. In: Lockwood CJ, Copel JA, Dugoff L, Louis J,…