A progesterone blood test can be helpful if you:
The reference ranges and units used to measure your progesterone levels can vary depending on the lab that analyses your sample. But for guidance, the reference ranges used if you measured your levels 7 days before your period might be:
If your results aren’t in the optimal or normal range, there are a number of reasons why this might happen. Low progesterone levels can be caused by:
Consistently high progesterone levels might be due to pregnancy or an ovarian cyst. In very rare cases, it might be caused by ovarian cancer.
Your doctor can help you understand your progesterone results and talk to you about the next steps.
If your results indicate you’re not ovulating and you’re trying to get pregnant, your doctor might prescribe you medication like clomifene — stimulates ovulation.
Eating a healthy diet can help increase your progesterone levels, opt for foods rich in:
Managing your stress levels can also help support your hormone levels.
Cable, J. K., & Grider, M. H. (2020). Physiology, Progesterone. StatPearls [Internet].
Di Renzo, G. C., Mattei, A., Gojnic, M., & Gerli, S. (2005). Progesterone and pregnancy. Current Opinion in Obstetrics and Gynecology, 17(6), 598-600.
Dunson, D. B., Weinberg, C. R., Baird, D. D., Kesner, J. S., & Wilcox, A. J. (2001). Assessing human fertility using several markers of ovulation. Statistics in Medicine, 20(6), 965-978.
Haas, D. M., & Ramsey, P. S. (2013). Progestogen for preventing miscarriage. Cochrane database of systematic reviews, (10).