Serum Progesterone
Alternate Names : Progesterone - Serum
DefinitionThis is a test that measures the amount of progesterone in the blood.
Why is the Test Performed?
This test is performed to evaluate disorders associated with abnormal progesterone levels. Progesterone is a steroid hormone that is made in, and released from, the corpus luteum, placenta, and adrenal gland.
In men, progesterone probably has no normal function except as an intermediate in the synthesis of other steroid hormones. In women, progesterone prepares the uterus for pregnancy and the breasts for milk production. After ovulation, progesterone blocks proliferation of the endometrium and stimulates the uterus to prepare for implantation of a fertilized egg. Progesterone levels continue to rise in early pregnancy.
Blood progesterone levels start to rise with the LH surge, midway through the menstrual cycle, continue to rise for about 6 to 10 days, and then fall in the absence of fertilization.
Urinary pregnanediol levels are an indirect measure of progesterone production. Progesterone is converted to pregnanediol by the liver before being secreted in the urine.
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