Progesterone is a hormone that is responsible for many physiological processes in a woman's body. In a small amount, it is also produced by male organs (testicles, adrenal glands). Insufficient concentration of the hormone in women can cause inflammation of the genital organs, uterine bleeding, miscarriages. How to donate blood for progesterone and, most importantly, when is a question that interests many. But it is especially relevant for couples planning a pregnancy.
What is the hormone progesterone?
Progesterone is a hormone produced by the ovary or testicles, as well as the adrenal glands, the main task of which is to maintain the normal functioning of the human reproductive system. A very important role is assigned to this hormone during pregnancy. Without it, it is impossible to attach the fetal egg to the walls of the uterus. Every woman should know what the hormone progesterone is, when to take it and what is the role of thiscompounds in the body.
Progesterone Functions:
- Preparation of the endometrium in the uterus for the introduction of the egg.
- Ensuring the integrity of the uterine epithelium during pregnancy due to the absence of menstruation.
- It promotes the growth of the uterus, which is necessary for the normal development of the unborn baby.
- Progesterone relaxes the muscles of the uterus and prevents it from rejecting the fetus.
- Thanks to the hormone, the mammary glands enlarge, thus preparing them for subsequent lactation.
- The hormone promotes the accumulation of subcutaneous fat, which nourishes the baby and the placenta.
- Normalizes blood pressure.
- Participates in the development of fabrics.
To find out the level of the hormone in the body, you need to donate blood for analysis. Progesterone is taken on the day of the cycle, the 22nd or 23rd, after the onset of menstruation. If the cycle is not established and is more than 30 days, a consultation with a gynecologist is necessary. In such cases, the analysis is carried out later than the 23rd day of the cycle.
Progesterone and the menstrual cycle
The menstrual cycle is an important biological process in a woman's body, on which her ability to conceive and give birth to a child, that is, her childbearing function, depends.
The average menstrual cycle consists of 28 days (from the beginning of the first menstruation to the beginning of the second). Deviations are possible - 21-35 days. It doesn't matter how many days your menstrual cycle lasts, it matters that it is regular.
The cycle consists of two phases: in the first, the hormone estrogen is produced, inthe second is progesterone. The first phase of the cycle is the maturation of the egg and ovulation, the second is the journey of the egg to its “destination”, that is, to the uterus. From the follicle in which the egg matures, a corpus luteum is formed, which subsequently produces progesterone. The level of the hormone increases in the blood just in the second half of the cycle. Therefore, to the question of which day to take progesterone, the answer is unequivocal: closer to the beginning of menstruation.
If fertilization does not occur, the egg dies and the corpus luteum regresses. As a result, every month a woman has menstrual bleeding. When pregnancy does occur, the hormone continues to be produced by the corpus luteum until the 16th week, and then it is produced by the placenta.
The norm of progesterone in the blood
Progesterone is an important hormone that prepares a woman's body for the upcoming pregnancy. Without it, pregnancy is impossible.
During the month, the concentration of progesterone in the blood changes. So, its smallest amount is at the beginning of the cycle (up to 4.83 nmol / l). The amount of the hormone increases by the beginning of ovulation (9.41 nmol/l) and continues to grow during the luteal phase, when the corpus luteum begins to produce it (from 16.2 to 85.9 nmol/l). With the onset of menstruation, the amount of the hormone decreases to 0.32–2.51 nmol/L.
For those women who become pregnant, the concentration of the hormone in the blood continues to grow and is:
- In the first trimester - from 14.9 to 108.1 nmol/L.
- In the second -from 61.7 to 159.
- In the third - 17, 3–508, 8.
Progesterone is produced in different amounts each week of pregnancy. It does not matter when expectant mothers donate blood for progesterone. Where to take the test, the local doctor will tell you. This is often done by private laboratories.
Progesterone and pregnancy
You often hear the expression "pregnancy hormone". But not always people understand what is at stake. The pregnancy hormone is progesterone. Its main function is to prepare the woman's body for the upcoming childbearing and promote its development.
When a woman feels well, an analysis for this type of hormone is not prescribed. It's not on the must-have list. But, when the he alth of the expectant mother is far from normal, there are threats of termination of pregnancy, a progesterone test is prescribed. How to take it, how to prepare - the specialist (endocrinologist) is obliged to tell.
Hormone concentration should always be within acceptable limits. An increased or decreased amount of progesterone indicates abnormalities associated with pregnancy or the he alth of the expectant mother.
Low progesterone can cause:
- Miscarriage.
- Missed pregnancy.
- Placental insufficiency.
- Fetal development delays.
- Prematurity and late delivery.
High progesterone says about:
- Irregularities in the placenta.
- Renal failure.
- Multiple pregnancy.
- Maternal he alth problems (diabetes, ovarian cysts).
During pregnancy, progesterone not only helps to secure the fetal egg to the walls of the uterus, it also:
- takes part in the formation of embryonic tissues;
- changes the emotional and mental state of a woman, "tuning" her to pregnancy;
- relaxes ligaments during childbirth.
If you need to know how much progesterone is in the body, how to take the test correctly and, most importantly, when, you should consult a specialist doctor. In addition to a blood test, other types of studies, in particular ultrasound, may be additionally prescribed.
Hormone correction is performed both inpatient and at home. It all depends on the specific case, as well as on the condition of the mother and fetus. If there is no threat of interruption, home treatment is quite possible. As they say, houses and walls heal.
How to donate blood for progesterone?
For those who are planning a pregnancy, a blood test for progesterone is one of the important diagnostic methods. Its concentration increases significantly after the release of the egg from the follicle (ovulation). Sexual contact at this time will almost certainly end in pregnancy.
Many women are interested in when the test for progesterone is carried out, how to donate blood correctly for research and whether it is necessary to prepare for the analysis. Certainly. Before a blood test for hormones, an endocrinologist consultation is necessary.
Non-pregnant women blood for progesteronetaken on the 23rd day of the menstrual cycle (the first day of the cycle is the first day of menstruation). When the cycle is more than 30 days, the analysis, respectively, is taken a little later (on the 28th day).
In short, the "pregnancy hormone" study is carried out a week before the onset of menstruation. In this case, the duration of the cycle does not play a role. Those who remember such a simple rule will no longer have the question of which day to take progesterone.
The analysis does not require special preparation. Venous blood sampling is performed in the morning on an empty stomach. A few days before the analysis, you need to stop some drugs that have an effect on the results. For this, a specialist consultation is needed.
Pregnant women can donate blood for progesterone any day. The results are interpreted according to the term (trimester) of pregnancy.
When to take progesterone for women with irregular cycles?
Women who have an irregular menstrual cycle (that is, each time a different number of days from the start of the first menstruation to the start of the second), it is more difficult to pass an analysis for progesterone. In such cases, doctors recommend doing the study several times.
The basal temperature will “tell” more accurately about the onset of ovulation and the increase in the level of the hormone progesterone. To do this, it is necessary to measure it every morning after sleep with the same thermometer. Measurements can be taken in the mouth, vagina or rectum.
Indicators should be recorded in a separate notebook. At the moment the egg is released, the temperature rises by a degree (or more). The next day, it begins to decrease, and the hormone progesterone is actively produced in the body. How to take the analysis in this case? What day of the cycle? In this case, the analysis is taken on the sixth or seventh day after the peak temperature.
Hormone correction
Most often, deviations of progesterone in the blood of a woman are observed in the smaller direction. That is, it is downgraded. This is the cause of miscarriages and ectopic pregnancies. Also, low progesterone indicates various inflammations in the genital organs (cysts, fibroids).
You can adjust the level of the hormone with the help of special medications. This is progesterone in injections and tablets. The treatment regimen and doses are prescribed only by a doctor after a thorough diagnosis.
Hormone correction allows you to adjust the menstrual cycle, support the fetus or placenta during the threat of interruption. The drug sometimes causes side reactions - nausea, headache, dizziness. However, these phenomena are temporary.
Who should not take progesterone treatment?
Unfortunately, the increased concentration of this hormone in the blood is not equally beneficial for everyone. In addition to the adverse reactions that progesterone (as a drug) can cause, it has a negative effect on those who are sick:
- Breast cancer, genital tumors.
- Hepatitis or other liver disease.
- Bronchitis.
- Heart disease.
- Sugardiabetes, kidney failure.
Progesterone should not be taken by people prone to thrombosis.
Progesterone preparations should only be prescribed by a doctor. Self-medication is prohibited.
Folk methods to increase progesterone in the blood
You can also raise the level of progesterone in the blood with the help of folk methods of treatment, which are based on taking herbal decoctions - this is an ordinary cuff, cinnamon, motherwort, yarrow, peony, sacred vitek, raspberry leaves, cinquefoil. The substances contained in these plants stimulate the pituitary gland. And it, in turn, affects the production of the hormone by the corpus luteum.
Infusions and teas from plants are recommended to be taken from the fifteenth to the twenty-fifth day of the cycle. Phytotherapy is good for the prevention of premenopausal syndrome, as well as for women trying to get pregnant.
For treatment with folk methods, consultation with an endocrinologist is also necessary. After all, not all herbs are equally beneficial for different people.
17 - OH Progesterone
Often, after receiving the results of tests for hormones, women begin to panic because of the increased level of 17-OH progesterone. And in vain. 17-OH is not a hormone, it is a product of its synthesis. It is also produced from the second trimester by the placenta and adrenal glands of the fetus, which explains the increased amount of this substance.
The concentration of 17-OH within the normal range is 1.24–8.24 nmol/l during egg maturation, 0.91–4.24 during ovulation, 0.99–11.51 during release eggs fromfollicle.
Of course, a significant deficiency, as well as an excess of 17-OH, indicates disorders in the body. These could be:
- Menstrual irregularities.
- Tumors of the adrenal glands.
- Anomalies in the development of the fetus (external genitalia in boys).
- Fetal adrenal insufficiency.
So, when to take 17-OH progesterone, a specialist doctor will tell you. The main symptoms that are indications for this:
- Miscarriages.
- Infant mortality (newborn).
- Irregular menstrual cycle.
- Acne on the face.
- Increased hair on the chest and face in women.
If such phenomena are observed, you should donate blood for the hormone 17-OH (progesterone). When to take an analysis? For research, venous blood is needed, taken in the morning on an empty stomach. There is no need to prepare for it.
Timely diagnosis and treatment will help to avoid many he alth problems.
Progesterone in men
Most women who are planning a pregnancy know what progesterone is, when to donate blood for a hormone and what the results mean. Do men know the role of this hormone in their body?
Progesterone functions in the male body:
- Serves to prevent tumor diseases of the reproductive system, as well as diseases of the heart and blood vessels.
- Strengthens the skeletal system.
- Controls the level of the hormone estrogen.
- Takes part in the exchange of fluids.
- Normalizes the functioning of the thyroid gland.
- Promotes he althy sleep.
Therefore, to the question of why taking progesterone for a man, the answer is simple - for the prevention and diagnosis of many diseases.
Preventive measures to maintain progesterone levels
The amount of progesterone in the blood, like other hormones, depends on many factors, in particular on lifestyle. A correct and he althy lifestyle contributes to the normal production of the hormone.
To maintain progesterone within the normal range you need:
- Eat a balanced diet.
- Food should be varied, including the inclusion of cholesterol, which is the main source of the hormone.
- Avoid stress and depression.
- Practice exercise and sports.
- Strengthen immunity.
Conclusion
Progesterone is not only a “pregnancy hormone”, it is an important substance that is responsible for the normal functioning of the human body. Everyone should know the symptoms that indicate that progesterone is elevated or reduced (when to take tests, described in the article) and what contributes to the normalization of its level.
