PROGESTERONE

LAB529

P4

5.0 mL Gold SST

2.0 mL

7 mL Red Top Tube

Set Up:Daily Report Available:1 day

Female: 
           Follicular                         0.2-1.5 ng/mL 
           Ovulation                        0.8-3.0 ng/mL 
           Luteal                            1.7-27.0 ng/mL 
           Post-Menopausal           0.1-0.8 ng/mL 

Male: 0.20-1.40 ng/mL
          

Progesterone is a steroid hormone which plays an important role in the preparation for and maintenance of pregnancy. It is synthesized from cholesterol via pregnenolone - then rapidly metabolized to pregnanediol, for the most part, in the liver. The ovary and placenta are the major production sites; but a small amount is also synthesized by the adrenal cortex in both men and women. Circulating progesterone levels, which are characteristically low during the follicular phase, increase sharply during the luteal phase of menstrual cycles, reaching a maximum some 5 to 10 days after the midcycle LH peak. Unless pregnancy occurs, a steep decline to follicular levels sets in about 4 days before the next menstrual period. This pattern constitutes the rationale behind the well-established use of serum progesterone measurements as a simple and reliable method for ovulation detection. There is growing literature on luteal phase defects. Daily progesterone levels are considered the most accurate means for documenting a defective luteal phase. However, some investigators have found that three samples or even a single sample (if well timed) can provide valuable information on the adequacy of the luteal phase. Measurements of serum progesterone have also been used to check the effectiveness of ovulation induction, to monitor progesterone replacement therapy and to detect and evaluate patients at risk for abortion during the early weeks of pregnancy.