What is Progesterone Hormone? What should be the progesterone value?
Progesterone is one of the hormones that is extremely critical for female reproductive health. It is essential for the progesterone hormone to reach sufficient levels in the blood for both the continuity of the monthly menstrual cycle and the initiation and maintenance of pregnancy. If sufficient progesterone level is not maintained in the blood, a healthy menstrual cycle cannot occur; Pregnancy cannot be initiated or maintained. Therefore, the importance of progesterone hormone for female reproductive health and the problems that may arise in case of deficiency should be known accurately.
What is Progesterone?
Progesterone hormone is one of the hormones associated with the menstrual cycle and the continuation of pregnancy. Ovulation occurs approximately on the 14th day of the woman’s monthly menstrual cycle. As a result, a structure called corpus luteum, also called the yellow body, is formed. The corpus luteum undertakes the task of secreting the progesterone hormone until the beginning of pregnancy. However, once the egg cell settles on the uterine wall and pregnancy begins, progesterone secretion is carried out by the placenta channel, which provides the connection between the mother and the baby. It is not possible for the body to store the progesterone hormone, which is a steroid hormone. Therefore, progesterone deficiency occurs in the presence of any condition that prevents the secretion of this hormone in the body. As a result, both pregnancy and a healthy menstrual cycle are at risk. It is not possible to initiate and maintain a healthy pregnancy in the absence of the progesterone hormone, which has extremely important functions for women’s reproductive health.
What Does Progesterone Do?
The primary function of progesterone is to prepare the uterus so that the fertilized egg cell can easily settle and to ensure that this cell attaches to the endometrium layer. Just as it is important for the egg cell to be fertilized by the sperm cell in order for the pregnancy to begin smoothly, it is also equally important for the fertilized egg cell to settle into the uterus correctly. If the fertilized egg cannot find a suitable environment in the uterus and cannot hold and develop there, it is not possible for the pregnancy process to begin, even if the fertilization process is completed perfectly. Therefore, in order for the pregnancy to start correctly and continue without any problems, the tissue in the uterus must be made suitable for pregnancy through the progesterone hormone. Progesterone hormone, secreted from the structure called corpus luteum, primarily increases the secretion of intrauterine secretions and thus softens the mucosal tissue. The softness of the uterine mucosa is the first condition for the fertilized egg cell to attach to this tissue. Then, the progesterone hormone accelerates blood flow on the surface of the uterus, causing the tissues there to swell and plump. In this way, the fertilized egg cell can safely attach to the inner wall of the uterus and continue its development there.
The progesterone hormone also reduces the sensitivity of the intrauterine muscles to the hormone oxytocin. One of the main functions of the oxytocin hormone is to cause the uterine muscles to contract and thus initiate labor. Progesterone hormone reduces the sensitivity of the uterine muscles to the oxytocin hormone, preventing these muscles from experiencing sudden contractions. In this way, it controls the risk of miscarriage. In addition, progesterone, which supports the development of breast tissue and prepares these tissues to secrete milk in the postpartum period, is one of the extremely important hormones for the postpartum period.
How Much Progesterone Should Be?
During a healthy menstrual cycle, progesterone hormone levels naturally vary. Progesterone secretion is minimal until ovulation occurs. This period, called the follicular phase, constitutes the first 14 days of the cycle. During this period, the progesterone level in the blood varies between 0.2-1.4 ng/ml. However, with the formation of the yellow body called corpus luteum with ovulation, progesterone secretion increases rapidly and begins on days 14-28 of the menstrual cycle. It remains in the range of 4-25 ng/ml between days. It is extremely important to maintain these progesterone levels in order to achieve and maintain a healthy menstrual cycle. In addition, the level of progesterone in the blood changes greatly in situations such as pregnancy, menopause and in the presence of some diseases.
In the first trimester, called the first trimester of pregnancy, progesterone hormone reaches levels of 11.2-90 ng/ml. The hormone level increases to 25.6-89.4 ng/ml in the 3-6 month period called the second trimester, and is measured as at least 48-300 ng/ml in the last trimester. During menopause, it is seen at levels lower than 1 ng/ml.
How Much Progesterone Can You Get Pregnant?
Progesterone hormone level is critical in initiating pregnancy and maintaining a healthy pregnancy. The corpus luteum, which is formed as a result of the egg being expelled from the ovary, rapidly secretes progesterone to prepare the body for pregnancy. In this way, it begins to prepare the inside of the uterus so that the fertilized egg cell can attach. For pregnancy to occur, the fertilized egg must attach to the uterus. Even if the fertilization phase of the egg is carried out correctly, it is not possible to initiate a healthy pregnancy process if this fertilized egg cell does not settle into the uterus properly. Therefore, progesterone hormone is extremely important in order to initiate and maintain a healthy pregnancy process.
The body called corpus luteum, which is formed when the egg is expelled from the ovary, directly increases progesterone secretion. The hormone level, which remains between 0.2-1.4 ng/ml in the first 14 days of the menstrual cycle, reaches 4-25 ng/ml with the start of progesterone secretion from the corpus luteum. In other words, it can be said that the progesterone level must be at least 4 ng/ml for pregnancy to occur. With the beginning of pregnancy, the channel called placenta between the mother and the baby assumes the role of progesterone secretion. During this period, the progesterone level in the blood increases extremely rapidly.
Does Low Progesterone Prevent Pregnancy?
Progesterone is essential for the initiation and maintenance of pregnancy. In order for a healthy pregnancy to begin, the fertilized egg cell must settle and adhere to the uterus correctly. One of the most important hormones that play a role in this process is the progesterone hormone secreted from the yellow body called corpus luteum. Thanks to this hormone, intrauterine mucosal tissue secretion increases and preparations are initiated for the egg to implant. Blood flow to the uterine wall is increased, causing this area to become fuller, swollen and puffy so that the egg can easily implant. If the progesterone hormone is secreted insufficiently and does not reach sufficient levels in the blood, these preparations do not occur in the uterine wall. Even if the fertilization phase of the egg is completed correctly, the pregnancy process cannot be started. In order to initiate pregnancy in a healthy way, adequate progesterone levels must be maintained and the fertilized egg cell must adhere to the uterine wall correctly.
What is Progesterone Test?
Especially in the presence of recurrent miscarriages or risky pregnancies due to various diseases, it may be necessary to check the hormone level with a progesterone test. Blood is taken from the person at certain periods of the menstrual cycle or pregnancy process and the amount of progesterone in this blood is measured. These values are then compared with normal progesterone values for that menstrual cycle day or current week of pregnancy. In this way, the presence of conditions such as low or high progesterone in the person can be detected. Progesterone testing can also be helpful in diagnosing some reproductive problems. Progesterone testing is often preferred, especially in the diagnosis of fertility problems that develop due to ovulation. Progesterone hormone is secreted from the placenta in the later stages of pregnancy. Therefore, the progesterone test gives extremely reliable results in evaluating the condition and functioning of the placenta.
Symptoms of Low Progesterone
The passage of the egg cell, which has reached sufficient maturity for fertilization, from the ovaries to the fallopian tubes is called ovulation. The increase in progesterone secretion is initiated with ovulation. Fertility problems related to ovulation occur in cases where the mature egg cell cannot pass into the tubes. When the egg cell is expelled from the ovaries and passes into the tubes for fertilization, a structure called corpus luteum is formed. Corpus luteum is the most important structure that secretes the progesterone hormone during the beginning of pregnancy. In cases where the egg cell cannot pass from the ovaries to the tubes, the corpus luteum structure cannot form. Therefore, in the absence of this structure, low progesterone and related fertility problems occur. Irregular menstrual cycle is also among the findings indicating low progesterone.
Symptoms of High Progesterone
Progesterone is one of the hormones that is critical for both a healthy menstrual cycle and the initiation and maintenance of a healthy pregnancy process. It is generally thought that women with regular menstrual cycles have adequate hormone levels without testing. Therefore, the first point to consider when evaluating the progesterone level is the regularity of the menstrual cycle. If the menstrual cycle occurs regularly at normal intervals, it is possible to say that the progesterone hormone has reached sufficient levels.
However, progesterone hormone also affects the development of breast tissue. Although its main effect is to develop the breast tissue to secrete milk in the postpartum period, in some cases, sensitivity and a feeling of fullness in the breast tissue may occur due to the high level of progesterone hormone.
How to Increase Progesterone?
With some medical treatment methods, it is possible to increase the amount of progesterone in the blood and thus support the initiation and continuation of pregnancy much more safely. Progesterone hormone, which can be taken orally, vaginally or by intramuscular injection, is preferred especially in expectant mothers with a history of miscarriage, in the presence of various diseases that put pregnancy at risk such as coagulation disorders, and in cases such as advanced gestational age. After hormone supplementation, blood levels should be closely monitored and the treatment plan should be shaped accordingly. Therefore, physician-controlled treatment options should be applied to increase the progesterone hormone and one should be aware of the side effects.
Progesterone Side Effects
Some side effects are observed in the body with the supplementation of progesterone hormone. The main ones are drowsiness, dizziness, shortening or interruption of menstrual period, bleeding, acne, skin sensitivity and redness, urticaria, edema, weight gain, digestive system disorders such as nausea and vomiting, libido change, sensitivity and discomfort in breast tissue, These can be listed as high fever, insomnia, increased hair growth, alopecia areata (ringworm), depression and venous thromboembolism. However, progesterone supplementation may cause unexpected effects, especially on breast tissue and the cardiovascular system. Therefore, the treatment must be carried out under the supervision of a physician and the person must be closely monitored for all these risky situations. If you have questions about the progesterone hormone, you can contact the nearest health institution.
