Progesterone

A progesterone test measures the amount of the Reference hormone Opens New Window progesterone in a blood sample. Reference Progesterone Opens New Window is a female hormone produced by the Reference ovaries Opens New Window during release of a mature egg from an ovary (Reference ovulation Opens New Window). Progesterone helps prepare the lining of the uterus (Reference endometrium Opens New Window) to receive the egg if it becomes fertilized by a sperm. If the egg is not fertilized, progesterone levels drop and menstrual bleeding begins.

During pregnancy, the Reference placenta Opens New Window also produces high levels of progesterone, starting near the end of the Reference first trimester Opens New Window and continuing until the baby is born. Levels of progesterone in a pregnant woman are about 10 times higher than they are in a woman who is not pregnant.

Some types of cancer cause abnormal progesterone levels in men and women.

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