Many of the symptoms of pregnancy or menopause can be explained by the turbulent changes of the main hormones that control the female reproductive system, progesterone and estrogen. These two substances often rely on one another to maintain the menstrual cycle and any small imbalance between them can cause dramatic symptoms and side effects for a woman. To find out what levels of progesterone are considered normal and what levels may occur during menopause, keep reading.
Low Progesterone Levels
Progesterone levels may vary substantially during just one menstrual cycle during a woman's reproductive years. Usually they peak during the luteal phase, as the lining of the uterus awaits an egg for fertilization. They then drop sharply to induce menstruation if fertilization does not occur. This means that a woman suffering from perimenopause may need to be tested at a certain point in her menstrual cycle to ensure the reading is as accurate as possible. It is usually suggested that the 21st day of the cycle is the best time for testing. If progesterone levels do not change enough during a woman's menstrual cycle it is likely that she will not ovulate.
Progesterone Tests
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The best time for a woman to be tested for low progesterone levels is on the 21st day of her menstrual cycle.
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The main test which can be done to monitor progesterone levels is a simple blood test. These tests are usually undertaken by doctors to assess the following problems,
. Irregular ovulation
. Identifying a failing or ectopic pregnancy
. Infertility
. Unexplained utrenal bleeding.
Menopausal women may suffer from unexplained utrenal bleeding and a progesterone test is usually done in addition to other hormone tests to establish any number of hormone abnormalities caused by the onset of menopause. Several tests are often carried out over a period of time to establish fluctuations in progesterone levels which may help to find the best treatments. The table at the left shows what is considered to be a low progesterone level in a menopausal woman.
What's Normal?
It's very difficult to establish a normal level of progesterone for any one woman due not only to the changes that occur during the menstrual cycle, but also to the differences in progesterone levels from one woman to another. Having said this, many experts would be happy to see a level of
8-10 ng/ml (ng/ml = nanograms per milliliter) during a woman's reproductive era.
Other factors which may affect the results of low progesterone levels tests are the use of a contraceptive pill or patches and HRT medicine.
A woman's post menopausal progesterone levels will usually be low even as hormonal imbalances are stabilized. Progesterone levels are likely to stay this way for the rest of a woman's life.
There are many treatment possibilities if a woman is experiencing low progesterone levels. Click on the following link to learn about
treatments for progesterone imbalance.
Progesterone Levels
