Progesterone is a hormone that is responsible for many physiological processes in a woman's body. In a small amount, male organs also produce it (testicles, adrenal glands). An insufficient concentration of the hormone in women can cause inflammation of the genitals, uterine bleeding, and miscarriages. How to donate blood for progesterone and, most importantly, when - 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 testes, as well as the adrenal glands, whose main task 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 a 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 this compound in the body.
Progesterone Functions:
- Preparation of the endometrium in the uterus for the introduction of an 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 future baby.
- Progesterone relaxes the muscles of the uterus and does not allow it to reject the fetus.
- Thanks to the hormone, the mammary glands enlarge, so they prepare for subsequent lactation.
- The hormone promotes the accumulation of subcutaneous fat, which nourishes the baby and the placenta.
- Normalizes blood pressure.
- Takes part in tissue development.
To find out the level of the hormone in the body, you need to donate blood for analysis. Progesterone is given on the day of the cycle of 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, a genital function, depends.
On average, the 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. No matter how many days the menstrual cycle lasts, it matters that it is regular.
The cycle consists of two phases: in the first, the hormone estrogen is produced , in the second - progesterone. The first phase of the cycle is egg maturation and ovulation, the second is the journey of the egg to the "destination", that is, to the uterus. From the follicle in which the egg matured, a corpus luteum is formed , subsequently producing progesterone. The hormone level increases in the blood just in the second half of the cycle. Therefore, the question of which day to take progesterone, the answer is unequivocal: closer to the onset 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 the placenta produces it.
Norm of progesterone in the blood
Progesterone is an important hormone that prepares a woman's body for the upcoming bearing of a baby. Without it, pregnancy is impossible.
Over the course of a 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 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.
In those women who are becoming pregnant, the concentration of the hormone in the blood continues to increase 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.
In every week of pregnancy, progesterone is produced in different amounts. It does not matter when future mothers donate blood for progesterone. Where to pass the analysis, the local doctor will tell you. Often this is done by private laboratories.
Progesterone and Pregnancy
Often you hear the expression “pregnancy hormone”. But people do not always understand what is at stake. Pregnancy hormone - this is progesterone. Its main function is to prepare the woman’s body for the upcoming bearing of the child and to promote its development.
When a woman feels well, an analysis for this type of hormone is not prescribed. It is not in the list of required. But, when the future mother's well-being is far from normal, there are threats of abortion, a progesterone test is prescribed. How to take it, how to prepare - must tell the specialist (endocrinologist).
The concentration of the hormone should always be within acceptable limits. An increased or decreased amount of progesterone indicates abnormalities associated with pregnancy or the health of the expectant mother.
Low progesterone can cause:
- Miscarriage.
- Frozen pregnancy.
- Placental insufficiency.
- Lag of the fetus in development.
- Nasal and late birth.
High progesterone says:
- Violations of the placenta.
- Renal failure.
- Multiple pregnancy.
- Maternal health problems (diabetes, ovarian cysts).
During pregnancy, progesterone not only contributes to the fixation of the fetal egg to the walls of the uterus, it also:
- takes part in the formation of embryo tissues;
- changes the emotional and mental state of a woman, "tuning" her into pregnancy;
- relaxes ligaments during childbirth.
If you need to find out 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, additional types of studies can be prescribed, in particular ultrasound.
Correction of the hormone is carried out both stationary 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 possible. As they say, houses and walls are treated.
How to donate blood for progesterone?
For those planning a pregnancy, a blood test for progesterone is one of the important diagnostic methods. Its concentration increases significantly after the egg leaves the follicle (ovulation). Sexual contact at this time will almost completely end in pregnancy.
Many women are interested in when the progesterone test is done , how to donate blood for research, and whether to prepare for the analysis. Sure. Before a blood test for hormones, an endocrinologist should be consulted.
Non-pregnant women donate blood to progesterone 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 passed a little later (on the 28th day).
In short, the study of “pregnancy hormone” 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 a question on which day to take progesterone.
The analysis does not require special preparation. Venous blood is taken in the morning on an empty stomach. A few days before the analysis, you need to cancel some drugs that have an effect on the results. For this, we need specialist advice.
Pregnant women can donate blood for progesterone any day. The results are interpreted in accordance with the term (trimester) of pregnancy.
When to take progesterone to a woman with an irregular cycle?
Women who have an irregular menstrual cycle (that is, each time a different number of days from the beginning of the first menstruation to the beginning of the second), it is more difficult to pass the test for progesterone. In such cases, doctors recommend doing the study several times.
More precisely, basal temperature will “tell” about the onset of ovulation and an increase in the level of the hormone progesterone. For this, it is necessary to measure it every morning after sleep with the same thermometer. Measurements can be made in the mouth, vagina or rectum.
Indicators should be recorded in a separate notebook. At the time of release of the egg, the temperature rises by a degree (or more). The next day, it begins to decline, and the hormone progesterone is actively produced in the body. How to pass analysis in this case? What day of the cycle? In this case, the analysis is taken on the sixth – seventh day after the peak temperature.
Hormone correction
Most often, deviations of progesterone in the blood of a woman are observed in a smaller direction. That is, it is lowered. This causes miscarriages and ectopic pregnancies. Also, low progesterone indicates various inflammations in the genitals (cysts, fibroids).
You can adjust the level of the hormone with the help of special medicines. This is progesterone in injections and tablets. The treatment regimen and dose are prescribed only by the doctor after a thorough diagnosis.
Correction of the hormone allows you to establish a menstrual cycle, maintain the fetus or placenta during the threat of interruption. The drug sometimes causes adverse reactions - nausea, headache, dizziness. However, these phenomena are temporary.
Who is contraindicated in progesterone treatment?
Unfortunately, not everyone is equally useful for the increased concentration of this hormone in the blood. In addition to the adverse reactions that progesterone can cause (as a medicine), it has a negative effect on those who are sick:
- Breast cancer, genital tumors.
- Hepatitis or other liver diseases.
- Bronchitis.
- Heart disease.
- Diabetes mellitus, renal failure.
You can not take progesterone to people prone to thrombosis.
Progesterone preparations should only be prescribed by a doctor. Self-medication is prohibited.
Alternative methods of increasing progesterone in the blood
It is possible to raise the level of progesterone in the blood with the help of alternative methods of treatment, which are based on the reception of decoctions from herbs - this is an ordinary cuff, cinnamon, motherwort, millennium, peony, a sacred coil, raspberry leaves, cinquefoil. The substances contained in these plants stimulate the pituitary gland. And he, 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 twenty-fifth day of the cycle. Herbal medicine is good for the prevention of premenopausal syndrome, as well as for women trying to get pregnant.
For treatment with alternative methods, an endocrinologist's consultation is also required. After all, not all herbs are equally useful for different people.
17 - OH progesterone
Often, having received the results of hormone tests, women start to panic due to the elevated levels 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 of the placenta and the 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, and 0.99–11.51 when the egg leaves the follicle.
Of course, a significant drawback, as well as an excess of 17-OH, indicates violations in the body. It can be:
- Failures of the menstrual cycle.
- Tumors of the adrenal gland.
- Anomalies in the development of the fetus (external genitalia in boys).
- Adrenal insufficiency in the fetus.
So, when to take 17-OH progesterone, a specialist doctor will tell you. The main symptoms that are indications for this are:
- Miscarriages
- Infant mortality (newborns).
- Irregular menstrual cycle.
- Acne on the face.
- An increase in the hairline on the chest and face in women.
If such phenomena are observed, you should donate blood to the hormone 17-OH (progesterone). When to take the analysis? Research requires venous blood taken in the morning on an empty stomach. You do not need to prepare for it.
Timely diagnosis and treatment will help to avoid many health problems.
Progesterone in men
Most women who plan a pregnancy know what progesterone is, when to donate blood for a hormone, and what the results mean. Do men know what role this hormone plays in their bodies?
The functions of progesterone in the male body:
- Serves for the prevention of tumor diseases of the reproductive system, as well as diseases of the heart and blood vessels.
- Strengthens the skeletal system.
- Controls estrogen hormone levels.
- Participates in the exchange of fluids.
- Normalizes the thyroid gland.
- Promotes healthy sleep.
Therefore, the question of why donate progesterone to 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 healthy and healthy lifestyle contributes to the normal production of the hormone.
To maintain progesterone within normal limits, you need:
- Balanced to eat.
- Food should be varied, including the inclusion of cholesterol, which is the main source of the hormone.
- Avoid stressful situations and depression.
- Go in for physical education and sports.
- Strengthen the immune system.
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, indicating that progesterone is increased or decreased (when to take tests, it is described in the article) and that contributes to the normalization of its level.