Progesterone test: measure your progesterone level

A progesterone test puts a concrete number in your hands. That helps with cycle problems, or when you are unsure whether you ovulate. It saves you guessing at vague symptoms.

The result is one piece of the puzzle around your cycle and your fertility. Want to read about the hormone itself first? Visit our page on progesterone.

This test suits women with an irregular cycle. It also helps when you doubt whether ovulation happens at all. Sometimes you simply want to know where your hormonal balance stands.

Women trying to conceive often look at progesterone. The hormone can support an early pregnancy. The test does not replace care from your GP. It does feed that conversation with real figures.

We look at one specific value in your blood:

• Progesterone: the hormone your corpus luteum makes after ovulation, and which rises during the luteal phase.

You get your value back with its matching reference range. That puts your result in context straight away. Want more hormones measured? See the hormone test for women.

Your progesterone level gives an indication of whether ovulation took place. A low value sometimes suggests it did not. Other factors play a part too.

Many questions surround progesterone and pregnancy. The hormone prepares the lining of your womb and can support an early pregnancy. Remember that the result is a snapshot, not a diagnosis.

Want to know specifically whether you ovulated? See the ovulation confirmation.

This test needs a small blood draw. After ordering you pick your own collection point. In the Netherlands you can visit 700+ certified locations, often close to home.

You need no referral from your GP for this. The draw itself usually takes a few minutes. Your blood then goes to a certified laboratory.

Progesterone is best measured in the mid-luteal phase. That is roughly around day 21 of a 28-day cycle. Your level is usually at its highest then.

That timing is deliberate, because seven days after ovulation the value says the most. Early in your cycle progesterone is low. A measurement on day 2 to 5 therefore says little about this hormone.

Do you have a longer cycle? Then the right moment shifts with it.

Your result comes with a reference range and a short explanation. What counts as normal depends on the laboratory and your age. Above all, the day in your cycle weighs heavily.

So do not compare your value with someone else's. A BIG-registered doctor assesses your result and places it in context. For what it means in your situation, that judgement leads.

Your result is ready online within a few working days. You view it safely and clearly in your account. That lets you read it calmly and take it to a follow-up.

Do you recognise symptoms such as an irregular cycle, spotting or PMS? Then discuss your result with a healthcare professional. Every result carries an assessment by a BIG-registered doctor. Always discuss treatment decisions with your GP.