Your doctor can order this test if you’re having trouble getting pregnant. The results can give them an indication of whether or not you’re ovulating. In turn, this can help them diagnose and manage potential fertility problems.

Your doctor might also order this test if you’re pregnant and they suspect you’re at risk of ectopic pregnancy or miscarriage. Ectopic pregnancy happens when a fertilized egg attaches itself to your fallopian tube, abdominal cavity, or cervix, rather than your uterus. Miscarriage happens when you lose a fetus during early pregnancy. Both are caused due to low progesterone levels.

Your serum progesterone level will be measured in nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL).

Normal test results

In general, normal serum progesterone test results fall in the following ranges:

• men, postmenopausal women, and women at the beginning of their menstrual cycle: 1 ng/mL or under
• women in the middle of their menstrual cycle: 5 to 20 ng/mL
• pregnant women in their first trimester: 11.2 to 90 ng/mL
• pregnant women in their second trimester: 25.6 to 89.4 ng/mL
• pregnant women in their third trimester: 48.4 to 42.5 ng/mL

Abnormal test results

Your test results are considered abnormal if they fall outside the normal ranges. In some cases, a single abnormal test result reflects normal fluctuations in your progesterone levels.

Your progesterone levels can fluctuate a lot, even over the course of a single day. In other cases, abnormally high or low progesterone levels may be a sign of an underlying health problem.

In addition to pregnancy, high progesterone levels can be caused by:

• ovarian cancer
• adrenal cancer
• congenital adrenal hyperplasia, a group of disorders that affect your adrenal gland

Low progesterone levels can be caused by:

• lack of periods
• failure to ovulate
• ectopic pregnancy
• miscarriage
• fetal death

Hormones are chemicals that coordinate different functions in your body by carrying messages through your blood to your organs, skin, muscles and other tissues. These signals tell your body what to do and when to do it. Hormones are essential for life and your health.

Scientists have identified over 50 hormones in the human body so far.

Hormones and most of the tissues (mainly glands) that create and release them make up your endocrine system. Hormones control many different bodily processes, including:

• Metabolism.
• Homeostasis (constant internal balance), such as blood pressure and blood sugar regulation, fluid (water) and electrolyte balance and body temperature.
• Growth and development.
• Sexual function.
• Reproduction.
• Sleep-wake cycle.
• Mood.

With hormones, a little bit goes a long way. Because of this, minor changes in levels can cause significant changes to your body and lead to certain conditions that require medical treatment.

Specialized glands that make up your endocrine system make and release most of the hormones in your body. A gland is an organ that makes one or more substances, such as hormones, digestive juices, sweat or tears. Endocrine glands release hormones directly into your bloodstream.

Your endocrine system consists of the following glands:

• Hypothalamus.
• Pituitary gland.
• Pineal gland.
• Thyroid.
• Parathyroid glands.
• Adrenal glands.
• Pancreas.
• Ovaries.
• Testes.

But not all organs and tissues that release hormones or hormone-like substances are considered part of the endocrine system. Other body tissues that release hormones include:

• Adipose tissue (fat tissue).
• Kidneys.
• Liver.
• Gut (gastrointestinal tract).
• Placenta.