Normal Progesterone Levels

Q: What are normal progesterone levels?

A: Progesterone levels are only averages and they can change based on many variables. For example, the timing of the cycle, whether you ovulate or not, which lab tested them, whether blood is taken after you eat or before, and whether it's in the morning or afternoon, can all affect the outcome of a progesterone level test. 

• Before you ovulate, progesterone levels are usually below 10 ng/ml
• In the middle of the second half of the cycle, midcycle, about 7-10 days after ovulation,  progesterone levels ate usually above 8-10 ng/ml.
• Progesterone levels are usually higher when you are pregnant, but even in a non-pregnant patient they can reach 20 ng/ml. In a pregnancy cycle they should be greater than 10 to 12 ng/ml to have a better chance of a good pregnancy outcome.

Even though progesterone levels are higher when you are pregnant, you cannot tell just by looking at a progesterone level whether you are pregnant or not. Levels can be high and you are not pregnant or they can be low and you are pregnant.

There are many different opinions as to what to do if the levels are low. Some doctors give progesterone (pills, shots, suppositories) and others don't treat unless there has been some proof of a preexisting low progesterone in non-pregnancy cycles.