Progesterone Levels After Ovulation
QUESTION
Dear Midwife,
We have been trying to conceive for 9 months now so last month I had my progesterone blood levels checked on day 21. They came back as 14 which my doctor says indicates I did ovulate. However I have been looking things up on the net and they all seem to say levels need to above 30 for ovulation.
I am 42, have a 20 month old who was conceived 2nd month of trying and then had one miscarriage conceived after 2 months as well. I am worried now that due to my age I have run out of eggs. Is my doctor mistaken?
ANSWER
My sources say anything over 5 is good on day 21. The ovarian reserve is usually not great in someone your age, so I suspect that would be more of an issue than your progesterone level, and short of "buying an egg" and doing in vitro, there is nothing I know of that can be done about your reserve.
-- Cynthia, CNM. PhD.
Cynthia Flynn
Cynthia Flynn, CNM. PhD, is the General Director of the Family Health and Birth Center which provides prenatal, birth, postnatal, gynecological and primary health care to underserved women and their families in Washington, D.C. Recently Cynthia served as Associate Professor of Nursing at Seattle University. There she not only taught, but remained in full scope clinical midwifery practice at Valley Medical Center where she cared for pregnant and birthing women, and practices well-woman gynecology, family planning, and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases.
Cynthia founded Columbia Women's Clinic and Birth Center, where she took care of pregnant women and infants up to two weeks of age and attended both birth center and hospital births. Before Cynthia earned her CNM, she worked as a registered nurse in labor and delivery and postpartum and is a certified Doula and Doula trainer.
