Progesterone is a female sex hormone that is actively produced by the yellow body and the adrenal gland mainly in the second phase of the menstrual cycle. For a woman planning a pregnancy, it is extremely important to determine the inadequacy of progesterone in time, since this hormone is responsible for preparing the body for conception and maintaining a pregnancy. In addition, the lack of progesterone may have other consequences, for example, painful manifestations of PMS, the development of endometriosis, as well as endometrial and breast cancer.
The normal level of progesterone is influenced by many factors: the age of the woman, menopause, pregnancy, oral contraceptive intake, the influence of the hormone concentration is heavily influenced by the phase of the menstrual cycle. Thus, in a woman of reproductive age the normal value of progesterone ranges from 0.32-2.23 in the first - the follicular phase , 0.48-9.41 can reach at the time of ovulation and 6.99-56.63 corresponds to the luteal - the final phase menstrual cycle. The unit of measurement of the hormone concentration is nmol / l.
The normal level of progesterone during pregnancy is significantly different.
Symptoms of a deficiency of progesterone in women
In most cases, if a hormone is deficient in progesterone, a woman may notice the following symptoms:
- absence of ovulation, infertility;
- miscarriages in the early stages of pregnancy;
- the formation of seals and other structural disorders in the mammary glands, their soreness and puffiness;
- disorders of the menstrual cycle, pronounced PMS (headaches, general malaise, irritability, weight gain);
- bleeding of unclear etiology.
All the signs of a lack of progesterone can manifest in a mild form, therefore, in order to make a final diagnosis, it is necessary to pass the analysis. As a rule, most often it turns out that the lack of progesterone is determined in the course of treatment of concomitant diseases, when patients complain of long and painful menstruation, or their absence, problems with conception.
Women who plan pregnancy and follow changes in basal temperature, with a lack of progesterone, do not notice its rise in the second phase of the cycle.
Lack of progesterone in women with pregnancy - symptoms and causes
Particularly dangerous is the lack of progesterone in pregnancy, as it often becomes the cause of its interruption in the early stages, and can also indicate such pathological processes as:
- functional disorders of the yellow body, or on later terms - the placenta;
- kidney failure;
- Infectious and inflammatory diseases;
- oncological diseases;
- retardation of fetal development ;
- significant pregnancy overdose.
If the symptoms of a deficiency of progesterone during pregnancy appeared on the period of up to 16-20 weeks and the fears were confirmed by an appropriate analysis, then the patient is prescribed special medications.
How to increase progesterone?
From all of the above, we found out what the lack of progesterone leads to. Now let's talk about ways to increase the concentration of the hormone in the body of a woman.
First and foremost, if possible, it is necessary to limit stressful situations, provide a complete diet with a large amount of cholesterol (meat, eggs, dairy products, animal and vegetable fats).
A faster and more effective way to increase progesterone is hormone drugs, which are mandatory prescribed by a doctor in case of a threat of termination of pregnancy. Also you can not discount the people's means.