Progesterone Level - Ghost/IVF Nurse/anyone

[alimoyni]

had some labs yesterday (9dp5dt) and my progesterone level was 265. What should the normal value be around this time, I have looked around the internet and cant seem to find the info. I know its really high, the doctor says this is why my abdomen is so extremely bloated and that after a recheck on day 11 he will probally have me stop taking my progesterone vaginal capsules or cut back from three times a day.

Thanks

[Ghost]

had some labs yesterday (9dp5dt) and my progesterone level was 265. What should the normal value be around this time, I have looked around the internet and cant seem to find the info. I know its really high, the doctor says this is why my abdomen is so extremely bloated and that after a recheck on day 11 he will probally have me stop taking my progesterone vaginal capsules or cut back from three times a day.

Thanks

Don't worry about progesterone.

Yes, that is much higher than in a natural cycle. First, you clearly have enough progesterone to sustain a pregnancy. That's good. Also, elevated progesterone, although it is associated with side effects like cramping and such, is not a threat to your health or your pregnancy.

So why are they looking at your progesterone level right now? Because progesterone is produced by the corpora lutea, and doctors use it as an indicator of corpus luteum activity. (A corpus luteum is just a spent follicle, which acts as a gland to produce hormones to support the pregnancy. The plural is corpora lutea.) The corpus luteum also makes another hormone called VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor, a hormone that is responsible for necessary vascularization of the corpus luteum), and the excess amounts of this hormone is the specific cause of OHSS. VEGF, in excess quantities (as when it's produced by the many spent follicles in high responders) causes capilaries to become very permeable (vascular hyperpermeability) and therefore fluid exudes from the bloodstream into other spaces, like your abdomen and perhaps around your lungs. This permeability is the central problem in OHSS, but it can lead to many more problems.

Anyway, they watch for progesterone because that gives them a clue about VEGF production and helps them to estimate if your OHSS is getting better or worse soon. With a 265 progesterone level, you are probably still producing a lot of VEGF (hCG causes the corpus luteum to produce progesterone and VEGF).

They asked you to cut back on the progesterone because your body already has plenty. It's a waste of money to use your progesterone meds when your level is at 265.

[alimoyni]

thanks ghost for the insight