Progesterone is a hormone measured directly in blood in nmol/L, made mainly by the corpus luteum after ovulation. Practitioners use a well-timed mid-luteal level to check that ovulation occurred in clients with irregular cycles, premenstrual symptoms, fertility plans or suspected anovulation. Collection day relative to the next period is the main source of error, and one value can mislead because luteal secretion is pulsatile.
| Test type | Measured in a blood sample |
|---|---|
| Measurements required | Progesterone only |
| Sample and collection | Blood draw at a collection centre, timed to the second half of the cycle |
| Preparation | Book your test for about 7 days before you expect your next period (around day 21 of a 28-day cycle). |
| Turnaround | About 3 to 5 business days |
| Available through | Hormone Studies. Available in: Female Hormone Health Test, Perimenopause Test, Menopause Test, Progesterone Test. |
| Pricing | Price on sign-up |
| Results | Returned in the Vively practitioner platform, beside your client's other markers |
What are the Progesterone reference and optimal ranges?
| Typical lab reference | Vively optimal | |
|---|---|---|
| Women, early cycle (follicular) | 0.3 to 2.5 nmol/L | No separate optimal range; read with cycle day. |
| Women, mid-luteal (7 days before period) | 5 to 90 nmol/L | 40 to 90 nmol/L |
Labs differ, and phase ranges only apply when timing is right, so read the result against the range printed on the client's report (RCPA guidance). The mid-luteal optimal range is a follow-up target, not a test of fertility.
Check a client's Progesterone result
Enter the value from your client's lab report to see where it sits against the typical lab range and the Vively optimal range.
A guide only, not a diagnosis. One result is a starting point: read it with symptoms, history and a repeat test. Labs differ, so check the result against the range on your client's report. Nothing you enter is stored or sent.
How do you arrange Progesterone testing through Vively?
- Get verified. Practitioners with a recognised qualification or membership (ATMS, NHAA, ANTA, Dietitians Australia, NSA, CMA or Ahpra registration) can request free practitioner access.
- Choose a panel. Log in to the practitioner platform and pick a panel that includes Progesterone, or build your own. Add-on pricing shows when you sign up.
- Client collects. Your client collects at a partner collection centre, with their request on their phone or printed.
- Review results. Results come back to you in the practitioner platform, beside your client's other markers, ready for the follow-up consult.
Which Vively panels include Progesterone?
Log in to the practitioner platform to view a panel in full, or build and save your own from 100+ tests and panels.
- Female Hormone Health Test17 markers · HormonesPrice on sign-up
Two blood tests timed to the cycle, to show how hormones shift across it.
Log in to view this panel - Perimenopause Test17 markers · HormonesPrice on sign-up
Two blood tests timed to the cycle: Day 2 to 5 (ideally Day 3), then around Day 21 or 7 days before the next period.
Log in to view this panel - Log in to view this panelMenopause Test17 markers · HormonesPrice on sign-up
Why does the optimal range sit there?
Our 40 nmol/L mid-luteal floor sits above the 16 to 30 nmol/L most guidance uses to confirm ovulation, as a target for a well-supported luteal phase.
A Vively working target for clients with cycle or premenstrual symptoms. Most guidance treats about 16 to 30 nmol/L, depending on the lab, as evidence that ovulation occurred.
Luteal progesterone is released in pulses and can shift substantially within hours, so one result under 40 does not establish deficiency. The ASRM Practice Committee (2015) found no reliable single-sample test for luteal phase deficiency.
Timing error is the most common reason for a low result: if the next period starts more than 10 days after the draw, the sample was probably too early.
What should Progesterone be read with?
- LowLow mid-luteal progesterone, regular cycle
Check timing against the next period first, then repeat in another cycle before reading it as anovulation.
- LowLow progesterone, high LH, high free testosterone
Pattern often seen with anovulatory cycles in PCOS.
- LowLow progesterone, raised FSH, over 40
Often seen in perimenopause as ovulation becomes irregular.
- LowLow progesterone, low oestradiol, low intake or heavy training
Possible hypothalamic suppression of ovulation.
- LowLow progesterone with abnormal TSH
Thyroid dysfunction can disrupt ovulation; worth discussing with the client's GP.
What can affect a Progesterone result?
- Collection day relative to the next period, the main source of error
- Pulsatile luteal secretion, so one value can mislead
- Combined pill, which suppresses ovulation; synthetic progestogens in implants and IUDs are not measured as progesterone
- Topical progesterone creams and gels, which raise serum levels little; oral micronised progesterone does raise them
- Early pregnancy, when progesterone keeps rising
When should you refer the client to their GP?
- A missed period or possible pregnancy: arrange an hCG test through the GP
- Cycles persistently shorter than 21 days or longer than 35 days, or no period for 3 months
- Heavy or prolonged bleeding, or bleeding between periods or after sex
- Trying to conceive for 12 months, or 6 months if 35 or older
- Any bleeding after menopause
How should a client prepare for a Progesterone test?
Copy or print this to send to your client.
Preparing for your Progesterone test
- Book your test for about 7 days before you expect your next period (around day 21 of a 28-day cycle).
- Day 1 is the first day of full bleeding. If your cycle isn't 28 days, count back 7 days from when your next period is due.
- Write down the date your next period actually starts and tell your practitioner, along with your usual cycle length.
- Take your pathology request to any of 4,000+ collection centres. Bring it printed or on your phone.
- Keep taking prescribed medicines as usual unless your doctor tells you otherwise.
- Results usually take about 3 to 5 business days and come to your practitioner. Book your results appointment for after that.
How do practitioners use Progesterone with clients?
Ask clients to log the date their next period starts after the draw so you can confirm timing before interpreting. A low result in one cycle is common; look for the same finding across two well-timed cycles, read with symptoms, before raising anovulation with the GP.
Progesterone FAQs
Can a naturopath, nutritionist or dietitian order progesterone through Vively?
Yes. Add it to any client panel on the Vively practitioner platform. It sits in Hormone Studies and is also in Female Hormone Health Test, Perimenopause Test and Menopause Test. Add-on pricing shows when you sign up. No account yet? Request free access.
How do I time progesterone in a client with irregular cycles?
Count back 7 days from the expected next period. For a 35-day cycle, that is around day 28. When cycles are unpredictable, ovulation predictor kits or serial samples help find the window, and the date of the next period confirms it. Very irregular cycles warrant GP review in their own right.
Can I measure progesterone in a client using progesterone cream?
You can, but the result is hard to read. Topical progesterone raises serum levels very little, so a low blood result does not show what the tissues receive. Oral micronised progesterone does raise serum levels. Record the product, dose and time of last use on the request, and discuss any hormone therapy with the prescribing GP.
What does a low mid-luteal progesterone mean?
Check timing first. Timing error is the most common reason for a low result, and a sample drawn more than 10 days before the next period was probably too early. Luteal progesterone is also pulsatile, so one value under 40 nmol/L does not establish deficiency. Look for the same finding across two well-timed cycles before raising anovulation with the GP.
Can progesterone be read alongside other hormones?
Yes, and the combination helps explain a low result. Low progesterone with high LH and free testosterone fits anovulation in PCOS, with raised FSH over 40 it fits perimenopause, and with low oestradiol and low intake or heavy training it suggests hypothalamic suppression. An abnormal TSH is also worth raising with the GP.
References
- Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia. RCPA Manual: Progesterone.
- Pathology Tests Explained. Progesterone. Source
- Practice Committee of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Current clinical irrelevance of luteal phase deficiency: a committee opinion. Fertility and Sterility. 2015.
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Fertility problems: assessment and treatment (CG156). 2013. Source