Progesterone During Pregnancy: What Happens If Its Level Is High Or Too Low?

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Written by Editorial Team

Editorial Team

With a rich experience in pregnancy and parenting, our team of experts create insightful, well-curated, and easy-to-read content for our to-be-parents and parents at all stages of parenting.

Progesterone During Pregnancy

Progesterone is a key pregnancy hormone which plays a pivotal role in shaping up the body of a woman during the times of pregnancy. There are numerous pregnancy symptoms that a woman faces during those 9 months which includes food cravings, mood swings, tiredness, and lots more. Furthermore, the level of progesterone also keeps on fluctuating in a woman’s body during pregnancy. Wondering what are the consequences when progesterone level fluctuates? This article will provide you a clear picture.

What Is Progesterone?

We all know hormones play an important role in carrying out different functions in the body. Progesterone is nothing but a hormone which is responsible for controlling the fertility and menstruation in a woman’s body. This hormone gets released from the corpus luteum, a mass of cells that forms in an ovary, after ovulation. Progesterone is secreted by these cells subsequent to the ovulation. It helps the uterus lining after you conceive and makes it ready for the implantation. However, if you fail to conceive then the gland will break (that is why it is also called temporary endocrine gland) and the level of progesterone in the body will go down and because of that, you will have menstruation.

How Does Progesterone Help Before And During Pregnancy?

Progesterone does play a pivotal role in gearing up the endometrium and maintaining it for the successful survival of the fetus. Here is the role of progesterone as per the phases of pregnancy:

Luteal Phase (phase immediately after ovulation): In this phase, progesterone helps with the development of blood vessels which aids in the endometrial glad’s secretion. This makes the uterus lining thick to receive and nourish the fertilized eggs.
Gestation Phase: This phase refers to the pregnancy period. At the beginning of this phase, progesterone is secreted by the corpus luteum itself. However, eventually, the placenta will take over the charge. During gestation phase hormone progesterone helps to relax your muscles which prevents contraction and also, creates a nice atmosphere for the fetus to grow.
Lactation Phase: Progesterone increases the number and size of milk ducts and also during the lactating phase, progesterone helps the mother by triggering milk production.

Progesterone is a very important hormone for a woman body during pregnancy. Therefore, it is important to have a balance in the level of this hormone.

What Happens If Progesterone Levels Are High During Pregnancy?

Progesterone Levels Are High During Pregnancy

Irrespective of pregnancy, maintaining the right balance of hormone in the body helps it to work optimally. When expecting mother has a high level of progesterone in her body during pregnancy, she will experience certain symptoms such as bloating, tiredness, sex drive, and anxiety. Moreover, in some cases, she might also have endometrial receptivity. However, the progesterone level can be controlled and can easily maintain its optimum level.

How To Keep Progesterone In Control?

In order to keep the level of progesterone in the body in check, you need to have a balanced diet plan, regular exercise, stay away from alcohol and smoking, and also, sleep properly which also facilitates the maintaining of progesterone level in the body. However, in some cases, the level of progesterone could even go down which is definitely not a good thing.

What Happens If Progesterone Levels Are Too Low?

When you have a low level of progesterone in your body, you could face conditions like irregular periods, mood swings, and headaches. Also, at that time, your body will go through a period of estrogen dominance which will result in weight problems, depression, gallbladder problems, and much more. The low level of progesterone certainly poses a threat when you are looking pregnant or want to get pregnant, but you can bring normalcy with some proper steps.

What Are The Different Forms Of Progesterone Supplements?

You can take certain progesterone supplements which your doctor will recommend on the basis of the level of progesterone in your body. You need to tell your doctor everything about your medical history before proceeding to take progesterone supplements.

Vaginal Gel: This progesterone supplement is prescribed only to those women who are looking forward to getting pregnant.
Vaginal Suppository: Vaginal suppository is a type of progesterone supplement which is prescribed to avoid miscarriage and premature delivery of a pregnant woman. This is usually recommended if the woman is facing insufficiency in corpus luteum.
Vaginal Insert: This progesterone supplement is created to be administered in the vagina.
Progesterone Injection: This progesterone supplement is recommended to treat vaginal bleeding. This type of injection can only be prescribed by a medical practitioner.

Your doctor will tell you everything about the dosage, duration, and the usage of progesterone supplement. You need to follow the instructions of your doctor word by word.

When Should You Discontinue Taking Progesterone During Pregnancy?

The reason for taking progesterone supplements among women varies a lot. Progesterone supplements should only be taken as per the instructions from your doctor. The period of taking progesterone supplements varies a lot and it generally ranges from 9 to 12 months depending on the reason. You should start and stop taking the progesterone supplement as per your doctor’s instruction.

Are There Any Side Effects Of Synthesized Forms Of Progesterone?

Any Side Effects Of Synthesized Forms Of Progesterone

Generally, progesterone supplements have no harmful effect and are considered safe to use. However, one can’t overlook certain possible side-effects of using these supplements such as:

Urinal and stool color change
Irregular Vaginal Bleeding
Eyesight change
Pain and swelling in legs or arms
Skin and eyes getting yellow
Confusion, tiredness, and dizziness
Various allergic reactions

What Are The Safety And Precautionary Measures To Be Taken?

Mostly, progesterone supplements can be safely used provided it is taken according to the instruction of the doctors. But, in certain health condition, it should be avoided.

Inform your doctor in case of the severe symptoms
Avoid using the supplements for a long period of time as prolonged use of this hormone may bring about certain health issues
In case of liver or heart problems, inform your doctor early
Progesterone supplements should only be used to avoid premature delivery and as a part of fertility treatment. Or else It is not supposed to be used during pregnancy.

Conclusion
Progesterone is an important hormone for a woman’s body. It also plays an important role during pregnancy. If there is any sign of the low or high level of pregnancy which is disconcerting you, consult with a medical practitioner because taking up any progesterone supplement.

Editorial Team,

With a rich experience in pregnancy and parenting, our team of experts create insightful, well-curated, and easy-to-read content for our to-be-parents and parents at all stages of parenting.Read more.

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