What does progesterone mean during the luteal phase?

During the examination process, some professional terms are often difficult for patients to understand. For example, a woman went to the hospital for a pregnancy test and was told by the doctor that it was the follicular phase of progesterone. This made the woman worried, because she had learned some relevant pregnancy test items, progesterone levels, and the follicular phase, but this was the first time she had heard of a combined term like the follicular phase of progesterone.

What does progesterone level mean during the follicular phase?

The follicular phase refers to the period from ovulation to the day before menarche. During this stage, the uterine wall continues to thicken under the stimulation of estrogen, actively preparing for the implantation of the fertilized egg. The progesterone level at this stage increases significantly. During the follicular phase, the progesterone level ranges from approximately 20.8 to 103 nmol/l.

If progesterone decreases, it is common in primary or secondary amenorrhea, anovulatory menstruation, or abnormal uterine bleeding due to anovulatory male sexual dysfunction. If the progesterone level is high, it is common in physiological pregnancy. After 8 weeks of pregnancy, the progesterone level will increase with the advancement of pregnancy month.

What are the symptoms of the follicular phase?

The follicular phase is from ovulation to the day before menarche, and the follicular phase generally lasts 14 days.

The production and decline of progesterone:

1. After ovulation, the egg fluid is discharged, the gas pressure in the egg cavity decreases, the egg wall collapses, and many wrinkles are produced. The egg granulosa cells and egg endometrial somatic cells of the egg wall invade inward, and the surrounding area is surrounded by the egg outer membrane of connective tissue, which produces progesterone with each other.

2. The granulosa cells of the egg and the endometrial somatic cells of the egg are further sphingomyelinized under the action of the LH (luteinizing hormone) ovulation peak, producing granulosa yellow germ cells and egg membrane yellow germ cells respectively. Both types of lutein contain carotene, and the amount of this pigment determines the color of the lutein.

3. 7-8 days after ovulation (equivalent to around the 22nd day of the menstrual cycle), the volume and function of progesterone reach their peak, with a diameter of 1-2 cm and a light yellow appearance. The establishment of normal corpus luteum function requires ideal pre-ovulatory uterine development, FSH (follicle-stimulating hormone) stimulation, and a certain level of continuous LH (luteinizing hormone) maintenance.

4. If the discharged egg is fertilized, the corpus luteum will expand under the action of hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) secreted by the test tube embryo trophoblast, and change into corpus luteum for pregnancy, which will decline at the end of the third month of pregnancy. From this point on, the embryo produces and metabolizes steroid hormones to maintain the pregnancy.

5. If the egg is not fertilized, the corpus luteum begins to decline 9-10 days after ovulation, and the corpus luteum function is limited to 14 days. When the corpus luteum declines, the luteal germ cells gradually shrink, and the surrounding connective tissue and its fibroblasts invade the corpus luteum and are gradually replaced by connective tissue. The tissue undergoes a fibrosis process and becomes white in appearance, which is called the corpus albicans. After the decline of progesterone, menstruation occurs, and new uterus develops in the uterus and ovaries, and a new menstrual cycle begins.