What does progesterone test mean?

We all know that a lot of tests need to be done during pregnancy, but we don’t understand the meaning of the test items, such as the progesterone that needs to be checked every time during pregnancy. Progesterone, also known as progesterone, is a natural progestin secreted by the female body. It is important for maintaining normal female endocrine system and embryonic development. Progesterone actually has an immune protective effect on the cell membrane of the uterus, which can protect it from rejection by the mother during development.

1. Immune protection

Progesterone has immune protection and can suppress immune responses. A study implanted certain tumor cells into the uterus of animals. Only in animals injected with progesterone were the cells not rejected and implanted into the uterine wall, indicating that progesterone can suppress the immune response. This also shows that when a woman is in a normal pregnancy, the increase in progesterone can prevent the embryo from being rejected by the mother and maintain the pregnancy. When there is a lack of progesterone, the embryo may be rejected by the mother and cause miscarriage.

2 Blastocyst implantation

During ovulation, under the action of progesterone secreted by the corpus luteum, the endometrium transforms from the proliferative phase to the secretory phase, making the endometrium receptive to embryo implantation. Decidual cells are transformed from endometrial stromal cells and contain glycogen granules, which provide nutrition to the blastocyst. Progesterone can induce the decidualization of endometrial stroma and regulate the expression of various implantation-related factors in an autocrine or paracrine manner. Therefore, progesterone is necessary to maintain the decidual response.

3. Inhibit uterine contraction

Some studies believe that progesterone can change the permeability of the uterine cell membrane to ions, putting the membrane in a super-permeable state, thereby reducing the excitability and conductivity of the uterine muscle, and reducing the sensitivity of the uterine muscle to various stimuli (including oxytocin), thereby preventing the uterus from expelling the embryo and playing a role in preserving the fetus.

4 Others

Progesterone can increase the secretion of fetal insulin by increasing maternal blood sugar levels, thereby promoting fetal growth. Progesterone can also promote the synthesis of certain proteins in the uterus, which is beneficial to the maintenance of pregnancy.