What are the effects of low progesterone levels in pregnant women on the fetus?

Progesterone is a type of pregnancy hormone secreted by the corpus luteum. Progesterone levels will increase when a woman is pregnant, but it is also within a normal range. Some women have low progesterone levels, so you should pay attention to this situation. Many people don’t know what effect low progesterone has on the fetus. Generally speaking, it may affect development.

1. Cause fetal growth retardation

Progesterone can promote the normal development of the fetus. If there is insufficient progesterone, the development of the fetus will become slow, which will affect the normal growth and development of the fetus in the uterus.

2. Low progesterone can lead to fetal arrest

Low progesterone may lead to fetal growth retardation. Because progesterone helps stimulate changes in the uterus during the reproductive process and promotes embryo development by increasing blood flow to the blood vessels and tissues of the reproductive system. If progesterone is low, fetal development will become slow and fetal growth retardation may occur. If you find that your progesterone level is low, you must go to the hospital and let the doctor help you protect the fetus.

3. May cause premature birth

Progesterone can change the permeability of the uterine muscle cell membrane to ions, thereby reducing the excitability of the uterine muscle and, at the same time, reducing the sensitivity of the uterine muscle to various stimuli. Therefore, the pregnant uterus does not undergo vigorous and progressive contractions. If a pregnant woman's progesterone level is low, it will not be able to effectively suppress uterine excitation, which can easily lead to premature birth.

4. Low progesterone can lead to miscarriage

If a pregnant woman has low progesterone, it is very easy to cause miscarriage. Because during a normal pregnancy, the level of progesterone increases, which can prevent the embryo from being rejected by the mother and maintain the pregnancy. Consequences of low progesterone: If there is insufficient progesterone, the embryo will be rejected by the mother as a foreign body, leading to miscarriage.

5. Give up the pregnancy if necessary

Many women have been trying to preserve the pregnancy because of low progesterone levels, but if the progesterone level is lower than 15ngml and examination reveals no fetal heartbeat, then it is basically time to give up on preserving the pregnancy. At this time, low progesterone is mostly caused by abnormal fetal development. Therefore, if you continue to maintain the fetus, miscarriage, fetal malformation, etc. may still occur.