Serum Progesterone

Detailed Information:
A doctor withdraws a sample of blood from a woman’s arm, and sends it to a laboratory to analyze the amount of progesterone in the sample. A greater than normal level of progesterone may indicate pregnancy or ovarian cancer. For a woman who is already pregnant, a lower than normal progesterone reading may indicate fetal death, threat of miscarriage or preeclampsia (also known as toxemia of pregnancy). Doctors may also use the test to assess fertility or diagnose an ectopic (not in the uterus) pregnancy.

Last updated: 06-Jun-07