Low progesterone: what a low result can mean

A low progesterone result does not mean the same thing for everyone. Progesterone is meant to be low in some phases of life, so the first question is when the blood was drawn.

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When low is expected

Progesterone starts to rise after an ovary releases an egg, according to MedlinePlus. Before that, in the first half of the cycle, it is low. In one published study of healthy volunteers, the upper limit for progesterone was below 0.97 ng/mL in the follicular phase and below 0.41 ng/mL after menopause (Schüring et al., 2016). The full table is on progesterone levels by cycle phase.

The Office on Women’s Health says that after menopause your ovaries make very little estrogen and progesterone, and that the hormone levels fall during perimenopause too (Menopause basics). A low result after menopause is expected.

What a low result can mean

MedlinePlus says that when you are not pregnant, low progesterone may be linked to:

• Not ovulating normally.
• Not having a menstrual period (amenorrhea).
• Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
• High stress. MedlinePlus says too much of the stress hormone cortisol can affect your body’s ability to make progesterone.
• Perimenopause, the time just before menopause.
• Low cholesterol.

MedlinePlus also lists irregular periods, hot flashes and trouble sleeping as signs people may have with low progesterone. A list like this shows what is linked to a result, not what is causing yours.

If you are pregnant or think you might be, this page does not apply. Talk to a clinician.

Why timing changes the answer

To check for ovulation, clinicians look at progesterone in the second half of the cycle. The cut-offs vary by source:

• A 2024 consensus document for infertility specialists says values of 3 ng/mL or more suggest ovulation and values of 10 ng/mL or more suggest normal progesterone production. It adds that progesterone is released in pulses, so a single level may not be useful unless it is elevated (Journal of Human Reproductive Sciences).
• A 2015 study that followed 107 women (102 had serum progesterone results) found that a single serum progesterone of 5 ng/mL or more was highly specific for ovulation (specificity 98.4%, sensitivity 89.6%) (Steroids).

These are two published thresholds, not your lab’s range. MedlinePlus says the meaning of a result depends on where you were in your cycle when the blood was drawn, so a low value is hard to read without knowing the day. See when to test progesterone.

When to see a clinician

Make an appointment if:

• Your periods are missing, very irregular, or have changed.
• You have been trying to get pregnant for a year without success. MedlinePlus defines infertility this way.
• You have abnormal uterine bleeding when you are not pregnant.
• A result on your report is flagged as outside its range.

Bring your cycle dates and the lab report. Decisions about treatment belong with your clinician, and this page does not cover them.

If you want to check your own level first, the progesterone blood test is one option.