Progesterone
Progesterone is a steroid hormone that rises in the second half of the menstrual cycle and is low in males and post-menopausal females.
Unit: ng/dL · 12 slices · age and sex · 1 source
Filed under panels: Hormones · topics: Endocrine
Progesterone is a steroid hormone measured here in ng/dL from the NHANES sex steroid hormone panel. In premenopausal females it rises sharply after ovulation (the luteal phase) and is low at other times, so a population sample produces a very wide, skewed distribution. In males and post-menopausal females it is consistently low, often near the assay detection limit. These are population percentiles, not phase-specific clinical references.
Population Distribution
Browse by Demographic
| Age (years) | male (ng/dL) | female (ng/dL) |
|---|---|---|
| 20-29 | 2–16.4 (6.4) | 2.4–1358 (11.1) |
| 30-39 | 1–17 (5) | 1.8–1583.6 (11.5) |
| 40-49 | 1.4–13.3 (5) | 1.6–1530 (11.9) |
| 50-59 | 0.6–13.3 (3.9) | 0.9–42.1 (3.7) |
| 60-69 | 1.3–13.5 (4.2) | 0.6–11.5 (2.8) |
| 70+ | 1–13.6 (4.2) | 0.6–8.8 (2.8) |
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the progesterone distribution so skewed in females?
Progesterone is low through most of the menstrual cycle and spikes during the luteal phase after ovulation. A single population sample captures both states, so the median sits low while the upper tail extends much higher.
Why is progesterone low in males?
Progesterone is mainly produced by the ovary after ovulation. Males produce only small amounts as an intermediate in steroid synthesis, so male progesterone is consistently low and often near the detection limit.
How does NHANES handle hormone values below the detection limit?
When a result falls below the assay's lower limit of detection, NHANES replaces it with the detection limit divided by the square root of 2. For FSH, values below 0.30 mIU/mL were recoded as below detection and imputed the same way. In groups where many people have low concentrations, the lower percentiles can reflect this imputation rather than distinct measured values.