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Estradiol levels through the menstrual cycle

The main estrogen of the cycle, and the hormone whose rise sets off the LH surge. Below are the median and the 5th to 95th percentile for each day from 15 days before the LH peak to 14 after, in pg/mL and pmol/L.

When does estradiol peak in the menstrual cycle?

The day before the LH peak, day 13 of a 28-day cycle. Stricker and colleagues’ daily median reached 255.9 pg/mL (939.34 pmol/L) on day −1, with the middle 90 percent of 20 women between 137.2 and 413.4 pg/mL. A second, lower peak follows in the luteal phase.

Estradiol through the menstrual cycle, daily median and 5th to 95th percentile Line chart of the daily median estradiol in pg/mL, with a band from the 5th to the 95th percentile, from day −15 to day +14 about the LH peak. The median peaks at 255.9 pg/mL on day −1. Every value is in the table below. 0100200300400500 −15−10−50+5+10+14 Days from the LH peak pg/mL Follicular phaseLuteal phase LH peak Peak median 255.9 pg/mL, day −1 Day −15: median 38.0 pg/mL (139.46 pmol/L), 5th to 95th percentile 15.7 to 53.0 pg/mL, 9 women Day −14: median 40.6 pg/mL (149.00 pmol/L), 5th to 95th percentile 18.0 to 51.1 pg/mL, 12 women Day −13 (day 1 of a 28-day cycle): median 37.5 pg/mL (137.63 pmol/L), 5th to 95th percentile 20.5 to 51.6 pg/mL, 14 women Day −12 (day 2 of a 28-day cycle): median 35.0 pg/mL (128.45 pmol/L), 5th to 95th percentile 21.6 to 54.7 pg/mL, 17 women Day −11 (day 3 of a 28-day cycle): median 35.5 pg/mL (130.29 pmol/L), 5th to 95th percentile 22.6 to 53.6 pg/mL, 19 women Day −10 (day 4 of a 28-day cycle): median 39.5 pg/mL (145.15 pmol/L), 5th to 95th percentile 23.9 to 57.1 pg/mL, 20 women Day −9 (day 5 of a 28-day cycle): median 42.0 pg/mL (154.14 pmol/L), 5th to 95th percentile 25.4 to 61.2 pg/mL, 20 women Day −8 (day 6 of a 28-day cycle): median 44.3 pg/mL (162.76 pmol/L), 5th to 95th percentile 30.6 to 60.2 pg/mL, 20 women Day −7 (day 7 of a 28-day cycle): median 53.4 pg/mL (196.16 pmol/L), 5th to 95th percentile 34.0 to 72.8 pg/mL, 20 women Day −6 (day 8 of a 28-day cycle): median 58.6 pg/mL (215.06 pmol/L), 5th to 95th percentile 42.9 to 85.4 pg/mL, 20 women Day −5 (day 9 of a 28-day cycle): median 71.4 pg/mL (262.22 pmol/L), 5th to 95th percentile 51.9 to 94.5 pg/mL, 20 women Day −4 (day 10 of a 28-day cycle): median 98.9 pg/mL (363.15 pmol/L), 5th to 95th percentile 50.8 to 133.7 pg/mL, 20 women Day −3 (day 11 of a 28-day cycle): median 132.3 pg/mL (485.72 pmol/L), 5th to 95th percentile 65.8 to 218.9 pg/mL, 20 women Day −2 (day 12 of a 28-day cycle): median 177.3 pg/mL (651.06 pmol/L), 5th to 95th percentile 91.9 to 314.3 pg/mL, 20 women Day −1 (day 13 of a 28-day cycle): median 255.9 pg/mL (939.34 pmol/L), 5th to 95th percentile 137.2 to 413.4 pg/mL, 20 women Day 0 (day 14 of a 28-day cycle): median 182.8 pg/mL (671.06 pmol/L), 5th to 95th percentile 131.3 to 388.2 pg/mL, 20 women Day +1 (day 15 of a 28-day cycle): median 85.2 pg/mL (312.87 pmol/L), 5th to 95th percentile 43.5 to 140.1 pg/mL, 20 women Day +2 (day 16 of a 28-day cycle): median 71.0 pg/mL (260.57 pmol/L), 5th to 95th percentile 42.1 to 108.5 pg/mL, 19 women Day +3 (day 17 of a 28-day cycle): median 88.0 pg/mL (322.96 pmol/L), 5th to 95th percentile 56.8 to 135.1 pg/mL, 20 women Day +4 (day 18 of a 28-day cycle): median 109.9 pg/mL (403.52 pmol/L), 5th to 95th percentile 73.5 to 181.4 pg/mL, 20 women Day +5 (day 19 of a 28-day cycle): median 122.8 pg/mL (450.68 pmol/L), 5th to 95th percentile 79.7 to 191.7 pg/mL, 20 women Day +6 (day 20 of a 28-day cycle): median 132.6 pg/mL (486.64 pmol/L), 5th to 95th percentile 72.7 to 196.0 pg/mL, 19 women Day +7 (day 21 of a 28-day cycle): median 150.3 pg/mL (551.78 pmol/L), 5th to 95th percentile 79.5 to 189.4 pg/mL, 20 women Day +8 (day 22 of a 28-day cycle): median 133.8 pg/mL (491.23 pmol/L), 5th to 95th percentile 76.8 to 195.6 pg/mL, 20 women Day +9 (day 23 of a 28-day cycle): median 137.1 pg/mL (503.52 pmol/L), 5th to 95th percentile 76.0 to 208.2 pg/mL, 20 women Day +10 (day 24 of a 28-day cycle): median 135.0 pg/mL (495.45 pmol/L), 5th to 95th percentile 80.2 to 219.7 pg/mL, 19 women Day +11 (day 25 of a 28-day cycle): median 92.7 pg/mL (340.41 pmol/L), 5th to 95th percentile 57.3 to 174.4 pg/mL, 20 women Day +12 (day 26 of a 28-day cycle): median 85.7 pg/mL (314.52 pmol/L), 5th to 95th percentile 47.6 to 148.8 pg/mL, 20 women Day +13 (day 27 of a 28-day cycle): median 46.3 pg/mL (170.10 pmol/L), 5th to 95th percentile 27.8 to 135.6 pg/mL, 16 women Day +14 (day 28 of a 28-day cycle): median 41.2 pg/mL (151.20 pmol/L), 5th to 95th percentile 25.6 to 188.9 pg/mL, 8 women
Median 5th to 95th percentile Estradiol in pg/mL, by day from the LH peak. Point at a day to read its figures; the table below lists every value.

Estradiol in each phase of the cycle

Pooled median estradiol in each phase, Stricker and colleagues (2006), Table 2
Phase Days from the LH peak Median, pg/mL Median, pmol/L
Early follicular Days −15 to −6 40.8 149.74
Late follicular Days −5 to −1 122.7 450.49
LH peak Day 0 182.8 671.06
Early luteal Days +1 to +4 85.4 313.42
Mid-luteal Days +5 to +9 135.1 495.82
Late luteal Days +10 to +14 89.2 327.36

Each phase figure is the median of every sample taken in that phase, pooled, which is why it is not the median of the daily medians.

Estradiol on every day of the cycle

The second column places each day in a 28-day cycle with the LH peak on day 14, the textbook timing. Days −15 and −14 have no place in such a cycle, so it is blank for them.

Daily median, 5th and 95th percentile estradiol, Stricker and colleagues (2006), Table 1
Day from the LH peak Day of a 28-day cycle Women pg/mL pmol/L
Median 5th 95th Median 5th 95th
−15 9 38.0 15.7 53.0 139.46 57.55 194.44
−14 12 40.6 18.0 51.1 149.00 66.06 187.67
−13 1 14 37.5 20.5 51.6 137.63 75.20 189.34
−12 2 17 35.0 21.6 54.7 128.45 79.42 200.97
−11 3 19 35.5 22.6 53.6 130.29 82.98 196.75
−10 4 20 39.5 23.9 57.1 145.15 87.60 209.56
−9 5 20 42.0 25.4 61.2 154.14 93.40 224.68
−8 6 20 44.3 30.6 60.2 162.76 112.49 220.86
−7 7 20 53.4 34.0 72.8 196.16 124.67 267.23
−6 8 20 58.6 42.9 85.4 215.06 157.66 313.36
−5 9 20 71.4 51.9 94.5 262.22 190.47 346.76
−4 10 20 98.9 50.8 133.7 363.15 186.47 490.81
−3 11 20 132.3 65.8 218.9 485.72 241.52 803.56
−2 12 20 177.3 91.9 314.3 651.06 337.35 1153.76
−1 13 20 255.9 137.2 413.4 939.34 503.85 1517.67
0 14 20 182.8 131.3 388.2 671.06 482.00 1425.39
+1 15 20 85.2 43.5 140.1 312.87 159.87 514.35
+2 16 19 71.0 42.1 108.5 260.57 154.62 398.38
+3 17 20 88.0 56.8 135.1 322.96 208.64 495.82
+4 18 20 109.9 73.5 181.4 403.52 269.80 665.99
+5 19 20 122.8 79.7 191.7 450.68 292.57 703.85
+6 20 19 132.6 72.7 196.0 486.64 267.07 719.72
+7 21 20 150.3 79.5 189.4 551.78 291.71 695.47
+8 22 20 133.8 76.8 195.6 491.23 281.91 718.20
+9 23 20 137.1 76.0 208.2 503.52 279.18 764.41
+10 24 19 135.0 80.2 219.7 495.45 294.48 806.70
+11 25 20 92.7 57.3 174.4 340.41 210.22 640.16
+12 26 20 85.7 47.6 148.8 314.52 174.82 546.15
+13 27 16 46.3 27.8 135.6 170.10 101.93 497.74
+14 28 8 41.2 25.6 188.9 151.20 93.97 693.54

All 20 women were sampled on 20 of the 30 days. The ends of the table rest on fewer, 9 on day −15 and 8 on day +14, because cycles differ in length. With 20 women or fewer on a day, each percentile is set by the one or two most extreme values.

How estradiol moves through the cycle

For the first week of the table, days −15 to −9, the median sits between 35.0 and 42.0 pg/mL. From day −8 it climbs every day, 5.8-fold in seven days, as the dominant follicle grows.

From the LH peak it falls: 182.8 pg/mL on day 0 and 71.0 on day +2, 72 percent below the day −1 median.

The corpus luteum then makes estradiol as well as progesterone, and the median climbs to a second peak of 150.3 pg/mL on day +7, 59 percent of the first, before it falls to 41.2 pg/mL on day +14. There the 95th percentile, 188.9 pg/mL, is 4.6 times the median, from 8 women.

The menstrual cycle hormone simulator joins these medians into curves and plays estradiol against the other three hormones, with the follicle and the lining drawn day by day.

Converting between units

A mole of estradiol, C₁₈H₂₄O₂, has a mass of 272.38 g, so a picomole has a mass of 272.38 pg. One pmol/L is therefore 272.38 pg/L, or 0.27238 pg/mL, and dividing the other way gives the factor of 3.671 that laboratories quote. The molar mass is NIST’s Chemistry WebBook figure, rounded to two decimals.

Day +7 median in pg/mL

  1. pg/mL = pmol/L × 272.38 ÷ 1000
  2. = 551.78 × 272.38 ÷ 1000
  3. = 150.3 pg/mL

1 pg/mL in pmol/L

  1. pmol/L = pg/mL × 1000 ÷ 272.38
  2. = 1 × 1000 ÷ 272.38
  3. = 3.671 pmol/L

Where the numbers come from

Stricker and colleagues (2006) took blood from 20 women aged 20 to 36, with normal cycles and no hormonal contraception, on every day of one cycle, and measured estradiol on an Abbott ARCHITECT analyzer in one laboratory. Each woman’s days are counted from her own LH peak, day 0, and each figure is the median of the women sampled that day.

The tables were read from the authors’ own copy of the paper, and every figure was checked against the independent transcription behind Häggström’s reference range charts.

See also

Source: Stricker R and colleagues, “Establishment of detailed reference values for luteinizing hormone, follicle stimulating hormone, estradiol, and progesterone during different phases of the menstrual cycle on the Abbott ARCHITECT analyzer”, Clin Chem Lab Med 2006;44(7):883-887.

The values are facts and free to use; this table’s selection and presentation are © 2026 ScienceQuest.