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Progesterone levels through the menstrual cycle

The corpus luteum’s hormone, and the one a blood test uses to confirm that ovulation happened. Below are the median and the 5th to 95th percentile for each day from 15 days before the LH peak to 14 after, in ng/mL and nmol/L.

What is a normal progesterone level after ovulation?

In the mid-luteal phase, days +5 to +9 after the LH peak, the pooled median in Stricker and colleagues’ 20 women was 11.40 ng/mL (36.25 nmol/L). The daily median peaked on day +7, day 21 of a 28-day cycle, at 13.35 ng/mL (42.45 nmol/L), when the middle 90 percent of women ran from 8.17 to 17.03 ng/mL.

Progesterone through the menstrual cycle, daily median and 5th to 95th percentile Line chart of the daily median progesterone in ng/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 13.35 ng/mL on day +7. Every value is in the table below. 05101520 −15−10−50+5+10+14 Days from the LH peak ng/mL Follicular phaseLuteal phase LH peak Peak median 13.35 ng/mL, day +7 Day −15: median 0.40 ng/mL (1.27 nmol/L), 5th to 95th percentile 0.10 to 1.18 ng/mL, 9 women Day −14: median 0.40 ng/mL (1.27 nmol/L), 5th to 95th percentile 0.10 to 0.86 ng/mL, 12 women Day −13 (day 1 of a 28-day cycle): median 0.30 ng/mL (0.95 nmol/L), 5th to 95th percentile 0.16 to 0.50 ng/mL, 14 women Day −12 (day 2 of a 28-day cycle): median 0.20 ng/mL (0.64 nmol/L), 5th to 95th percentile 0.10 to 0.52 ng/mL, 17 women Day −11 (day 3 of a 28-day cycle): median 0.20 ng/mL (0.64 nmol/L), 5th to 95th percentile 0.10 to 0.41 ng/mL, 19 women Day −10 (day 4 of a 28-day cycle): median 0.20 ng/mL (0.64 nmol/L), 5th to 95th percentile 0.10 to 0.73 ng/mL, 20 women Day −9 (day 5 of a 28-day cycle): median 0.20 ng/mL (0.64 nmol/L), 5th to 95th percentile 0.10 to 0.41 ng/mL, 20 women Day −8 (day 6 of a 28-day cycle): median 0.15 ng/mL (0.48 nmol/L), 5th to 95th percentile 0.10 to 0.51 ng/mL, 20 women Day −7 (day 7 of a 28-day cycle): median 0.20 ng/mL (0.64 nmol/L), 5th to 95th percentile 0.10 to 0.41 ng/mL, 20 women Day −6 (day 8 of a 28-day cycle): median 0.10 ng/mL (0.32 nmol/L), 5th to 95th percentile 0.10 to 0.31 ng/mL, 20 women Day −5 (day 9 of a 28-day cycle): median 0.15 ng/mL (0.48 nmol/L), 5th to 95th percentile 0.10 to 0.32 ng/mL, 20 women Day −4 (day 10 of a 28-day cycle): median 0.20 ng/mL (0.64 nmol/L), 5th to 95th percentile 0.10 to 0.30 ng/mL, 19 women Day −3 (day 11 of a 28-day cycle): median 0.10 ng/mL (0.32 nmol/L), 5th to 95th percentile 0.10 to 0.31 ng/mL, 20 women Day −2 (day 12 of a 28-day cycle): median 0.20 ng/mL (0.64 nmol/L), 5th to 95th percentile 0.10 to 0.40 ng/mL, 20 women Day −1 (day 13 of a 28-day cycle): median 0.30 ng/mL (0.95 nmol/L), 5th to 95th percentile 0.19 to 0.51 ng/mL, 20 women Day 0 (day 14 of a 28-day cycle): median 0.80 ng/mL (2.54 nmol/L), 5th to 95th percentile 0.39 to 1.30 ng/mL, 20 women Day +1 (day 15 of a 28-day cycle): median 1.55 ng/mL (4.93 nmol/L), 5th to 95th percentile 0.69 to 2.81 ng/mL, 20 women Day +2 (day 16 of a 28-day cycle): median 4.00 ng/mL (12.72 nmol/L), 5th to 95th percentile 1.49 to 5.87 ng/mL, 19 women Day +3 (day 17 of a 28-day cycle): median 6.45 ng/mL (20.51 nmol/L), 5th to 95th percentile 3.57 to 9.14 ng/mL, 20 women Day +4 (day 18 of a 28-day cycle): median 9.70 ng/mL (30.85 nmol/L), 5th to 95th percentile 3.58 to 14.31 ng/mL, 20 women Day +5 (day 19 of a 28-day cycle): median 10.70 ng/mL (34.03 nmol/L), 5th to 95th percentile 7.46 to 14.61 ng/mL, 20 women Day +6 (day 20 of a 28-day cycle): median 11.10 ng/mL (35.30 nmol/L), 5th to 95th percentile 7.03 to 15.15 ng/mL, 19 women Day +7 (day 21 of a 28-day cycle): median 13.35 ng/mL (42.45 nmol/L), 5th to 95th percentile 8.17 to 17.03 ng/mL, 20 women Day +8 (day 22 of a 28-day cycle): median 11.65 ng/mL (37.05 nmol/L), 5th to 95th percentile 7.88 to 18.99 ng/mL, 20 women Day +9 (day 23 of a 28-day cycle): median 10.20 ng/mL (32.44 nmol/L), 5th to 95th percentile 5.74 to 14.67 ng/mL, 20 women Day +10 (day 24 of a 28-day cycle): median 10.30 ng/mL (32.75 nmol/L), 5th to 95th percentile 5.58 to 17.59 ng/mL, 19 women Day +11 (day 25 of a 28-day cycle): median 4.55 ng/mL (14.47 nmol/L), 5th to 95th percentile 2.12 to 12.02 ng/mL, 20 women Day +12 (day 26 of a 28-day cycle): median 4.10 ng/mL (13.04 nmol/L), 5th to 95th percentile 1.15 to 13.08 ng/mL, 20 women Day +13 (day 27 of a 28-day cycle): median 1.65 ng/mL (5.25 nmol/L), 5th to 95th percentile 0.68 to 10.42 ng/mL, 16 women Day +14 (day 28 of a 28-day cycle): median 1.30 ng/mL (4.13 nmol/L), 5th to 95th percentile 0.60 to 10.50 ng/mL, 9 women
Median 5th to 95th percentile Progesterone in ng/mL, by day from the LH peak. Point at a day to read its figures; the table below lists every value.

Progesterone in each phase of the cycle

Pooled median progesterone in each phase, Stricker and colleagues (2006), Table 2
Phase Days from the LH peak Median, ng/mL Median, nmol/L
Early follicular Days −15 to −6 0.20 0.64
Late follicular Days −5 to −1 0.20 0.64
LH peak Day 0 0.80 2.54
Early luteal Days +1 to +4 4.30 13.67
Mid-luteal Days +5 to +9 11.40 36.25
Late luteal Days +10 to +14 4.40 13.99

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.

Progesterone 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 progesterone, Stricker and colleagues (2006), Table 1
Day from the LH peak Day of a 28-day cycle Women ng/mL nmol/L
Median 5th 95th Median 5th 95th
−15 9 0.40 0.10 1.18 1.27 0.32 3.75
−14 12 0.40 0.10 0.86 1.27 0.32 2.73
−13 1 14 0.30 0.16 0.50 0.95 0.52 1.59
−12 2 17 0.20 0.10 0.52 0.64 0.32 1.65
−11 3 19 0.20 0.10 0.41 0.64 0.32 1.30
−10 4 20 0.20 0.10 0.73 0.64 0.32 2.32
−9 5 20 0.20 0.10 0.41 0.64 0.32 1.29
−8 6 20 0.15 0.10 0.51 0.48 0.32 1.61
−7 7 20 0.20 0.10 0.41 0.64 0.32 1.30
−6 8 20 0.10 0.10 0.31 0.32 0.32 1.00
−5 9 20 0.15 0.10 0.32 0.48 0.32 1.02
−4 10 19 0.20 0.10 0.30 0.64 0.32 0.95
−3 11 20 0.10 0.10 0.31 0.32 0.32 0.97
−2 12 20 0.20 0.10 0.40 0.64 0.32 1.27
−1 13 20 0.30 0.19 0.51 0.95 0.62 1.62
0 14 20 0.80 0.39 1.30 2.54 1.24 4.13
+1 15 20 1.55 0.69 2.81 4.93 2.21 8.95
+2 16 19 4.00 1.49 5.87 12.72 4.74 18.67
+3 17 20 6.45 3.57 9.14 20.51 11.34 29.05
+4 18 20 9.70 3.58 14.31 30.85 11.38 45.51
+5 19 20 10.70 7.46 14.61 34.03 23.72 46.46
+6 20 19 11.10 7.03 15.15 35.30 22.36 48.18
+7 21 20 13.35 8.17 17.03 42.45 25.98 54.17
+8 22 20 11.65 7.88 18.99 37.05 25.06 60.39
+9 23 20 10.20 5.74 14.67 32.44 18.25 46.65
+10 24 19 10.30 5.58 17.59 32.75 17.74 55.94
+11 25 20 4.55 2.12 12.02 14.47 6.74 38.21
+12 26 20 4.10 1.15 13.08 13.04 3.67 41.58
+13 27 16 1.65 0.68 10.42 5.25 2.15 33.15
+14 28 9 1.30 0.60 10.50 4.13 1.91 33.39

All 20 women were sampled on 19 of the 30 days. The ends of the table rest on fewer, 9 on day −15 and 9 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 progesterone moves through the cycle

Before the LH peak the median stays between 0.10 and 0.40 ng/mL (0.32 to 1.27 nmol/L). The assay reads progesterone in steps of 0.1 ng/mL, so the zigzag between 0.10 and 0.20 ng/mL on those days is rounding, not physiology.

Sampling every 2 hours, Hoff, Quigley and Yen found progesterone starting its quick rise 12 hours before the LH surge began. In the daily medians it is 0.80 ng/mL on the day of the LH peak, above every day before it, then 1.55 on day +1, 4.00 on day +2 and 6.45 on day +3. From day +4 to day +10 the median holds at 9.70 ng/mL or more.

NICE’s fertility guideline NG257 times the test for day 21 of a 28-day cycle and day 28 of a 35-day one, a week before the next period in both. That is day +7 on this table only when the luteal phase lasts 14 days, and in 612,613 app-tracked cycles Bull and colleagues (2019) found a mean luteal phase of 12.4 days, with the middle 95 percent between 7 and 17.

After day +10 the median falls by more than half in a day, from 10.30 to 4.55 ng/mL, and reaches 1.30 ng/mL on day +14. The 95th percentile stays above 10 ng/mL on days +13 and +14, where only 16 and 9 women were sampled, so the band rests on very few values.

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

Converting between units

A mole of progesterone, C₂₁H₃₀O₂, has a mass of 314.46 g, so a nanomole has a mass of 314.46 ng. One nmol/L is therefore 314.46 ng/L, or 0.31446 ng/mL, and dividing the other way gives the factor of 3.180 that laboratories quote. The molar mass is NIST’s Chemistry WebBook figure, rounded to two decimals.

Day +3 median in ng/mL

  1. ng/mL = nmol/L × 314.46 ÷ 1000
  2. = 20.51 × 314.46 ÷ 1000
  3. = 6.45 ng/mL

1 ng/mL in nmol/L

  1. nmol/L = ng/mL × 1000 ÷ 314.46
  2. = 1 × 1000 ÷ 314.46
  3. = 3.180 nmol/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 progesterone 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.