Nutella has decided to get her progesterone levels tested tomorrow. That means we’re waking up super-early to get to the RE before they send out their morning blood draws to the lab and then trying to make it to work by a decent hour.

I found I didn’t know terribly much about progesterone levels, so here’s some info I grabbed from the all-knowing internet:

Progesterone is a steroid hormone synthesized from cholesterol and is important as an intermediate in the pathway to cortisol via pregnenolone, estrogens and testosterone. Progesterone induces the cyclic changes in the endometrium that allow implantation of the fertilized ovum. Progesterone is also responsible for maintenance of the uterus during pregnancy, suppression of uterine contractions until just prior to parturition and preparation of the breasts for lactation.

During the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle, low levels of progesterone are found in serum and saliva. During the luteal phase, the corpus luteum produces progesterone and levels increase sharply for a maximum of 5 to 10 days. If implantation of a fertilized ovum does not occur, a steep decline in these levels is seen at about 4 days prior to the menstrual period.
– http://www.aeron.com/progesterone.htm

What are normal progesterone levels?
Progesterone during menstrual cycle
Day 1-14 >1 to 1.5 ng/ml
Day 15-28 2-28 ng/ml
Progesterone during pregnancy
First Trimester 9-47 ng/ml
Second Trimester 17-147 ng/ml
Third Trimester 55-200 ng/ml
– http://www.justmommies.com/articles/progesterone-pregnancy.shtml

Sadly, they want her blood, not her saliva. What’s wrong with doing it the easier way??

Tomorrow marks 7DPO. We’re not terribly hopeful about this try, but you never know.

- Strawberry