QuestionHi,
I had a tubal reanastamosis 2/21 and a positive pregnancy test 4/11 (LMP 3/13). Wow! That was fast! Because of the higher risk of a tubal pregnancy post op, they are watching me closely. I had an ultrasound on 4/11 which didn't show anything. At that time my hcg was 200 and my progesterone was 18. Yesterday (4/18) I had another ultrasound which showed a sac in the uterus. My hcg is now 3878 but my progesterone dropped to 13.8. The blood was drawn at the same time of day. This is my third pregnancy, I am 35.
I am wondering if a drop from 18 to 14 is significant. I have read that progesterone can fluctuate during the day, could that explain the difference, even though they were taken at the same time of day? Is 14 a safe progesterone level at 5 weeks?
Thank you for you help!
Ginevra
AnswerDear Ginevra,
That was fast! :-)
From conception to 12 weeks, the "normal" range is 9-47. What is more important when we evaluate this is that the progesterone level is expected to slowly increase as the pregnancy progresses. So yes, I would consider the drop to be an important lab finding. The variation in the time of day should not be that significant. It is not really a matter of whether the 14 is a "safe" number, it is more about the number dropping. The number itself is within an acceptable range but we want it to rise, not fall.
I would suspect that your doctor, if he/she has not already, will be starting you on a progesterone supplement to try and boost that level and do some follow-up levels to make sure it rises. Your hCG level is right where we'd expect it to be.
I hope this information has helped you and answered your question. I wish you well.
Brenda
