Confused by Progesterone day 21 test result

[Nicki17]

Hi Ladies,

I have severe endometriosis and I have been trying to conceive for a few months now. Not as long as others but still getting down each month I am not pregnant. I pushed my GP to have the progesterone day 21 test and he begrudgingly agreed.

My cycle length can vary but on average is 28 days, I took the test on day 21 or 22 of my cycle.

My results are in and GP says normal range is 0 - 5 and my result is less than 1. He says I am therefore in the normal range.

It may seem odd to turn to the internet after being advised by a GP but I've had such poor advice from GP's in the past that I don't particularly trust all that is said.

The result sounds quite different to the ranges I have seen online. Does this sound normal to you? Reflect the ranges you were given?

[Hidden]

I’m not sure if the units make a difference but I am a GP and normally a day 21 progesterone is done to see if you are ovulating. Ideally it should be above 30 but most consultants accept 20 but this is based on my local lab units.

Did you see a male or female GP? Often the female tend to know more about this type of thing. Don’t be afraid to go back and question it- if they have interpreted it correctly then they will be able to explain why. You could ask for telephone consult rather than a face to face if that is easier xxx

[Nicki17 in reply to Hidden]

Thanks for your reply Zoe. All that I've seen online reflects what you have just said which is really making me doubt that my results are indeed normal or that they've been read correctly.

The initial GP I saw was Male and I have just come off a telephone consultation with a different Male GP who was supposed to explain the results and gave me the less than 1 result. He didn't sound too sure to me but was adamant that normal.

Do you think it's worth me doing another test to clarify?

[Hidden in reply to Nicki17]

I think like Cinderella5 says- it’s worth getting a print out. They should do this for you- they may charge for the admin fee. I don’t think it’s worth repeating the test until you are confident in how they are interpreting it! You may end up needing to repeat it anyway to check whether it is just a one off result but then if it is the same result, they will just say it is normal again!

[Nicki17 in reply to Hidden]

I've been to the GP and they say due to GDPR I now have to request this is writing which can take up to 30 days!

However, I did decide to call the Hospital which I did the test at and got through to the testing department. They have said there are 2 different ways of testing Progesterone (from what I understood - he used a very long name to describe my test), 1 is a not so In depth test and the other is. It sounds like my GP ordered the 1 which is 'not so in depth' which I'm not particularly happy about. But this is likely why my scoring and range differs so much to what I have seen elsewhere.

Thank you both for your advice (Zoe and Cinderella5) x

[Cinderella5]

Hi Nicki, would it be worth getting a print out of your results to check that he was actually doing the right test and the reference results? They may not give it to you but might become clearer if you can check he's done the right thing as Im not sure it sounds right either!xx

[Nicki17 in reply to Cinderella5]

Hey Cinderella, thanks for your message. That's a good suggestion. I think I'll ask them at the surgery and see what they say. I'm sure when he gave me the print out for the blood test (ahead of the actual test itself) it had the correct thing on it but no harm checking I suppose

[Cinderella5 in reply to Nicki17]

You could even add it to your post for some advice...!xx

[DianeArnold Partner Nurse Fertility Network UK]

Hi. I have always been taught in nmols. A Day 21 progesterone result done on an average 28 day cycle should be 30 or more to prove ovulation has occurred that month. I’m afraid I’m not used to those figures, but it may ring a bell if you can tell me what the print out says. Diane

[Nicki17 in reply to DianeArnold]

Thanks for your response Diane. Once I have the details I'll be able to provide an update

[DianeArnold Partner Nurse Fertility Network UK in reply to Nicki17]

Thanks. Diane

[AJJ123]

Mine was 29 on one occasion - not quite sure what measurement your GP was looking at?

My GP is terrible they told me it was a rubbish result which I was really upset about.

The Consultant said it was absolutely fine and confirmed ovulation, that women have different hormone levels and anything over ten is acceptable so my advice is... speak to the expert consultant and just use the GP for a referral they don’t always know their stuff although they do know more than us generally.

They have incorrectly diagnosed me with things that I never had and not diagnosed me with the things I did so I don’t have too much faith in them right now.

Grrrrr rant over xx

[Nicki17 in reply to AJJ123]

Thanks for your message! We all need to get stuff of our chest!! It's a shame that you've had poor experiences but I am glad I'm not alone and others can relate.

I think sometimes GP's see so many people or it's just not their area of expertise that they end up advising incorrectly or delivering the message with such a lack of empathy.

I'll take your advice on board and hope everything's worked out fine with your GP. Xx

[Emmyeve]

I was told anything over 30 is acceptable. It’s pointless taking the test if you don’t know when you actually ovulate as the test should be done 7 days after ovulation. I booked my test for day 19 as I usually ovulate around day 12 and the Dr kindly let me test on both day 19 and 21. My day 19 result was 60 which is great and my day 21 down to 28 so it’s worth checking when you ovulate first. I just use the cheap internet ovulation tests. X

[Nicki17 in reply to Emmyeve]

Thanks Emmyeve xx