In case you are interested in progesterone during pregnancy, you should know that it is also known as the pregnancy hormone since it plays two major roles.
One of them is to thicken and prepare the uterus’ lining to facilitate the implantation of the fertilized egg. The second role is important after implantation takes place because this is the hormone that maintains the pregnancy.
Thickening the endometrium
During the normal menstrual cycle of women, the thickness of the lining of the uterus varies according to the stages of the cycle. In the first two weeks of the cycle the lining of the uterus is pretty thin.
The thickening starts before ovulation takes place. After ovulation the lining of the uterus continues to thicken. If the egg isn’t fertilized during this cycle, the lining of the endometrium sheds during the menstrual period, thus becoming thinner.
If the egg gets fertilized, the endometrium stays thick in order to maintain the pregnancy. The thickness of the lining of the uterus usually varies according to the progesterone levels while being pregnant .
The lining of the uterus is the thinnest at the beginning of the cycle because this is when the progesterone levels are the lowest. After ovulation, the progesterone levels rise and the endometrium thickens.
Supporting pregnancy
If the fertilized egg gets implanted into the lining of the uterus, the ovaries will go on producing progesterone. This way the uterus will become a suitable environment for the development of the baby.
In case of a normal pregnancy the progesterone hormone production during pregnancy is overtaken by the placenta during the 8th week.
The placenta needs to produce relatively high levels of progesterone to make sure that the pregnancy is a healthy and normal one. To ensure that you have a healthy pregnancy, you should get tested.
