Progesterone is an important female hormone, produced mainly by the ovaries.
It helps to regulate a girl’s reproductive cycle.
Sometimes it’s called the pregnancy hormone. Every month it helps the womb prepare for the implantation of a fertilized egg by causing the lining of the uterus to thicken. It also prepares the mammary glands for milk production and it supports the unborn foetus once pregnancy occurs. Without the proper amount of progesterone a woman would not become pregnant and her body would not be able to support a child.
Progesterone is found in relatively low levels for the first part of the girl’s cycle and increases after the ovulation. It will drop away again 10 days after ovulation, prompting the menstrual period to begin.
Progestins are synthetic modifications of the progesterone molecule and are used in birth control pills, in hormone replacement therapy (to reduce the unpleasant symptoms of the menopause), to treat girls who cease to menstruate normally and to prevent premature birth.