Diurnal Variations in the Levels of Progesterone During Late Pregnancy

Abstract

Background: Progesterone is a C-21 steroid hormone, plays a major role in the occurrence, maintenance and 
termination of pregnancy. 
Objective: To study the diurnal variations in the levels of progesterone at the start and end of the day during late 
pregnancy in women having different life set ups.  
Study Design: Experimental and Observational Study.  
Place of Study: This study was conducted at the Department of Gynae and Obs., Khyber Medical College, 
Peshawar.  
Materials and Methods: Blood samples of 50 women between 26-40 weeks of gestation were collected at two 
different intervals with a gap of 12 hours. Progesterone level was estimated by Serozyme EIA method. 
Results: The concentration of progesterone was found low in the early morning and high in the late evening in our 
population. Besides, the magnitude of fluctuations in the samples of two different intervals declined with progress of 
age and weeks of gestation. 
Conclusion: Our findings support the recommendation of restricting progesterone measurements to morning hours 
at all ages particularly during late pregnancy which is important information for clinicians at the time of 
interpretation of results.