Progesterone optimal range and reference range

Compiled by Alina Radu, founder of Sera, from the published sources below · Last reviewed November 9, 2026

Sera's bands for Progesterone, which differ for men and women:

Female: Optimal 10 – 25 ng/mL (32 – 79 nmol/L); sufficient 5 – 25 ng/mL (16 – 79 nmol/L); out of range below 5 or above 25 ng/mL.
Male: Optimal 0.2 – 0.9 ng/mL (0.6 – 2.9 nmol/L); sufficient 0.1 – 1.4 ng/mL (0.3 – 4.5 nmol/L); out of range below 0.1 or above 1.4 ng/mL.

Evidence grade: Published reference interval. A band that primarily reflects a published adult laboratory or population reference interval. It is not necessarily applicable to every assay or laboratory.

At Sera's last range review a change to this band was proposed and held, because the evidence for it was thin, so the band is unchanged. The note below says where it matches published intervals and where it does not.

All units

Unit	Applies to	Optimal	Sufficient	Out of range
ng/mL	Female	10 – 25	5 – 25	below 5 or above 25
ng/mL	Male	0.2 – 0.9	0.1 – 1.4	below 0.1 or above 1.4
nmol/L	Female	32 – 79	16 – 79	below 16 or above 79
nmol/L	Male	0.6 – 2.9	0.3 – 4.5	below 0.3 or above 4.5

What the evidence says

For women the bands are read against the luteal phase: Mayo Clinic Laboratories states that a result above 10 ng/mL on days 21 to 23 indicates normal ovulation, which is the optimal lower edge, and MedlinePlus gives 5 to 20 mid-cycle, which is the acceptable lower edge. The upper edge of 25 has no exact source; Mayo's luteal interval ends at 24. A follicular-phase or postmenopausal result will read low without being abnormal. For men, laboratories give an upper limit only, so the male lower edges have no source.

For women: These ranges are informative, not diagnostic, and reflect a luteal-phase reference for women in their reproductive years (pre-menopausal). Progesterone is very low in the follicular phase and rises sharply only after ovulation, so the ranges are wide and must be read against your cycle day (ideally tested ~7 days after ovulation).

Menstrual cycle: Female range is a luteal-phase reference, ideally drawn about 7 days after ovulation.

Assay: Results differ meaningfully between platforms and methods. Compare against the interval printed by the issuing laboratory before acting on a borderline value.

Sources

PGSN - Overview: Progesterone, Serum — Mayo Clinic Laboratories, 2026 · Laboratory / reference-interval sourceAdult women, luteal phase: 1.8 to 24 ng/mL; follicular 0.89 or less; post-menopausal 0.20 or less. Day 21 to 23 progesterone above 10 ng/mL indicates normal ovulation. Adult men: below 0.20 ng/mL. Matches Sera's female optimal lower edge of 10 and supports an upper edge of 24.
Serum progesterone — MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia, US National Library of Medicine, 2025 · Government / public-health guidanceMid-cycle women: 5 to 20 ng/mL (15.9 to 63.6 nmol/L). Pre-ovulation women, men and postmenopausal women: less than 1 ng/mL (3.18 nmol/L). Matches Sera's female sufficient lower edge of 5 and gives a male upper limit of 1.

What Progesterone measures

A hormone needed for the menstrual cycle and for pregnancy.

Low progesterone can cause irregular periods, anxiety, and poor sleep. Levels change across the menstrual cycle.

Related hormone health markers

See Progesterone in the full list of biomarker ranges

This page is a reference for practitioners, not medical advice. Sera's bands are practitioner targets for structured review, not diagnostic thresholds, and Sera does not diagnose or recommend treatment. Read a result alongside the interval printed by the issuing laboratory and the client's history and symptoms. Range set: Sera Production, version 1.0, last reviewed November 9, 2026.