Progesterone challenge / Provera test in Hypothalamic Amenorrhea

In this post I explain what the Progesterone challenge / Provera test is and what its results say about your Hypothalamic Amenorrhea Recovery.

What is the Progesterone challenge / Provera test?

The so called Progesterone challenge, also known as Provera test, is when your doctor gives you a progestin or progesterone medication – usually 10 mg/day for 5 to 7 days – to see if this induces bleeding.

What is the Progesterone challenge / Provera test used for?

The Progesterone challenge / Provera test is used to collect information about the cause of Amenorrhea – the absence of a period – in women. In Hypothalamic Amenorrhea, we already know the root cause behind the Amenorrhea – stress in form of over-exercising and under-fueling.

What information can we get from the Progesterone challenge / Provera test in Hypothalamic Amenorrhea?

As already mentioned, the Progesterone challenge / Provera test will not provide any new information about the cause of the amenorrhea, that we already know. However it might give some hints about the progress of the Hypothalamic Amenorrhea Recovery.

There is a bleeding after the Progesterone challenge / Provera test in Hypothalamic Amenorrhea Recovery

If the Progesterone challenge / Provera test induces a bleeding in Hypothalamic Amenorrhea (usually the bleeding occurs about 5-7 days later) it is a sign that the uterus lining had had the chance to build up its thickness to a certain degree and therefore it must have been exposed to some levels of estrogen.

This tells us that the hormone levels within the body is not equal to zero, and that you have come some way in your Hypothalamic Amenorrhea Recovery journey.

There is no bleeding after the Progesterone challenge / Provera test in Hypothalamic Amenorrhea Recovery

If the Progesterone challenge / Provera test does not induce a bleeding in Hypothalamic Amenorrhea it is a sign that the uterus lining has not had the chance to build up its thickness and therefore it has not been exposed to estrogen.

This tells us that the hormone levels within the body is more or less equal to zero, and that you are quite at the beginning of your Hypothalamic Amenorrhea Recovery journey.