Blood test · Summertown, Oxford
✓ Finger-prick sample · result while you wait · 7 days before your period

Progesterone blood test
in Oxford.

A timed blood test that shows whether you ovulated this cycle. Taken about seven days before your next period is due (day 21 of a 28-day cycle), with the result explained the same visit.
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All 13 blood tests
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Price per test
£39
Finger-prick · result while you wait · 7 days before your period
OVER 18S · NO GP REFERRAL · SUMMERTOWN
  • One fingertip sample, no needle in the arm
  • Pharmacist explains the result before you leave
  • Printed or emailed result, and a GP letter if needed
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📞 Call Summertown
Screening test, not a diagnosis. Out-of-range results are confirmed by a laboratory test through your GP.
Same visit
Result while you wait
£39
All-inclusive, no clinic fee
7 days before your period
Preparation
18+
Adults only · book online
What the test measures

What Progesterone tells you.

Progesterone is released by the ovary after an egg is released and peaks around seven days later. A raised mid-luteal level is the standard way to confirm that ovulation has happened; a low level on the right day suggests it did not, or that the timing was off.

It can…

  • Show whether you ovulated in the cycle you tested
  • Give you and your GP useful information if you are trying to conceive

It can’t…

  • Give a meaningful result if taken on the wrong day of your cycle
  • Diagnose the cause of irregular cycles on its own
  • Say anything about pregnancy location or viability
Worth booking if

A good fit if…

  • You are trying to conceive and want to know whether you are ovulating
  • Your cycles are irregular and you want to pin down what is happening
  • Your GP or clinic has asked for a day-21 progesterone
See your GP first if

Not the right first step if…

  • Periods that have stopped for three months or more
  • Trying for a year (six months if over 35) without success
A finger-prick test cannot assess an emergency. Call 999 for chest pain, breathlessness or collapse.
Your visit

What happens, start to finish.

About thirty minutes in total, most of it the pharmacist talking you through the result.

1. Book online

Pick your test and a time at Summertown.

2. A few questions

Medicines, symptoms and consent, in the consultation room.

3. One finger-prick

A few drops onto the test cartridge. Less than a flu jab.

4. A short wait

The analyser runs while you wait in the pharmacy.

5. Result explained

Against the UK ranges, with what it can and cannot tell you.

6. Your next step

Printed or emailed result, advice, and a GP letter if one is needed.

Understanding your result

What your result looks like, and what it means.

Your printed and emailed result shows your value on a traffic-light bar like this, with a plain-English line and your next step.
Below 16
16 to 30
Above 30
Unlikely or mistimed
Borderline
Consistent with ovulation
Example: 38 nmol/L on day 21 sits in the green band – consistent with ovulation.
ResultWhat it usually meansWhat we do
Above about 30 nmol/LConsistent with ovulationReassuring. If you are trying to conceive and it is not happening, other factors are worth exploring with your GP.
About 16 to 30 nmol/LBorderlineOften a timing issue. Repeat next cycle, counting back seven days from the expected period.
Below about 16 nmol/LOvulation unlikely this cycle, or mistimedRepeat in a later cycle; if it stays low, your GP can investigate.
These bands are the usual UK guide; your printed result shows the exact reference range the analyser uses. Some healthy people fall just outside a range, and one reading is a snapshot. The pharmacist reads your result with your history, and anything that needs confirming goes to your GP with a letter.
Progesterone FAQ

Common questions, answered.

About seven days before your next period is due. For a 28-day cycle that is day 21; for a 35-day cycle, day 28. If your cycles vary, count back from when you expect the period and we can repeat if needed.

Testing is harder to time. We can test twice in a cycle, a week apart, or your GP can arrange a different approach.

No. Hormonal contraception does affect the result, so this test is not useful while you are using it.

Yes – AMH can be done on any day, so it fits around the progesterone timing.

Whether you ovulated in the cycle you tested. Progesterone rises after an egg is released and peaks about seven days before your period, so a raised level at that point shows ovulation happened.

Timing is everything. Taken about seven days before your period, a level above roughly 30 nmol/L is consistent with ovulation. A low result on the right day suggests you did not ovulate that cycle; a low result on the wrong day usually means the timing was off, so we repeat it.

Often checked together

Add a test from the same finger-prick.

Up to four tests can run from one sample, each £39. See all 13 blood tests →

AMH (egg reserve) test

£39 · same visit
Read more →

Pregnancy blood test (hCG)

£39 · same visit
Read more →

Ferritin (iron stores) test

£39 · same visit
Read more →
Where

MediPill Summertown

📍 227 Banbury Road, Oxford OX2 7HQ
📞 01865 558 348
Blood tests run Monday to Friday. Opening hours and directions →
Book at Summertown
Who runs it

Pharmacist-led

Led by pharmacist Uthmaan Abbasi (GPhC 2237035). Analysed on a professional point-of-care analyser in our consultation room – your sample never leaves the building.

Ready for your Progesterone test?

£39, result while you wait, explained by a pharmacist. Book online for Summertown.
Book Progesterone test →