Endocrinology of reproduction half of pregnancy, progesterone and prolactin prepare the mammary glands for lactation. Estrogens and progesterone promote mammary epithelial cell proliferation resulting in the formation of the primary and secondary ductal structure. Progesterone induces formation of tertiary side-branches in the mammary glands during puberty and during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle upon which lobuloalveolar structures form under the influence of prolactin. Prolactin stimulates lactogenesis. hCG appears to be soporific during pregnancy; levels of hCG correlate with sleep changes during pregnancy, and administration of hCG increases sleep in rats likely via neuronal LHCGR. Endocrinology of reproduction Hormonal regulation occurs at
Pharmacokinetics of progesterone half-life of progesterone in the circulation is very short at a range of about 3 to 90 minutes. Previous studies using RIA have reported an overestimated half-life of oral progesterone of about 16 to 18 hours. A subsequent, reliable study using high-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC–MS/MS) reported a half-life of oral progesterone of about 4.6 to 5.2 hours when it was taken with food. Due to the short half-life and duration of action of oral progesterone, it is often taken in divided doses of two or three times per day. Because of studies that used RIA, it was incorrectly