Editing Progesterone (section)

====Animal====
Progesterone is produced in high amounts in the [[ovaries]] (by the [[corpus luteum]]) from the onset of [[puberty]] to [[menopause]], and is also produced in smaller amounts by the [[adrenal gland]]s after the onset of [[adrenarche]] in both males and females. To a lesser extent, progesterone is produced in [[nervous tissue]], especially in the brain, and in [[adipose tissue|adipose (fat) tissue]], as well.

During human [[pregnancy]], progesterone is produced in increasingly high amounts by the ovaries and [[placenta]]. At first, the source is the corpus luteum that has been "rescued" by the presence of [[human chorionic gonadotropin]] (hCG) from the conceptus. However, after the 8th week, production of progesterone shifts to the placenta. The placenta utilizes maternal cholesterol as the initial substrate, and most of the produced progesterone enters the maternal circulation, but some is picked up by the fetal circulation and used as substrate for fetal corticosteroids. At term the placenta produces about 250&nbsp;mg progesterone per day.

An additional animal source of progesterone is milk products. After consumption of milk products the level of bioavailable progesterone goes up.<ref name="titleResult Content View">{{cite web | url = http://www.docguide.com/news/content.nsf/news/852571020057CCF6852573B1007803AD | title = Milk products are a source of dietary progesterone | access-date = 12 March 2008 | vauthors = Goodson III WH, Handagama P, Moore II DH, Dairkee S | date = 13 December 2007 | publisher = 30th Annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium | pages = abstract # 2028 | archive-date = 20 September 2008 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080920110341/http://www.docguide.com/news/content.nsf/news/852571020057CCF6852573B1007803AD | url-status = live }}</ref>