Progesterone Question??

Hi,

I have a question for of those that have had to have extra progesterone to help with your pregnancies if you don't mind my asking - When exactly were you tested for it and it was discovered that there was an issue?

I have heard quite a few stories about women in similar situations to me and they all had low progesterone which when discovered was treated and they went on to have normal healthy pregnancies.

I am having trouble holding a pregnancy, I have implanation but then it doesn't stay. I have had every other test under the sun and nothing is wrong but when I ask about getting my hormones tested it seems that all the doctors are quite reluctant to even test. I get told that because they got so many eggs from the pickup that they didn't think it was my hormones causing it.

Which Ok if it isn't - fair enough - but for peace of mind I would like to know!

And I am also confused as to when it is done - I spoke to a Obs who is a family friend and he said that he doesn't understand how they come about who gets put on progesterone either but that they can't test my hormones til the next time I have a transfer and have implanation. There is apparently no point when you are not pregnant. Which I don't understand because how do other people find out if they ain't getting pregnant at all?

He said he is quite happy to organise it for me which I am going to get him to do but I was kinda hoping for something before I try again as I really don't want to lose another.

(The only transfer I had extra progesterone was the first one after the pick-up)

I forgot to add that my FS has been my gyni for the past 12 years because I have had endo since my periods started when I was a kid so he knows me very well. (Endo has been under control for the past three years). Still it confuses me why he won't test with my history??????

Lucia,
I'm not sure whether this will help you because really no one ever tested me it was always ever done by predicting when bleeding was happening my progesterone was low.
1st Preg All IVF, Was on progesterone for 2ww and then once positive stopped began to bleed at 6 weeks ( put on bedrest and then given progesterone again bleeding stopped) went to Obst as FS didnt do Obst continued to bleed on and off till 16 weeks where the pregnancy became unviable due to PROM.
2nd Preg IVF again continued 2ww with progesterone this time FS did Obst kept me on Progesterone till 8 weeks no bleeding but again PROM happened at 20 weeks
3rd Preg IVF 2ww progesterone and then continued till 13 weeks the last one taken the morning of my surgery to stitch my cervix closed. No bleeding no problems at all, the progesterone sustained the preg till the placenta was fully formed and could do the work itself.
I will be taking progesterone again for the same reason I dont want to lose another baby, if it helped great if it didnt do anything great didnt really effect me by taking it.
Good luck
Bec
BTW the obst that did my 3rd preg was a high risk specialist so you would think he might want some scientific reason to give me progesterone but he said to me we are not taking risks , and when I needed a script for 3 pessaries at the end I said well I will stop today and he was adament to keep taking it till that 13 weeks was up

Hi Lucia,
It is my understanding that when they do the HCG test to see if you are pg, they also measure your progesterone at that stage. I think they like it to be above 40. Maybe you could get your FS to look baci at teh BTs they have done when you have got pregnant and see what the progesterone levels were, at least to put your mind at rest.

Generally to check if you have a progesterone issue you have a BT on CD21 (or 7 days after ovulation). This checks the levels as it's the highest at this point in the cycle. Are you already on an IVF cycle, because it would be different I think.

I'm with SIVF and it's normal to have a progesterone supplement so to speak during the TWW. I started with the hideous Crinone gel two days after egg collection which was also three days prior to embryo transfer. I had to continue on with the gel until my BT which was at 16 days post collection, then when the pregnancy was confirmed I stopped.

Thanks Bec. So you never had an actual test? Ok maybe thats the case?

My FS said that it can be a numbers game and he is really doesn't think it is my hormones. Maybe because I am bleeding so early?? I am not even making it past 3 weeks at this stage - First IVF when I was on the progesterone but I still lost it at 3 weeks. The last two have been natural cycles and same story.

Sorry guys, I didn't see your answers before I posted to Bec! Must have posted at the same time!

Thanks for your responses. I went and saw my FS as I wanted to talk to him before I try again. He had all my info in front of him but I didn't realise at the time when they had tested for progesterone so I didn't even think of asking him it was done with the last BT. He was looking thru everything and all the results of the other BTs so he would have seen it if it was there. He didn't mention it just said he didn't think my hormones were the problem.

When I saw my GP before that to renew my referral, she said that at my age - my hormones wouldn't be an issue so there was no point testing!

But something is an issue! I guess I could ring the nurses at MIVF and ask them if it was done on the last BT?

:

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Generally to check if you have a progesterone issue you have a BT on CD21 (or 7 days after ovulation).

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So they can test when you are not pregnant?

No not a IVF cycle at the moment - I am having a few months break after the last one to let everything (and my head) settle down again and from what my FS was saying - it will be a natural cycle again as I still have 2 frozen embyros.

Lucia,
I see your in Melb with my clinic I have never had a day 21 BT (Stim or FET) so they wouldnt know my levels . I am sure one of the clinics does it as routine maybe it is my FS. I have had pickups of 50-60 folis a couple of times so maybe it does play a part
Bec

Yep absolutely you can be tested when not pregnant. Progesterone is important for implantation so needs to be there before an actual pregnancy so to speak. If you have mid cycle spotting or a lot of spotting before a period it can be an indication of low progesterone, this is what I had & hence the CD21 progesterone test. I also had a lot of symptoms of low progesterone as well - low libido, cold body temp, anxiousness & irritability. It turned out my progesterone level was fine, but the symptoms ended up being linked to hypothyroidism which causes the exact same symptoms & also hampers implantation.

So maybe look up estrogen dominance or low progesterone & see the list of symptoms, some might ring a bell for you. Also if you're charting your cycle & your temp is dropping well before AF it might be showing something there. It's a simple BT 7 days after ovulation, but most times you'll do an ultrasound around ovulation to confirm you are actually ovulating before worrying about the progesterone as it won't be produced properly if you don't ovulate.

No problems with ovaluting. Every scan I have had a few days before shows that I am ovaluting properly.
I do spot the day before my period. Iget the usually cramping signs and when I start to spot - I know it means the next day it will start - wouldn't that be just normal period behaviour though?

On paper (apart from this one test) - everything about me is 100%. All tests are negative, all signs are normal, all embyros etc etc healthy!

My acunpunturist said that there is a way to test using your salvia and you take a sample each day of one cycle to make sure hormones are all normal - so I think I will be doing that since no Western doctors thinks my hormones should be tested.

Spoke to the nurses today and they said that they don't test for progesterone levels on a natural cycle so it wasn't done on my last BT.

I hung up and thought - I should have asked them if they will do it now but then I thought - they will probably tell me that my doctor has to order it!

The Universe is being so kind to me today!!

I rang the nurses back and asked if they could do the test or if I need to get my FS to do it and they told me no problem they can do it so I booked in!! They were really nice about it!