progesterone to help stop m/c

[Inanna]

Satya I really feel your pain... :hugs: Again, I am so sorry for the loss of your baby.

Okay, are you in SEQld? Or Sydney?

Gavin Sacks is coming to SEQLd to speak on miscarriage and immunological reasons for it on the 17th of August. He is an obstetric immunologist.

You would have had progesterone levels done with your hcg - or at least you should have. They are usually done together. A Bhcg of 20 at 14 days post ovulation is very low. Now, there are women who have a low level like that and go on to have healthy babies but it is lower than what we like to see to breed confidence iykwim. You need to ask what your prog level is but with a hcg of 20 I would suspect your prog. would have been on the low side too.

Women are given progesterone support to help maintain pregnancy and this is one of those contentious areas. Some obs disagree some agree. Progesterone levels begin to fall prior to hcg falling so it's difficult sometimes to know what comes first the chicken or the egg iykwim?

3 consecutive miscarriages are termed recurrent miscarriage. So, you do need to have further testing. Sometimes a woman can have too high level of NK cells. NK cells will fight off the pregnancy resulting in a miscarriage - usually in the first trimester or early second trimester. Again, this is one of those areas of great debate. Many obs poo pooing it and others not. The drug that is often used to treat this is prednisolone/prednisone/ a steroidal drug. This halts the bodies autoimmune response, halting those nk cells and allowing the pregnancy to continue.

Have you been tested for clotting disorders? There are a number that cause early miscarriage.

Do you have a luteal phase greater than 12 days? A shortened LP will sometimes cause early miscarriage. Simply ivf docs tell us that implantaion generally occurs 5-8days post ovulation but either side of that it acan also occur. If implantation occurs say on cd9-10 and you have an 11 day lp your progesterone level has begun to dip and this confuses the implantation process causing an early loss. Progesterone support in the LP is sometimes given for this and clomid is given also to increase the hormonal levels.

I had a short LP and I suffered 3 very early losses due to a short Luteal Phase(well that was the assumption).

Have you had chromosomal studies on both you and your partner? This is necessary to rule out any issue that could be causing your losses.

I so very well understand your confusion, sadness and need for answers. What I need to say is to leave no stone unturned. Seek seek seek. There is always an answer. Sometimes that answer isn't clear and sometimes it is.

If you need any more help you know where I am...

[rufalina]

Satya - Sorry for your loss... It is not an easy thing to deal with, and I know how you feel, having experienced a similar situation at least twice (is not three times) myself...
I am going to see my fs tomorrow regarding this. I will let you know how I get on, but I am definately going to be seeking testing for the things metioned here and others.

Deb - your knowledge in this area is invaluable. Thanks again for sharing this with us...

"What I need to say is to leave no stone unturned. Seek seek seek. There is always an answer."

is a fantastic motto in this.

xo

[satya]

Bekz - I have been using Vitex and Vitamin B since just before my 2nd pregnancy. It has not lengthened my cycle nor seemingly changed it in anyway but I have managed to fall pregnant twice in less than 18 months compared to once in 8.5 years when I wasn't using it (was with a different partner back then too).

Flowerchild - My GP did not test my progesterone levels but seeing that I always get spotting before my AF I think I probably do have a problem with my progesterone levels but testing that's been done so far has not shown this. Mind you I've never had my progesterone level checked whilst pregnant because I just haven't stayed pregnant long enough to get it tested.

I have not been tested for clotting disorders. It is possible that I could have some hereditary thing I guess. Two aunts on my dad's side ended up adopting due to infertility & secondary infertility but I'm not sure if they had m/c's and my dad is on some kind of drug to keep his blood OK. My LP is generally 11-12 days - that's why I'm thinking progesterone may help me. I was put on clomid a decade ago but I did not conceive on it.... but did 3 months after I went off it. I tested positive on CD28 of that cycle and bled for two weeks from that day.

The gyno I saw recently is just telling me to get my lap done then head straight for IVF and I don't see why I should be doing this when I can conceive, I just can't keep them. At my age (41) I know the odds are only 50/50 but I don't want to go and have expensive testing and treatment done if something as simple as progesterone is all I need.

He has ordered the following tests which I am yet to have done:
blood group RH & antibodies
RPR
prolactin
karyotopying.
Plus the usual disease ones that they like to test you for. I don't know if he can tell much from these but I guess I will have to ask him about about clotting disorder testing and the NK thing as well. But seeing he doesn't want to see me til after the lap there's not much I can do until I get to the end of the damn queue.