Low progesterone...so confused. Help!!!
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Low progesterone...so confused. Help!!!
| Wed, 11-11-2009 - 2:59pm |
Long story short...Ever since having my daughter 2 1/2 years ago my hormones have been off.


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i am so sorry to hear that you're stressed about this, and i can so relate. like you, my cycles have been erratic since the birth of my daughter 2 years ago. i also start spotting 6 or 7 days before my period begins, and have thus been suspicious about my progesterone levels as well. DH and i are also on our 3rd cycle TTC. on our 2nd cycle i went to my o.b. and explained that i felt that, given my strange cycles and excessive pre-menstrual spotting, i was fairly certain that i did not have enough progesterone to support a pregnancy, should i get pregnant. she sort of dismissed my concern, and said "let's just wait and see what happens this cycle." well, i wasn't feeling too great about that conversation, and i ended up calling her office on three separate occasions that cycle, asking if i could at least come in to get my levels checked. each time i was given the same answer: "let's just wait and see." well, sure enough, i got a BFP, but sadly ended up miscarrying rather quickly thereafter. they did check my progesterone the very day that i got my BFP (at about 3.5 weeks), and it was very low. i'm not sure if something else had caused the m/c, or if indeed it was the low progesterone. what i do know is that i deeply regret not having absolutely insisted upon the post-ovulatory progesterone test. i do feel like we know our bodies better than anyone, and especially given that you HAVE had your progesterone tested and it was in fact low, it sure seems like a little progesterone support is indicated in this case. for this cycle, my doc has prescribed and all-natural progesterone called prometrium, which is a vaginal suppository (yuck, i know!), but apparently it is supposed to be very effective (moreso than the creams as i understand). the nurse told me that starting 2 days after ovulation, i should insert before bed, and the progesterone absorbs while you sleep. maybe that might be something to bring up with your doctor, if you're finding that the cream isn't quite doing the trick? my only real advice would be to not second-guess yourself. i'm finding that ultimately, we have to be our own advocates and in a way, that's a good thing. :) it's easy to be intimidated by our doctors (obviously, that was the case for me!), but i know that i won't let that happen again. live and learn, i suppose! :) very best of luck to you, and please keep us posted.
Thanks for your response and advice :)
oh boy, i totally hear you on this! on the one hand, you want to trust in your doctor and believe that she will take care of you when you do get pregnant, and on the other hand, there is this fear that you're not quite doing everything you could RIGHT NOW to prevent a m/c. i completely understand that you want to be proactive and cover your bases BEFORE you discover that your levels are too low, because, yeah-- how do you really know it won't be too late? that's exactly how i felt. i really don't want to tell you to not listen to your doctor... would it feel better if you were able to have an actual conversation--even if just a phone call--with your doc instead of relaying messages with the nurse? that way you could really understand her reasoning, and she can reassure you personally that when you DO get pregnant, there will be no chance that you will lose the baby due to low progesterone (in other words, if she finds your levels are low, it can and will be adjusted ASAP so the baby is safe). i'm also curious about how they will know that you're pregnant before implantation. doesn't the hcg hormone only get released after implantation? i'm still learning about this stuff, but again, maybe another reason to just have the conversation.. i know it's hard to be assertive with this stuff, especially since like you said, you don't want to be the new, pushy patient. that's exactly how i felt, but now i'm wishing i had been more assertive. my feeling is that if she won't consider giving you progesterone support now, then at the very least you deserve a few minutes of her time to ask specific questions and get some reassurance from her on the issue. this is important, and remember-- she is working for you. just my two cents! :)
so as for me, i'm 32, and for the last 12 months (since i got off the all-progesterone bcp while nursing), my cycles have been long and erratic-- anywhere from 29-42 days, but usually somewhere around 36 days. so my ovulation day changes from month to month, which is a bit frustrating. just curious, were you on bcp after having your baby? i'm convinced that's why my cycle and hormones are all whacked now. i was like clockwork when ttc #1, and we got our bfp on the first try, so we were very lucky. it's just really hard to be all over the place now, when everything was so normal before! you are so lucky to have a 25-day cycle. that is awesome! :) what cycle day are you on now?
well definitely let me know how it goes... who knows, maybe your progesterone is just fine now and you won't have an issue at all! from what i hear spotting for just a couple days before AF can be absolutely normal, and maybe your hormones have adjusted since june. i'll be thinking good thoughts for you! :)
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Thanks again :)
Hi Amy,
I have low progesterone too.
Thanks Emily.
Thank you :)
i'm sorry, i know this is so stressful! i'll tell you what i would do.. i'd call to make an appointment right away, and stop the cream for now. since you are on CD4 in your follicular phase (before ovulation), you don't really need to use the cream right now. in fact i have heard that it can delay ovulation, so it's recommended to start using it AFTER ovulation, kwim? if you are really set on getting the prometrium support after you ovulate this cycle (which i would be as well), i feel like it's easier to get the message across in person. so it will be good to have a face to face appointment with your doc. just tell her that you're simply not willing to risk having another miscarriage. if there truly is no risk in taking the prometrium, then why not?? well good luck and let us know what happens! :)
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