Progesterone Help, Please!

[konayossie]

I'm struggling with LPD due to nursing, and my CNM prescribed 400 mg Prometrium (orally) from 3DPO to 14DPO (or continuing on if pregnancy is achieved). I'm 13 DPO today and started spotting last night. I POS this a.m., and it was BFN. Should I just stop taking the progesterone today since I've already started spotting instead of going for another 2 nights? Is it safe to assume I'm definitely not pg with a BFN on an IC and FRER at this point, or would it even matter since I've started spotting? Also, with the spotting prior to 14 days, does this mean my dosage is too low? The Prometrium definitely helped since my last LP was all of 7 days, but I think if it's working totally, I should have to discontinue the prog. to get my period, right? Thanks for any insight anyone can provide.

[ZoeJane'sMommy]

I would say to just stay on it. That is just my opinion. I was the same way because my doc prescribed it to me for 14 days and most woman only take it for 10 to induce AF. I was very sad because 4 days in TTC land is long time. But I did what she said.

[karmab]

it's up to you, and i think that's the hardest thing about being on progesterone. you have to decide when to give a cycle up, and you hear these stories about late + hpts. for me, i only made it to 14 dpo i think the first cycle on progesterone, maybe twice, so a good part of the time, the decision was made for me. but i am on 200 mg, and i always thought it wasnt enough. i was supposed to have a mid luteal p4 drawn the last 2 cycles, but have been traveling and unable to do it, and now this cycle i got pg (yay!) and my progesterone level is good (32 at 9 dpo, and first cycle i think in the last 7 or 8 i didnt have spotting in lp) on prometrium suppositories (fingers crossed.)

one time, and this may happen to you too, my chart was ambiguous and i couldnt for sure say if i o'd or not. it was usually very clear, but this time the theoretical 3 dpo came, then 4 dpo, and i still wasnt sure, and i figured, the best option was to start it, because if i did o, i wouldnt want to risk a possible pregnancy, and if i didnt, it's wasting 12-14 days, but balancing those things out, i voted to start it. so that's what i would do, use that reasoning at the end too - even with a bfn at 12 dpo or 13 dpo, i would continue because yes, you are postponing the next cycle by a couple days (probably,) but what's a couple days compared to a pregnancy, if there is a chance, yk? still, there is always that feeling hanging over you, but supposedly 99% of hpts will be pos by 15 dpo (the morning after your last dose.) then, with 400 mg, you might not even get af for another couple days (half-life is 55 hours,) so you might even have time for another hpt if it helps put your mind at ease. or you could ask for a beta at the end of each cycle, but not many people do that really.

and re: spotting, you can spot in pregnancy and still be ok. but usually we spot when our levels are between 5-10, so that would be low in pregnancy, yes, but likely not insurmountable if all of a sudden your test went pos.

anyway, good luck! hope that helps. i know it's a hard decision.

[konayossie]

Thanks for the replies, ladies. It looks like the decision has been made for me as AF arrived pretty fully after I posted, so I won't continue the prog tonight.

Karma, I am glad to hear that you got pg even without making it the full 14-day LP on progesterone prior to your last cycle. It gives me hope for next cycle!! I will definitely be asking for betas if I get pg while still nursing.

[karmab]

yeah, here are my charts, if you want to see. if you can get 11 or 12 days, it's probably enough most of the time... you know b6 is supposed to help too (taken with a bcomplex) but it never did much for me, and you have to be careful because too much can cause neurotoxicity too.

http://www.fertilityfriend.com/home/2caf4e

[konayossie]

Yeah, I had a shortish LP when I was TTC #1 (10-11 days), so I found out about B-6 then, and took it and got pregnant on the first cycle I started it. I don't know if it made a difference or not since I didn't get to end of my LP.

I have been taking B-6 all along this time since I started TTC (3 full cycles now), and it wasn't cutting it, which is why I went for the prometrium. DS is still a pretty frequent nurser, and I think my prog is probably just is lowish anyway, since my LP was so short pre-baby.

Thanks for letting me peek at your charts--it helps so much to see that others in similar boats are successful. It gives me at least the illusion of being in control. :-) I'm just way too much of a planner to enjoy TTC.