Progesterone suppmentation

[collieflower]

A question for those of you out there supplementing with progresterone: I've had a few (4) miscarriages, and the recurrent miscarriage clinic told me I should start taking progesterone 72 hours after ovulation. I don't have a luteal phase defect, and my progesterone measures normal (but that was only one blood test, and I've read that you need a few tests to get an accurate picture).

Anyway, I am a bit leery about taking something for which there is no demonstrated need. Of course, that wouldn't be quite enough to stop me from taking it, given that you never know what might help with unexplained recurrent pregnancy loss. However, I am also worried about the safety of progesterone supplementation during pregnancy. Whenever I ask any of our docs about it, the response is always "well, your body naturally produces progesterone, so I wouldn't worry about it". Sure, but our bodies naturally produce estrogen too, and look what happened with DES.

Has anyone found any convincing information suggesting that progesterone is safe during pregnancy? Am I missing something here?

[LessTraveledBy]

I looked into, though not very deeply. My feeling is that it is ok to take it during pregnancy. Afterall, the 3 months or so is not a long time. I did decide to go with the bioidentical cream, which I feel just supplement what my body makes, already. However, I think they probably want you on something much stronger.

In your case, I would happily take it, you know, just in case it could help.

[collieflower]

Thanks LTB! I appreciate your input. I would go right ahead and take it, but I am concerned about potential impacts on an unborn baby because I can't find any scientific evidence that it's safe. Not sure what to do...

[collieflower]

Bumping because I am really concerned about this and hoping one of you wise ladies has some input to share!

[Sourire]

I haven't looked into it that deeply but I do believe that some types of progesterone are safer than others. At one point my doctor prescribed me Provera which has a scientific name of Medroxyprogesterone and is not the same as what your body produces. I decided not to take this medication as I was concerned about what it might do to my body. I know a lot of people TTC take Prometrium which is made of USP Progesterone. I decided to take a bio-identical progesterone cream made of USP Progesterone.

The cream I am taking is called Oasis Serene and here is what their website says:

USP stands for United States Pharmacopoeia and indicates that the progesterone meets the standards set in the United States. The title "USP Progesterone" or (USP) differentiates natural progesterone from synthetic progesterone. This means the progesterone which is formulated is identical (bio-identical) to that which is secreted from the female ovaries.

I did some research on progesterone creams and decided that this particular one was the one I felt most comfortable with. They have a ton of information on their website which reassured me of the safety of their product during pregnancy. Here is their website: http://www.oasisserene.com/

The website also has a section which shows a bunch of research done regarding progesterone. This includes 2 studies that look at the effects of progesterone supplementation during pregnancy on the babies. The website doesn't have a ton of details on the studies but you could probably go look them up on your own, they are:

 

Dalton K. The effects of progesterone and progestogens on the foetus. Neuropharmacology 1981; 20:1267-9.

This article looks at the differing effects of progesterone and synthetic progestogens on the fetus. Of note in this article is evidence that progesterone supplementation may reduce episodes of pre-eclampsia. Synthetic progestogen supplementation during pregnancy may produce a variety of side effects. Several references are made to articles documenting cases of masculinization of external genitalia in female babies. There are two known cases of true hermaphroditism and several cases of behavioral problems developing in adolescent girls whose mothers took oral synthetic progestogens during pregnancy. More problematic may be administration of oral estrogen-progestogen preparations. Side effects may include spina bifida, esophageal anomalies, heart defects and limb reduction deformities. 

Dalton K. Prenatal progesterone and educational attainments. British Journal of Psychiatry 1976; 126:438-42.

This study compares educational attainments of 34 children whose mothers received prenatal progesterone with 37 normal and 12 toxemic controls. Results at ages 17-24 showed that progesterone children were more likely to continue schooling after 16 years, a higher number left school with ‘O’ and ‘A’ level grades and more obtained entrance to university. The best academic results were found for children whose mothers had received over 5 grams of progesterone for a minimum of eight weeks, with treatment beginning before week sixteen.

Basically my opinion is that progesterone is safe during pregnancy, but the quality of the product you are taking matters.

[collieflower]

Heidi - Thanks so much for your extensive input! I really appreciate it. I'm going to send this info to DH so he can read and we can discuss.   I want to make sure we've done our research before we talk to the doctors if we decide not to take or, or request to take another format.