Day 21 test immediately after miscarriage?

[mamaforever]

My miscarriage was 15 days ago and I believe I am about to ovulate.  I am charting so I will know for sure when it happens.  I want to get a day 21 (progesterone) test on 7 dpo, but I don't know if this can be done the same cycle following the miscarriage?  Or would it be better to wait until I have a normal period, then get that test?  I really want to get it done ASAP so I know if there is a progesterone problem or not.  Thanks in advance for the replies!

[Jaimee]

It is entirely possible that you have lingering progesterone in your system from the previous pregnancy and therefore your results would not be typical for you.  But, you would likely notice slightly higher temps than usual if this were the case.  Are your temps a little higher than normal?  If not, you may be able to get an accurate result this cycle.  But beyond that, many women experience heightened fertility directly following an early miscarriage b/c of the lingering hormones.  I hope that is true for you!  I'm so sorry for your loss!

[mamaforever]

Thank you, Jaimee.  My temps have been as they normally are pre-O (upper 97s or low 98s), and the last hCG blood test I had done a few days ago showed my hCG level to be at 3 (started out in the 800s), so I don't think I'd have any lingering progesterone, right?  I've heard about the heightened fertility after a loss.  After my first loss, I got pregnant again 3 months later with a healthy pregnancy.  So I hope it doesn't take too long this time either.  I'm just scared that there's a progesterone issue this time around and that I may miscarry again.  Today and the last couple days I've have lots of EWCM (definitely more than I normally would!) so I know O is about to happen, but my dr. wants me to wait a cycle before TTC again.  It is hard for me to see all this nice fertile CM and avoid BDing!

You are a couple days past your due date now, right?  How exciting to have your third little babe in your arms so soon!

[Jaimee]

Forgive me if you've already shared this information in another thread and I've forgotten, but are you still breastfeeding your two year old?  That could be affecting your progesterone levels, but if you managed to sustain a pregnancy past the time of expect AF, I doubt that's it.  How far along were you?  Did you have cycles with spotting prior to AF before you had your m/c? 

hCG levels and progesterone levels wouldn't necessary decrease at the same rate, so your progesterone could still be higher than usual even if your hCG is below the pregnant level.  Upper 97's and low 98's sound high to me for pre-O temps (though totally possible, certainly)... that's your norm?

Personally I would not wait to TTC again if you feel emotionally ready, though I understand your reservations. 

AFM, yep almost 4 days "over due" at this point.  Waiting, waiting, waiting...

[mamaforever]

No, I'm not bfing DS.  He self-weaned at 13 months (milk supply issues) after I went on BCP a few months prior to that (I had NO idea it would affect my milk supply!).  I went off BCP last January, and that's when I found that my LP was very short (7 or 8 days).  I tried Vitex for 6 months with no change.  Then I stopped Vitex and tried Vit B6 and RRL, and my LP increased to 10 and then 11 days.

With previous cycles, I usually spotted for one day before AF arrived.  There was a cycle in the summer when I spotted for 2 days before AF.

With this pregnancy, I had spotting at 11 & 12 dpo.  Then it stopped and I had spotting again 4 or 5 days later which then turned into everyday of spotting (every time I went to the bathroom, I saw spotting on the TP).  I was 6 weeks 1 day pregnant when the red bleeding started.

I know that a chromosomal abnormality was likely the cause, but with the short LPs I was having, it just makes me nervous to right away get pregnant again if there's a progesterone deficiency.  I also finally talked DH into taking a multi-vitamin, so I think it's best to wait until next cycle to try again.

Edited by mamaforever - 12/2/11 at 6:38am

[mamaforever]

Oh- and to answer your question about temps- yes, my norm is high 97s to low 98s for Pre-O.  Usually it's in the low 98s during AF, then goes down to high 97s just before O.  My norm for post-O is upper 98s.

Are these temps anything to worry about?

[Jaimee]

No, not necessarily anything to worry about.  Every woman is different.  It's just on the high end.  If you had other concerning symptoms of hyperthyroidism then you might want to look into it, but otherwise that's probably just your normal.

So your LP is 10-11 days with 1-2 days of spotting?  So your fertile LP is 8-10 days.  Well, that does still point to low progesterone.  It's possible that your body is still regulating a bit off the birth control.  It can take quite a long time.  With a 6 week m/c I wouldn't assume that low progesterone was the cause.  As you mentioned a chromosomal abnormality is more likely as a heart issue would arise around 5 weeks and then it's common to have a m/c around 6 weeks.  Not all cycles are equally fertile, so catching one of your cycles where your LP is 10 days could easily result in a viable pregnancy. 

How much B6 are you taking?  100mg?  If less, I might up your dose and see if you can get rid of that spotting.  Otherwise, in your case, I might look into NPC to see if that feels right to you- it could make conceiving easier.  Vitamins for men take up to 90 days to make it to all their sperm.  I'll be interested to hear what your progesterone level is!  Keep us updated!

[mamaforever]

Thanks for all your info - you are very knowledgable!  I don't have any other symptoms of thryroid problems.  And maybe the higher temps are because of a glitch with my thermometer?  It's the same thermometer I've used even 4 years ago when TTC #1 and the temps have always been around the same.

I was taking 102.5 mg of B6 (2.5 was in my prenatal, and I was taking 100 mg in another pill).  It concerned me to continue taking so much after getting a BFP, so I slowly decreased to 75 mg, and then down to 50, then to 25.  I hope this didn't have anything to do with the m/c.

I am not taking anything right now.  When I had the m/c, I decided to go back to just a prenatal because that's all I was taking when I conceived my DS.  But I did order some NPC and it should be in our mailbox anyday now.  I'm still undecided about using it though - I'm always nervous taking things while pregnant and I know I would have to continue the NPC through the first trimester.  Obviously, if my progesterone test comes back as low, I will take some sort of progesterone supplement (whether it be the cream or suppository), but just taking it without a diagnosis of low progesterone makes me nervous.

I am dissappointed to hear that it takes 3 months of vitamin-use before helping sperm.  Better get to the store today so he can start taking them immediately!

[Jaimee]

Originally Posted by mamaforever 

And maybe the higher temps are because of a glitch with my thermometer?  It's the same thermometer I've used even 4 years ago when TTC #1 and the temps have always been around the same.

Could be!

I was taking 102.5 mg of B6 (2.5 was in my prenatal, and I was taking 100 mg in another pill).  It concerned me to continue taking so much after getting a BFP, so I slowly decreased to 75 mg, and then down to 50, then to 25.  I hope this didn't have anything to do with the m/c.

I would go back up to 100mg since it was working for you.  I'm sure it had nothing to do with the m/c.

But I did order some NPC and it should be in our mailbox anyday now.  I'm still undecided about using it though - I'm always nervous taking things while pregnant and I know I would have to continue the NPC through the first trimester.  Obviously, if my progesterone test comes back as low, I will take some sort of progesterone supplement (whether it be the cream or suppository), but just taking it without a diagnosis of low progesterone makes me nervous.

Understandable... you could wait one cycle to find out your level.  I'm not so sure that you would need to take it throughout the first tri if your main issue is that fragile time around expected AF where you get spotting.  Once the embryo is well implanted and producing high levels of hCG everything might be fine.  It's more likely just those few days where the embryo is still producing low levels of hCG and the corpus luteum doesn't get the proper signal to remain intact.  Once you pass that time your levels may be completely normal.

[mamaforever]

Thanks Jaimee!!!