Who's having progesterone checked??? UPDATE Post #14

[lovbeingamommy]

I found out at 4wks (since LMP) that my progestone was low at 10. My hCG was 105 which is one the low side, but not outrageously low. This was at the beginning of the week. My naturopath called me at work and prescribed 200mg of progesterone lozenges. I immediately got them from a compounding pharmacy, that luckily was just about 5 miles from where I work. I went in for another blood test today and pray that the numbers are going up...I should find out by Friday.

Has anyone else had a diagnosed low progesterone problem? It seems to be quite common, but something that mainstream OB's don't generally check for until after the third m/c It seems like progest won't hurt and can only help so I don't see why most wait until after m/c's...how frustrating!!

I had to go in again yesterday (8/26) I should find out tomorrow. Midwife said if #'s look good we'll set up our first appt. :::

[lovbeingamommy]

THANK YOU GOD!!

I just got my result back from Aug 20th (six days after the first test)

Progesterone was 10 now 13
hCG was 105 now 1700

from what I've researched, endlessly on-line, it seems like this is really good.
:::::

[mamaw/two]

That's great!!!

[lil_stinkyfeet]

That's great!

[Stevi]

Whoopeeeeee!! Good news!!!

[lovbeingamommy]

Thanks everyone. My ND/midwife wants me to go in again tomorrow (Tues) and said if the numbers are still going up then we'll schedule our first appt. ::::: :

[lotus.blossom]

Thats great!! Hope you get even more good news!

[lovbeingamommy]

Well I got my result from 8/26

hCG from 1700 to 14,884 in six days : so that's really good

progesterone from 13 to 12 so I'm a little nervous. I've read online though that sometimes that happens and doesn't mean much. At least it's only a drop of 1.

I talk to my midwife tomorrow and hopefully she'll recommend more progesterone. Right now I've been doing 100mg/2xper day for a little over a week.

This is so stressful...

[lovbeingamommy]

Talked to my midwife today and she increased my progesterone trouches to 200mg/2xper day. She said the hCG was great and the prog. was of course low, but at least over 10. So I'm happy about that :

I have to go in one more time next week for the blood test and then I guess I'll do an u/s after that.

[evening start]

Kate, are there any signs of low progesterone before MC? I am wondering if there are any warning signs I should look out for that would indicate that I should ask for a progesterone test. Before this cycle I had short LPs with several days of heavy spotting before AF. I am worried this might indicate low progesterone.

[lovbeingamommy]

Hi Emily-

I don't know if there's any physical signs that could determine low prog, but I do know, after much research, that this is a more commom problem then I had first thought. I'm currently going to a naturopath/midwife that suggested, at four wks, that I get a blood test to see where my levels were at. My prog. at 4wks was 10. That's too low...and prog is needed to sustain a pregnancy. (I've also come to find out that prog. supplementation is a controversial subject among docs) Well, she prescibed a NATURAL prog. for me which I've been taking ever since. From what I've read natural is much better than synthetic and could help and probably wouldn't hurt. I need it anyhow because I have estrogen dominance so I was planning to take it anyway.

It's worth it to at least have the blood test done, it's routine and inexpensive and may prevent m/c if it's low. I found this website that has tons of testimonials on it regarding supp. prog. i learned a lot here...

http://lowprogesteroneinpregnancy.com/


Let me know if I can answer any other questions. I've become very informed on this topic lately

[pleasantlyfurious]

I've known a few women via message boards who lost a pregnancy due to low progesterone, so I asked about checking my progesterone level, and my doctor said that if someone experiences multiple miscarriages they'll check the levels. I'd really hope to avoid the heartache of a miscarriage if at all possible. Unbelievable - so I insisted on the test. It comes back next week.

[lovbeingamommy]

Originally Posted by pleasantlyfurious

I've known a few women via message boards who lost a pregnancy due to low progesterone, so I asked about checking my progesterone level, and my doctor said that if someone experiences multiple miscarriages they'll check the levels. I'd really hope to avoid the heartache of a miscarriage if at all possible. Unbelievable - so I insisted on the test. It comes back next week.

Good for you for insisting on the test. I've heard that too, that docs won't normally check until after three + m/c. For heaven's sake why isn't this test just part of the normal routine regardless of m/c status.

[lovbeingamommy]

I just got my 4th and last hCG/progesterone test back today. Now I'll move over to u/s for the duration of the 1st tri. I guess hCG levels become less accurate after about week 6/7.

Here's the series:

15DPO hCG 105 prog 10
21DPO hCG 1700 prog 13
27 DPO hCG 14864 prog 12
35 DPO hCG 24237 prog 20.3

I was really concerned that the 27 and 35 DPO test didn't double, but my ND/midwife isn't concerned. She said that hCG doubles every 24-72 hrs in the early 1st tri, but then slows. I'm still trying to figure out, by obsessively researching , just how much it slows. It looks like mine increased 63% in 8days which would have been between wk 6 & 7. Does anyone have experience with this...? I'm so confused and trying not to worry.

[hollycat]

hey lov,
lurking from dec to tell you that this series looks a lot like one of mine, which was a totally viable pregnancy. if you get an ultrasound and see the heartbeat, youre in business. after that, youll continue taking the progesterone, but if you have a HB at 8,9 weeks you are in out of real danger, the way it was explained to me, but you should keep taking the progesterone.
the thinking these days is that low progesterone is a symptom, and not a cause of non viable pregnancy, and in general, if its gonna tank it, it tanks it before the heartbeat shows up strong. however, they've had good results when they just keep it up as a precaution through ten or twelve weeks. i cant tell where you are in your pregnancy but it sounds like a place where you can see the heartbeat.

best of luck!

[PaytonPlace]

Your numbers look great. I have also been obsessively researching hCG doubling times and I've decided to stop to save my sanity. I know, it is very hard to not obsess. I have also read things about the doubling time slowing as time goes by.

[shannomad]

My progesterone was 8.5 at about 5 weeks -- it was only a fluke that I knew -- a nurse wrote the wrong thing on the lab order. I did a bunch of reading and decided to pass on the progesterone. I don't know whether that was the right decision, but my midwives just left the decision up to me.

Fast forward to now, I am 8 weeks, and yesterday, I had an ultrasound. I was so sure they would find there was no heartbeat, but it was there all right, strong at 158 bpm. Size is good for gestation too.

Just thought I'd share this because I have had such a stressful 3 weeks, each day thinking I'd start to see the spotting of miscarriage. My last pregnancy ended in early miscarriage at 6 weeks. I have 2 other children, though, and I'm 39yo, not sure how much of a factor age can play in this.

Has anyone found out what kind of impact breastfeeding has on progesterone in pregnancy? None of my health care providers have a clue. I guess so few people actually breastfeed during pregnancy... I just weaned my daughter a couple of months ago, but that was the end of about 5 straight years of breastfeeding. Maybe it took a while for the prolactin to go down? I could easily squirt 4-5 streams of milk out of them even a couple of weeks ago.

[monica3674]

Originally Posted by shannomad

Has anyone found out what kind of impact breastfeeding has on progesterone in pregnancy? None of my health care providers have a clue. I guess so few people actually breastfeed during pregnancy... I just weaned my daughter a couple of months ago, but that was the end of about 5 straight years of breastfeeding. Maybe it took a while for the prolactin to go down? I could easily squirt 4-5 streams of milk out of them even a couple of weeks ago.

Not in your DDC, but my OB mentioned that my "progesterone reserves" had probably not been refilled due to BF and that may be a cause of my low progesterone. I didn't get AF back until DD was 28 mos old. I am still nursing her (she's 3).

In Adventures in Tandem Nursing, I read that once the pg shows positive on a test, then nursing has little effect (unless you're at risk for premature labor - and that's not until later in the pg).

[Natalie143]

my progesterone dropped a bit which i noticed my son had also INCREASED his nursing those few days... in my opinion the increased nursing can drop progesterone levels.. as i did not have this problem in my first preg...
12dpo prog 19
14 dpo prog 15

[roses25]

I'm having my progesterone & hcg levels check and my levels have been:

DPO 12: progesterone 32.9 HCG 102 (on Progesterone Cream)
DPO 15: Progesterone 20.4 HCG 450 (on Progesterone Cream
DPO 16: Started Prometrium (prescription progesterone) (Stopped Progesterone Cream)
DPO 19: Progesterone 33.3 HCG 2762
DPO 23: Progesterone 48 HCG 10,000

Carolyn