low progesterone

Heart.Revolution · May 20, 2004

hello, i posted this in pregnancy after birth loss as well. i have a few q's 
I just got my progesterone test results back it was 6.9 
my midwife got me some suppositories. i hope that i am not too late. i am 32 days since i conceived, (or rather 6 weeks since last period) 
1.does anyone know what the ingredients are in the MBK base suppositories? 
2.has anyone had progesterone as low as mine around the same time in their pregnancy and saved the baby? does low progesterone effect fetal development? 
3. is having sex with my husband going to effect him in anyway if he absorbs some of the progesterone? 
4.my hcg level was good though, over 5000(as of may17th)could my pregnancy still be healthy? even though progest is low? 
5.i have been taking a mixture of black haw, false unicorn, and wild yam. does anyone know if it's safe to take these herbs with the progesterone suppositories? 
thank you for your help. i really appreciate it.

Bunches · May 21, 2004

aminah - I read your post and I would think that with good Hcg levels you should be able to maintain your pregnancy. Is your midwife going to continue to check them on a regular basis?? I just found out my progesterone is on the low-end of normal. The range is 11-90. Let me know if you find out any more information. I would also be interested in the answers. I just started progesterone supplements as well. Best wishes and sticky vibes your way!!

Aura_Kitten · May 21, 2004

i've never heard of this. 
what's this about progesterone suppositories? checking hormone levels? 
can someone please tell me what this all has to do with? 
** pregnant and never encountered this before

OnTheFence · May 21, 2004

I have lost numerous pregnacies due to low progesterone. The suppositories are why Jack is here. It wasnt fun and it was gross but I will do it again. (though now it seems things are fine, who would have thunk it) 
I really want to be guarded in what I say because I have been where you are. Your progesterone level is really low to maintain a pregnancy. I know two women who have had that low of progesterone and had full term pregnancies with healthy babies. They did have to take progesterone supositories. The others I know did not, their hcg levels grew but their progesterone levels did not, ultrasounds revealed that there was no development. 
My progesterone dropped from 14days post O at a 19 to a 10. My doctor did not think my pregnancy with Jack was a keeper. I had blood draws every other day for two weeks. I was able to get my progesterone to a 16 and maintain that. This is considered high enough to maintain pregnancy but it is ifffy on if they can sustain them. I did 200 mg of progesterone a day until week 14. I had two ultrasounds during that time. It was a *me* thing. I asked for both of them. Having had multiple pregnancy losses I need some confirmation things were going ok in there. (I also have a uterine deformity) 
If your midwife advises you to do the prog., do it. You may want to consider an US. They can do a quick one to pick up a fetal heart tone and will take no more than a few minutes. It may ease your mind. I am surprised with such a low prog. level they havent suggested it. Also dont buy into the over the counter prog. creams. While they may be good for menopause, they are not for helping maintaining proper levels during pregnancy. You would have to bather in a tub of those creams or injest them by the jar to get enough of the prog. into your system for it to be of any good. Also rubbing some stuff on your hands isnt going to help if you know what I mean. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/yikes2.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="yikes">: 
Yesterday I saw my friends little boy who had only a prog. level of 6. He's almost four and wild. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/smile.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="smile">

Foobar · May 21, 2004

DISCLAIMER: Nothing in this post is meant to scare anyone. 
Pregnancy is scary, but it's always better to get information out. 
I had low progesterone in the beginning of this pregnancy, but it was 11 at 5 weeks. 
Take the progesterone. Even with high hCG, you NEED progesterone to keep the feedback loop going. 
The idea is this: the fertilized egg implants sending hCG out into the blood stream. The corpus luteum (the ruptured follicle) produces progesterone for about 14 days (ie, the post ovulation part of your cycle). If it does not detect hCG after 12-16 days, it will stop producing progesterone and your uterus will shed the lining when the progesterone is too low. 
In some cases, the CL still doesn't produce enough progesterone even when it gets the signal of hCG. So you suppelment(sorry can't spell right now). You will want to stay on these until week 11 or 12 when the placenta can take over the progesterone production. 
To answer your questions: 
1) I have no clue, as the pharamcist. These have to be made at the pharmacy. 
2)Mine was 11. I am now 33.5 weeks pregnant. The low progesterone effects your body, I don't think (although I am not positive) that it will affect the fetus. 
3) I would have sex BEFORE you put in the progesterone. It's kinda messy 
Not sure if it would affect him. 
4)The embryo should be healthy. Your feedback loop between hCG and progesterone is endangered. Sometimes cases like OTF's happen and fetal development does stop. My first pregnancy did that although my progesterone was fine in that case but the hCG continued to rise 
5) Since your body SHOULD be producing progesterone, I don't see how the herb could interfer with it. Remember you are simply adding to a hormone that your body should be producing. 
Good luck. I would advise maxi pads and changing them often. These can get very messy.... 
Klothos: I hope I explained this well, if not, PM me. I went through years of infertility so I learned way too much on the female reproductive cycle.

Heart.Revolution · May 21, 2004

Thank you all so much for your replys. 
Yes, my midwife is going to continue to check my hcg and progesterone levels, i go next thursday. i have an ultrasound on the 1st of june. its all about waiting...which is hard. i just cant get any earlier appointments. i got the progesterone right away and started to take it. 100mg twice a day for 6 weeks until i reach the end of the first trimester. 
my midwife thinks that i will be fine. she said that we caught it early enough, and the progesterone will help. i just wish i was tested before, since this is my 4th pregnancy, two other ended in very early miscarriage, and one molar pregnancy. so this is the 2nd furthest that i have made it so far!!! i hope that all goes well. i am trying to stay postive..june 1st needs to come faster. 
thanks again!

Aura_Kitten · May 22, 2004

you explained it well, thank you. 
is this a routine sort of thing...? is everyone tested for this? i know i had my hCG level tested to confirm pregnancy but that's it. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/headscratch.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="headscratch">

waiting4baby · May 22, 2004

I was lurking looking for progestrone questions and have a question of my own. 
I mc at about 5 1/2 weeks back in November, but my progestrone was not tested during the pregnancy. In fact, my health practitioner did not even mention me going in to get tested after the m/c began. She says the next time I become pregnant I should come in for HGC testing if I get "crampy" early in the pregnancy, but did not mention progesterone testing during pregnancy. Is progesterone something I should be tested for if I conceive this month? 
I have been tested twice for progesterone levels before I became pregnant in November (the results are at home). My pratitioner said low is "0" - what is truly low so I can compare when I get home?

Foobar · May 22, 2004

<a href="http://repro-med.net/papers/progestlrg.gif" target="_blank">link to progesterone chart</a> 
The above chart gives rough guidelines as to where the high,low and median progesterone levels are at different stages of pregnancy 
Klothos, only if you have a history of m/c or fertility treatments is progesterone tested for. 
Waiting4baby, If you're going in for an hCG test, you might as well go for progesterone too. It's just another vial of blood. 
HTH

Bunches · May 22, 2004

Wow!! Thanks for all of that information. It was really helpful to me as well. I appreciate it as my progesterone was 19 last week and I started immediately on suppositories. We will follow my levels and up the dose if necessary! Best wishes to everyone in need.

waiting4baby · May 22, 2004

O.K. - so I'm home and I checked my tests - my pracitioner finally printed them out and gave them to me. These are my test values at day 21 of my cycle July of last year (4 months before my m/c): 
FSH (I'm assuming this is progestrone) - 7 (lists 2 as low and 33 as high) 
LH (Lutenizing Hormone???) - 4.9 (lists 1 as low and 76 as high) 
Prolactin - 13 (lists 3 as low and 25 as high) 
My practitioner said these were normal. 
Any thoughts???? I'm 12 DPO.

Aura_Kitten · May 22, 2004

i *do* have a history of miscarriage... <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/headscratch.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="headscratch">

Bunches · May 22, 2004

FSH stands for follicular stimulating hormone. And, the progesterone test can just be added on to the Hcg test - they are both chemistry tests so they can be in the same tube! No extra blood needed!!!! 
My progesterone wasn't tested for my first pregnancy but since I miscarried, we did it this time. I'm sure glad we did!!!

fennelseed · May 26, 2004

i just got my prescription for a progesterone oral suppliment yesterday. i have had two miscarriages prior to this pregnancy. i am just about four and a half weeks now. everyone is talking about suppositories, but what about the oral capsule? is this at all affective? 
i've also been drinking infusions of wild yam root since i ovulated. my doctor said this was fine to take at the same time as the capsule. 
i have not had any blood tests though. my doctor didn't think i should have them. he is a family doctor and i am currently in search of a midwife. i'm not sure why he swerved me away from the blood tests as i thought it might be a good way to monitor the situation. . .

Foobar · May 26, 2004

Fennelseed, 
The order of most absoprtion of progesterone is: 
progesterone in oil injections (this are intramuscular...YUCKY) 
progesterone vaginal suppositories 
oral progesterone tablets 
The difference between the last two is very small, but for very low progesterone, docs perfer the suppositories.

shannon0218 · May 27, 2004

I've just been doing a TON of research and apparently absorbtion is slightly higher if used rectally. 
This is what I've started doing as the vaginal discharge was beyond ridiculous and was causing VERY bad irratation! 
So far so good using them rectally. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/fingersx.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="fingersx">:

LisainCalifornia · May 27, 2004

Hello, 
I just wanted to say I also had *very* low progesterone levels in my pregnancies---and also when I was trying to conceive. It was not uncommon for me to to have levels of 2 or 3. It took me 2 years to get pregnant with my first child--(I used Clomid to achieve that pregnancy) and am positive the only reason I was able to maintain it was the progesterone suppositories. Mine were made up from a compounding pharmacy in San Francisco. 
With my second pregnancy we headed this problem off at the pass and I took my Clomid (days 3-7), then after ovulation I started right in with the progesterone and I had a little bit higher levels. 
I feel like I got pregnant twice in my life by the skin of my teeth (and after so much heartache)--and I am so grateful for that. 
Good luck to you! I also read that using the suppositories rectally works well--I had no idea about that at that time. They are messy! Make sure you lay down as long as you can after putting it in. I found it gave me greasy hair too!

shannon0218 · May 27, 2004

Actually, that's why I like them rectally (well I don't LIKE them) but there seems to be no leakage!! I just have to make sure I've had a bm before putting it in, or it makes me poop it out <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/biglaugh.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="laugh">:

Foobar · May 27, 2004

Shannon- 
yes there is a slightly higher absorption rate for doing them rectal. I just couldn't do it that way! Funny, huh? <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/img/vbsmilies/smilies/rolleyes.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="rolleyes"> I was too embarressed to do that, so I actually forgot that it works slightly better than vaginally.

mama-mukti · May 27, 2004

Is anyone concerned at all about the effect of the progesterone supp on the developing fetus? I am 8 weeks pg and had low prog and was started on supp. BUT - I read the package insert and it said there has been some reports of birth defects AND the package also said that the usuage wasn't approved for trying to maintain a pregnancy - just preparing a uterus for implantation in fertility treatments. I am REALLY having doubts about using these now - anyone else feel this way?

low progesterone

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