Progesterone and Early-Term Miscarriage

[cfbell]

I've miscarried twice, one at 7 weeks, the other a 5 weeks, and am curious to learn more about how my progesterone levels may be affecting my ability to have a successful full-term pregnancy. My doctors say everything about my reproductive health is, well...perfectly healthy: I'm young, I have regular cycles, I'm not overweight, I'm active. So, since DH and I will probably try again in a few months I'm wondering if I should have my progesterone levels checked as soon as I find out we are pregnant (we don't seem to have any trouble getting pregnant). Has anybody else out there had this done for a similar situation? And if so, what was the outcome?

[jen12]

I had my 2nd early miscarriage exactly 5 years after the 1st. I had a live birth in-between with the help of clomed, in which my daughter was 4 weeks early. I did some research and found out that a cause could be my progesterone level. Have a serious talk with your Doctor. Do some research (I started w/ Parenting, Webmd, and Wikipedia and then followed the links from there and go into the office understanding that it isn't a for sure thing. I talked to two different doctors that each had a different point of view. The first informed me that it is not proven and she doesn't suggest prescribing it because it would give false hope. The 2nd doctor agreed with the first that there were no guarantees that prescribing Progesterone would help BUT that prescribing Progesterone would not hurt anything. To me, it was worth a try to make sure that I was doing everything within my power to make this pregnancy thrive. It may or may not have worked, but I am currently 29 and a half weeks pregnant. Another thing that helped me through the later part of the 1st trimester since I developed some bleeding, was to rent a fetal monitor. It kept my nerves under control.

[annasmom150]

I've had a total of 6 miscarriages so far- and 1 successful birth. I can obviously get pregnant but can't seem to make it past 6-7 weeks. With the preganancy just before my daughter, my OB gave me a Rx of progesterone (my levels were on the low end of normal so they thought "why not") I miscarried only a few days later though. When I got my + pregnancy test for my daughter- without even calling the OB, I started taking the progesterone again. I have no idea what my levels were and when I went in for my initial appt. they "scolded" me for self-medicating but instructed me to continue taking the meds. I have no idea if this is why my daughter was able to make it or not.
So here we are, 3 years later and we've been trying to conceive for 1 1/2 of those years. I finally went and saw a fertility specialist ( I am now almost 35) and the first thing they did was write me an Rx for progesterone. They told me to fill the Rx and just keep it on hand and the minute I get a + pregnancy test I was to start taking the progesterone. I asked them about taking it when we don't have any confirmation that I have a low level. They explained that even if my levels were normal, taking a progesterone supplement wouldn't hurt.
It seems to me that each doctor will have their own theory- so start by asking them how they feel about taking it - without testing your levels- when you find out you're pregnant. If it's something you feel strongly about and they disagree, I don't think you would be out of line getting a second opinion. Good Luck!!