# Miscarriage and low prgesterone



## Lizzo (Jul 26, 2005)

I found out yesterday that our baby, at 8 weeks, had no heartbeat. I had gotten blood drawn b/c I woke up with bleeding and they never called when they said they would with results, so I went to the ER to either get my results or get a u/s.
Today, they called with my results saying that by just looking at my HCG, everyhting looked fine, but my progesterone was at a 5 and they ldon't like to see anything below a 10 and after the numbers were evaluated by a doc, she said it was doomed from the beginning.
So I am wondering what causes low progesterone? I am breastfeeing a 15 month old who nurses a lot. But I had such an easy, healthy pregnancy with him. Why is my progesterone low? And we want to TTC soon- so will I have to get porgesterone shots to maintain a healthy pregnancy?


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## bamamom (Dec 9, 2004)

I lost 3 babies , before we figured out that "I didnt have any progesterone.

I have a dear friedn with 10 kids, and she also has had many m/c. She told me to go buy natural progesterone cream at the herb store...the purest stuff you can find. I paid roughly 25 bucks a jar,

count out your cycle....Day 1 is when your period starts. When you get to day 14, start using the cream twice a day. about 1/2 tsp , rub it in.

Do it until your period starts. Stop . count to day 14, repeat.

It took me 5 cycles both times to get pregnant, and when I was only EIGHT days pregnant, my progesterone was AWESOME! Apparently I never made any...My body could get pregnant, but never could stay pregnant

Please feel free to email me through MDC if you want to talk about this...i'lll even give you the name of hte cream I used.


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## NocturnalDaze (Jul 3, 2002)

I'm so sorry that you are going through this.









I checked this out a little online after my m/c. It seems they used to believe that low progesterone caused the m/c. Now they believe that progesterone is low because the pregnancy was not viable in the first place.


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## bamamom (Dec 9, 2004)

Here it is...The cream I used for both my healthy babies! After being told we would never have kids....

http://www.godswaynutrition.com/prod...ronecream.html


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## Lizzo (Jul 26, 2005)

Thanks mama! That helps. I guess maybe my prosgesterone is low b/c of the m/c? It's hard to say. I have so many questions to ask. If it's between cream and shots- I'll take the cream. Having to get progesterone just puzzles me b/c I had such a helahty pregnancy with DS, I got pregnant with him two years ago. And we're young- really young...so it can't be age.
My cycles have yet to really get on track since AF returned in December at 9 mon PP...
I just feel really consufsed. And sad.


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## MCatLvrMom2A&X (Nov 18, 2004)

A note here to say that not every woman will ovulate on day 14 so starting the progesterone then can in fact cause you to not ovulate at all. So I highly recommend start temp charting to see when you normall ovulate and go from there. If you cant or dont want to chart then using opk would be second best. You can also try going from how long your normal cycle is but even if you have a 28 day cycle on the dot dosnt mean that you are ovulating on day 14 since the Luteal Phase (the time between ovulation and your next period) can be anywere from 12-16 days. That is were charting comes in really handy. For me my cycles were anywere from 28-36 days with ovulation happening anywere from day 15-18 of my cycle.

That is why that little pg wheel the dr use to figure the edd can be off so bad. Because it assumes that every woman ovulates on day 14 of her cycle







:

Some woman can and do m/c because of low progesterone and if that is the case then using progest in one form or another can and does prevent the loss of a perfectly healthy pg. on the other hand if there is something wrong with the baby then it will usually m/c even if the progest is at normal levels. Some woman especially those with PCOS have trouble with low progesterone that can be fixed with replacment hormone. http://www.intimate-balance.com/1miscarriage.html

Quote:

Dr. Katharina Dalton is one of the many scientists and doctors who have discovered that progesterone in the natural form protects the fetus from miscarriage.

after conception progesterone prevents miscarriages
Fertility and Miscarriage
http://www.womenshealth.com/Progeste...roduction.html

Quote:

Because of the important role of progesterone in pregnancy, it is associated with both fertility and miscarriage. Supplements of natural progesterone are sometimes prescribed as a fertility treatment. These are generally prescribed in the form of a cream that is rubbed into the abdomen and thighs or as a vaginal suppository or injection.

The chief cause of early loss of pregnancy is now thought to be luteal phase failure, where ovarian production of progesterone fails to increase sufficiently during the first several weeks after fertilization. When a woman has experienced several early miscarriages and luteal phase failure is suspected, natural progesterone supplementation may be prescribed. A health care provider can easily monitor a woman's progesterone levels with saliva hormone assays.

With my second pg at 25 dpo I decided to have my hcg checked and progesterone at the same time. I wasnt having any problems with the pg only cramping and my hcg came back super at 4,329 but my progesterone was only 8.9 so I went on progesterone pills. They are safe to use when pg and it was better safe than sorry. I think the pg would have been fine without it but I wasnt about to risk it after the research i had done. Also my pg chart showed there might be a progesterone problem because the temps were lower on avg than they were with my first pg.


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## Lizzo (Jul 26, 2005)

Thank you!
COuld the progesterone be due to breastfeeding? Or just be that th ebaby wasn't going to make it? Is it possible to develope a progesterone problem after one extremely healthy, successfull pregnancy- and at a young age?


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## mommy2julia (Mar 15, 2005)

double post


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## mommy2julia (Mar 15, 2005)

I hope you find all the answers liz, I'm thinking of you!


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## numom499 (Jun 12, 2005)

OP : The breastfeeding does not affect your progesteerone levels...

Also, I had a smililiar situation...I Had a healthy baby at 24, then had 2 miscarriages at 26 and 27...then started progesterone suppositories with baby #4 (AFTER a confirmed + - a pp poster is right - too much progesterone can cause you NOT to ovulate). Please consider geetin g a prescription from your doctor for vaginial supositories - fwiw, I don't know of anyone who gets the shots, I know of people who have used suppositories, taken a supplement orally and used the cream - all have worked, but they all need to be taken differently.

Also, the only reason to stop breastfeeding during pregnancy (other than mothers discomfort, etc) is because of preterm labor, and if thats the case - then, no sex either. A doc who tells you no nursing, but sex is okay - does not know what he's talking about. Good luck, and also feel free to pm if you need/ want to talk.

I'm sorry for the loss of your baby.


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## umami_mommy (May 2, 2004)

so sorry for you loss mama.









prolactin (the breastfeeding hormone) can suppress progesterone production.

anyway, i just has a miscarriage in feb. and discovered i have a luteal phase defect, (short luteal phase). which usually meand your corpus luteum (what's left of the follicle after you ovulate) isn't making enough progesterone.

i am now pregnant again and have been using progesterone since 2 days after i ovulated. so far so good, thugh i'm not out of the danger zone.

i have also been taking vitex and B6.

before you start taking progesterone, check to see how long your luteal phase is. the time from when you ovulate to the day you get your period. anything less than 12 days is considered short. you will need to temp to know when you ovulate.

PM me if you want any more specific info.


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## party_of_seven (May 10, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Lizzo*
Thank you!
COuld the progesterone be due to breastfeeding? Or just be that th ebaby wasn't going to make it? Is it possible to develope a progesterone problem after one extremely healthy, successfull pregnancy- and at a young age?

Yes, its possible. I have 4 perfectly healthy children ages 3,5,6, and 8. I have recently had 1 mc, and I'm waiting on the second mc to start any minute now. I believe that both of these were due to low progesterone because of my history of short luteal phases for the last year(due to excessive excersise). The good news is that it is a fairly easy problem to treat. Most doctors will prescribe a vaginal suppository to help boost prog. levels. Get things checked out before you try again...save yourself the pain of another loss.


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## Naughty Dingo (May 23, 2004)

I have had two early miscarriages as well, which I think were due to low progesterone (didn't have my levels tested). When I am nursing, my luteal phases are on the short side usually 9-10 days. With my current pregnancy, I had my progesterone levels tested very early on and went on progesterone suppositories. I have been told that for a true progesterone deficiency, the cream is not sufficient to bring the levels up to where they need to be. I got the suppositories by rx from my midwife. At 12 weeks of pregnancy I weaned off the supplementation as that is when the placenta has taken over that function of maintaining the pregnancy.

ND


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## Lizzo (Jul 26, 2005)

Is 8 weeks an early m/c?


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## JJ & J (Mar 16, 2006)

I was hoping to get some feedback from other women with similar experiences or relevant knowledge. I am nursing my first who is 9+ mos, and a blood test confirmed an early pregnancy. It also showed low progesterone levels (I believe 9ng), so they prescribed an oral progesterone. I am concerned with everything I've read about potential miscarriages with low levels, but I am likewise concerned about my baby that's nursing. Does anyone have any knowledge of the safety of taking synthetic hormones both for my nursing son and unborn child? any suggestions?

any help or advice is appreciated


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## umami_mommy (May 2, 2004)

i read that like 95% of oral progesterone is destroyed by the liver and so it never makes it to where it needs to go. (the baby)

that's why cream or suppositories (internal cream) are best utilized by the body.

if i was nursing i would for sure use the cream so it ended up where it needed to eb and not in my milk.

this i what dr. hale says in "mediciations and mother's milk:"

"virtually unabsorbed orally"

this is about "intravaginal" progesterone:

"compositional changes do not appear to be major"

"effect on the nursing infant is generally unknown, but it is believed minimal to none as progesterone is poorly bioavailable to the infant via milk."

page, 597, tenth edition.


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## leavemealone (Feb 16, 2005)

Just me experience: I became pregnant in Oct but, while my HCG levels were good, my progesterone came back as 6.5. I was offered progesterone supplements, but, for many reasons, I opted not to take them. I miscarried that pregnancy in Dec at about 12 weeks but baby measured at about 7 weeks. Fast forward to Mar when I became pregnant again. Again, my HCG levels were good, but pregesterone was the same 6.5 again. I again opted to not take supplements but I'm now about 21 weeks pregnant and everything looks good so far.

I had a quick u/s at about 8 weeks that clearly showed a heartbeat of about 159. I asked my MW if I should be taking the progesterone supplements, but her opinion was that if I'd made it that far, the supplments wouldn't have made a difference. If the pregnancy was going to succeed, it would without the supplements, but if I was going to m/c again, I would even if I took the supplements. She offered me the supplements saying that if it would ease my mind, she would prescribe them but again, for many reasons, I opted not to take them.

My MW said that while it's her experience that low progesterone is caused by a pregnancy that it not developing correctly, there are instances where women do have succesful pregnancies despite having low progesterone. I don't really know what caused mine to come out so low. I know it wasn't BF in my case but I don't know my luteal phase length. I had started to chart after my m/c in Dec but got pregnant again the first time I ovulated in Feb so I never got a chance to measure it.


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## umami_mommy (May 2, 2004)

just being nosy here, wondering why if you tested you didn't use the progesterone?

i have certainly read both schools of thought online... one that says that a non-viable pregnancy produces low progesterone and one that says that supplemental progesterone can help a woman with a short luteal phase continue a pregnancy. both are anecdotal, so who knows, maybe both are right.


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## beach mom (Apr 19, 2007)

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I just had another miscarriage, this time at 2 1/2 months. Sadly, this was my third. I did however have a healthy/successful pregnancy between these miscarriages. I was given progesterone on the third month of that pregnancy (for 2 weeks) I guess it worked?

Most recently, I was given progesterone sapository's (sp?) at eight weeks because my blood test said my levels were low, they were 16(?). My doctor said that was low and suggested the progesterone immediatley. I took 100 mg for 10 days, by the 10th day, I thought I was going to die. My heart was racing, I had awful anxiety and headaches. I was only able to sleep for 2 to 4 hours a night and I would wake up feeling like I might have a heart attack. I felt awful. Anyway, long story short. I either had a reaction to the hormones, or was taking too high a dose. No one seems to know. Of course I was concerned that if that was how I felt, what was happening to the fetus I was carrying?

Since I couldn't get a straight answer from my stand-in doctor, I stopped taking them on the advice of the pharmacist.

Sadly, a few days later I started cramping and was told by my doctor to take 50mg every 4 hours and have bed rest. I went for an ultrasound the following day. There was no heart beat. I'm convinced the bad reaction I felt overwelmed the fetus too.

All in all, I'm not sure why this happened this time and not the last. I did go to 2 differant pharmacy's, one used a Yam's to make the progesterone the other Soy Beans.

I'm going to a hormone specialist next week to be prepared for the next pregnancy. I'll let you all know if I learn anything new.

beach mom


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