Anyone else taking progesterone suppositories?

[MissMarpleFan]

I know they will not prevent a miscarriage that is meant to be, because I have taken them before on prior pregnancies.

This pregnancy is the furthest I’ve ever gotten, so I am nervous that my doctor said to stop the suppositories next Thursday (10 weeks, 2 days) without doing any blood work. I have googled, and apparently many doctors think they are not necessary after week 10 as your placenta should have taken over, while other doctors recommend they be used longer.

I plan to call the nurse tomorrow and tell her about my anxiety at stopping so early, but I was curious if there is anybody else reading this board in a similar position.

I have enough of them already to go another 2-3 weeks, plus 5 refills available. They were prescribed by the specialist doctor who “graduated” me to the ob/gyn. I’m going to call them first, actually.

 

[dairymomma]

Not sure if you decided to stop the supplements or not but here's my usual progesterone protocol.

I take it because my progesterone levels don't rise normally and stay very low even with supplementation. I start it at bfp and I take it til 12-13 weeks and gradually wean off of it over the next week or so. But I'm on the oral form (prometrium) and I am on a very high dose usually so I just feel more comfortable weaning off like that. My doctor is okay with this but he has said I don't need to take it after 12 weeks if I don't want to. But each doctor is different. I know some doctors say the placenta takes over as early as 9 weeks while some women are on it til 14 weeks. I'd say it's up to you. If you have enough to get you to 12 weeks and you want to take it til then for peace of mind, by all means, go for it.

In my view, anything that helps ease the worries and fears a pg mom has when she's experienced losses is worth it.

 

[MissMarpleFan]

Thanks so much for your input, dairymomma, it is much appreciated.

I am still taking them, I was thinking of stopping when I reach week 11 on Tuesday.

I did call my first doctor's office and they said they believe the progesterone is only necessary until week 7, so they tell people to take it till week 8.

I will be in the current doctor's office tomorrow for some bloodwork, so I will talk to the nurse about it.

It kind of bothers me that they just decide you don't need it without any sort of blood test afterwards to make sure your levels aren't dropping. You are right, we need all of the peace of mind we can get!

 

[dairymomma]

I know, right? That's why I like my doctor-he's pretty chill about the progesterone and even though he says I probably don't need it after 11-12 weeks, I can take it as long as I feel comfortable taking it. With a history like mine (12 miscarriages, 14 angels, complicated rainbow pregnancies due to a genetic condition, NICU babies), anything that helps keep me sane during pg is a godsend.

You do what YOU need to do to help you feel confident because pregnancy after miscarriage is hard enough as it is.

 

[MissMarpleFan]

Wow, you have been through so much. You are one strong lady!

This is my 6th attempt and the best pregnancy I’ve had - happy, chatty ultrasound techs from the very beginning, no spotting, baby still alive past 7 weeks. (Is there anything worse than the dead silence of an ultrasound tech that doesn’t want to tell you bad news?)

I am going to take my last dose of progesterone tonight, I will be 11 weeks tomorrow. The nurse insisted that I do not need it. If I see so much as a spot, I’ll be starting back up again. Either way, I am going to be very nervous leading up to my 12 week scan 7/20.

Thanks again for your support.

 

[dairymomma]

Sending you lots of love and peace/calming thoughts then. And as I said before, you do what YOU need to do. I've been there so many times...I know what it's like.

 

[MissMarpleFan]

Sending you lots of love and peace/calming thoughts then. And as I said before, you do what YOU need to do. I've been there so many times...I know what it's like.

I stopped them on Sunday, and I've had tiny little spots in my panty-liners the last 2 days. They're light brown I guess, probably nothing.

I've decided to go back to 1 progesterone per day at least until Monday when I can call the doctor. I was on 2 progesterones a day, but they were totally making me constipated. (sorry, TMI!)

 

[dairymomma]

It could actually have been from the progesterone-ironically enough. Progesterone, especially supplements in a form that is placed near the cervix (pessiary or suppository forms), can cause irritation to the cervix so it's not uncommon to see spotting or even bleeding when supplementing. Even if you've stopped it, it could potentially be a side effect because it will take a little while for it to fully dissipate from your system.

But as long as it's brown, it's old blood. Do you have a scan scheduled to check on things? If you are seeing spotting, you may be able to get a quick peek ultrasound for reassurance at the very least.

 

[MissMarpleFan]

It could actually have been from the progesterone-ironically enough. Progesterone, especially supplements in a form that is placed near the cervix (pessiary or suppository forms), can cause irritation to the cervix so it's not uncommon to see spotting or even bleeding when supplementing. Even if you've stopped it, it could potentially be a side effect because it will take a little while for it to fully dissipate from your system.

But as long as it's brown, it's old blood. Do you have a scan scheduled to check on things? If you are seeing spotting, you may be able to get a quick peek ultrasound for reassurance at the very least.

Hi Dairymomma, thanks for checking on me!

I called this morning and I had a scan this afternoon.

The great news is baby is doing very well and measures perfectly normal at 11weeks, 6 days!

I have placenta previa right now which could be the cause of the pinkish discharge. She said she didn't see any bleeds. I'm going to "try" not to worry about that as the ultrasound technician said she sees it in about 70% of pregnancies at this stage and it will probably move up on its own. I haven't heard from the doctor yet, I guess the nurse will call me tomorrow as it's almost 5 now.

Here's baby:

 

[dairymomma]

Placenta previa can cause spotting and if it doesn't move, it can make your pregnancy high risk. However, in most cases I believe it can/does move up as your uterus expands. I know my husband's aunt has had placenta previa with at least 2 of her pregnancies and in both cases, it moved enough that the dr wasn't concerned.

I would bet you'll have a few extra ultrasounds to monitor things but at this stage, it's got plenty of time to move.

But I know when I've had a cause for my bleeding/spotting, it's a huge relief so it must feel good knowing there's a reason. And awesome pic! Baby is looking good and I'm glad it was happy news at your ultrasound.

 

[dlm00726]

Sending you lots of love and peace/calming thoughts then. And as I said before, you do what YOU need to do. I've been there so many times...I know what it's like.

I stopped them on Sunday, and I've had tiny little spots in my panty-liners the last 2 days. They're light brown I guess, probably nothing.

I've decided to go back to 1 progesterone per day at least until Monday when I can call the doctor. I was on 2 progesterones a day, but they were totally making me constipated. (sorry, TMI!)

What dosage were you on? im taking 100mg suppository in the evening and im already worrying about stopping them

 

[MissMarpleFan]

What dosage were you on? im taking 100mg suppository in the evening and im already worrying about stopping them

When did your doctor tell you to stop?

I was put on 200 mg twice a day! From the reading I've done and the lack of blood tests, I think my doctor was being very conservative with me, just in case.

I did stop taking them all together after that last scan I had. My boobs didn't get less tender, but the gut problems went away.

 

[dlm00726]

we haven't talked about stopping yet i'm only 5 weeks. I feel like I dont need them though because my progesterone is SO high (137 last draw). I have an appointment/ultrasound 8/15

 

[dairymomma]

Sending you lots of love and peace/calming thoughts then. And as I said before, you do what YOU need to do. I've been there so many times...I know what it's like.

I stopped them on Sunday, and I've had tiny little spots in my panty-liners the last 2 days. They're light brown I guess, probably nothing.

I've decided to go back to 1 progesterone per day at least until Monday when I can call the doctor. I was on 2 progesterones a day, but they were totally making me constipated. (sorry, TMI!)

What dosage were you on? im taking 100mg suppository in the evening and im already worrying about stopping them

I took 100 mg 2x/day along with a baby aspirin for my DS1 and DD1.
With DD2, we upped the dosage to 200mg 2x/day and I took a daily baby aspirin as well.
With DS2, I took 200mg 2x/day, two baby aspirin, and a high dose folate supplement.

We changed my dosage because I was spotting earlier and earlier with each pregnancy and we hoped the increased dose would help stop that but it didn't really seem to help. However, upping my baby aspirin dosage and adding the folate supplement did help.