Did Missed Progesterone Dose Cause My Miscarriage? (Long)

[lizgwu]

I feel like I should give some Background as this is my first post:

Been trying to conceive for over a year. Had multiple tests and could find no issues on why I couldn't get pregnant. All of my hormonone levels including progesterone were normal. They put me on 9 cycles of Clomid and for the last few cycles they put me on progesterone anyway (just to be on the safe side they said).

I did IUI for 3 cycles without luck. Did one at the beginning of May and then got my period. About 5 days later I called the clinic about starting IVF and went to have bloodwork and they said I was ovulating again. (This quick cycle has never happened to me before. My periods before Clomid were usually 31-33 days and now are 28 days apart.) 12-14 days later got my period.

They monitored my levels after this strange cycle but all was normal and we were going to do IVF mid-June. However, I ended up having a job interview out of state at ovulation time and also then was on vacation for 2 weeks. We used an Ovidrel shot and just tried naturally to conceive since IUI wasn't possible that month. We never thought it would work as the past 14 cyles hadn't. Well, it did, and I came back from vacation to find out I was pregnant. However, I just lost the baby at a little over 8 weeks yesterday.

Issue: As I was on vacation and didn't have low progesterone before and did not think I would get pregnant I did not take any progesterone for the first 2 weeks. My first u/s at 5 wks the length was correct but my progesterone levels were low (8 or so) and they put me on progesterone supplements. I took it almost religiously. (Also I was told to go on bedrest with no intercourse or exercise at this stage.) Then, last Thursday at week 8 I went for more bloodwork and an u/s. My progesterone was 19 but they said that the baby was measuring only 6w2d old and the hearbeat was low at 88. They said to prepare for the worst but hope for the best.

I took the progesterone Thursday night but then on Friday, for the first time since starting it, I missed a dose. I took it again on Sat. and again on Sunday but Sunday night I had bleeding and went in on Monday and was told the baby had no heartbeat. I miscarried naturally yesterday.

I am trying to find answers and feel like it is my fault because I missed the one dose of progesterone. Could this dose have caused me to lose my baby??? My levels on Thurs. were good so I don't think the dr. believes one missed dose caused this as there were obviously other issues, but, I can't help but feel that maybe it died or I hastened its death by missing that dose. That maybe against the odds, it could have survived it I had not screwed up. I am so wracked with guilt.

 

[HappyAuntie]

Oh honey, I am so sorry. Please please please know that you did absolutely nothing to cause your loss.

I promise you that missing one dose of progesterone did not kill your baby.

The fact is, in women with otherwise normal progesterone levels, no one is absolutely sure of the relationship between low progesterone and miscarriage. Studies have shown a link between the two, but no study has been able to show which causes which... they don't know if low progesterone causes mc, or if the progesterone was low because the pregnancy was (for lack of a better word, forgive the insensitivity) doomed from the start for chromosomal reasons... if it's the latter, then taking progesterone supplements only delays the inevitable.

Your baby was obviously in trouble on Thursday, too small and too weak, before that missed dose. It is NOT your fault, in any way. There is absolutely nothing that you did to cause it, and there is absolutely nothing you could have done to prevent it. Your feelings of guilt are completely normal; we've all had them in some form or another, at some time or another. In the absence of any answers or any information, our brains come up with all sorts of crazy things, desperate to find a reason... we all so desperately want to know why this happened to us... I know exactly how you feel. All of us in here do.

 

[Smiler13]

Sorry for your loss - I agree with HappyAuntie.

The progesterone can help with some things that can cause miscarriage, but not others (e.g. chromosomal abnormalities). I have had four m/c - with / without progesterone etc. and beaten myself up about all kinds of stuff, looking for reasons, but it is not anything you did / didn't do! Please don't blame yourself.

 

[lizgwu]

HappyAuntie - Thank You so much for the support!!

I have just been devastated by this loss and having a lot of Catholic guilt over what I could have done different. Today I've been really trying to think of this as God's natural eraser for a child that would not have been healthy. Your words really brought me comfort and I appreciate it.

I also did go to the Dr. yesterday and have them take a sample for analysis. I hope I am able to find some answers in that. Additionally, I did ask about missing the progesterone dose - they said that the progesterone would not keep the baby alive, that it helps the lining and the baby stay attached but the fact that the baby had no heartbeat on Monday was not caused by missing the progesterone. Not sure if it is 100% correct but it did give me some solace.