Progesterone help!

[Sizzles]

Any ladies who have been prescribed progesterone in early pregnancy, can you please help.

I self-medicated utrogestan 200 (1 in the morning and 1 at night) as I have always felt my progesterone might be 'out' and I've had a borderline blood test result in the past. I had these left from 2 failed FETs in the Autumn. I have enough to last until the end of Friday, at 8+4, if I continue on the same dose. My questions are, how long have you been told to stay on it and on what dosage and have you been told to gradually reduce, or just stop at a given stage?

Thanks!

 

[dan-o]

For me it was Cyclogest pessaries x2 daily. Consultant said to just stop at 10w, but the miscarriage clinic says to wean at 12w down to one a day then stop.

To be honest though, I've stopped abruptly when discovering a MMC, twice, and I didn't even spot either time, so you may well be fine.

If you can't get any more maybe wean to one a day now to string it out a bit. Can they be halved?

Ps. Congrats!!

 

[Scout]

I was on 200mg prometrium 2x a day. My OB told me I could stop after 10 weeks when the placenta takes over. He said I could wean or stop; it was up to me. I actually stayed on them until 12 weeks and then weaned just bc I was scared to stop at 10 weeks.

 

[rockstarlove9]

Any ladies who have been prescribed progesterone in early pregnancy, can you please help.

I self-medicated utrogestan 200 (1 in the morning and 1 at night) as I have always felt my progesterone might be 'out' and I've had a borderline blood test result in the past. I had these left from 2 failed FETs in the Autumn. I have enough to last until the end of Friday, at 8+4, if I continue on the same dose. My questions are, how long have you been told to stay on it and on what dosage and have you been told to gradually reduce, or just stop at a given stage?

Thanks!

Congratulations first off, I was prescribed 50mg progesterone suppositories twice daily during the early stages of this pregnancy. My doctor said that it was completely safe to stop the progesterone at 10 weeks as that is when the placenta should take over progesterone production but I asked to continue until 12weeks just for peace of mind. I stopped cold turkey at 12 weeks 0 days and never had any withdrawal bleeding or problems after stopping but I think for higher doses they may have you ween down gradually from weeks ten to week twelve. Best of luck and have H&H 9 months.

 

[Calcifer]

I'm on Crinone 8% once a day, my OB told me to stop cold turkey at 8 weeks but the gynae at the early pregnancy unit said no way until 12 weeks... I think i'll be staying on it til 12 weeks to be sure.

If it helps, my OB was saying that for natural cycles stopping around 8 weeks is perfectly fine and that for IVF they stop at just past 9 weeks so you're likely ok.

If it were me, i think i'd go to GP, 'fess up that i'd self medicated and ask for a complementary prescription to 12 weeks. See what they say?

 

[Sizzles]

I'm on Crinone 8% once a day, my OB told me to stop cold turkey at 8 weeks but the gynae at the early pregnancy unit said no way until 12 weeks... I think i'll be staying on it til 12 weeks to be sure.

If it helps, my OB was saying that for natural cycles stopping around 8 weeks is perfectly fine and that for IVF they stop at just past 9 weeks so you're likely ok.

If it were me, i think i'd go to GP, 'fess up that i'd self medicated and ask for a complementary prescription to 12 weeks. See what they say?

Thanks Calcifer. I actually told my GP when I called to tell them about the pregnancy (I only called really to tell them that I'd upped my thyroxine dose as is customary, so for their records really). She didn't comment either way but was really keen because of this and the thyroid, for me to register with the midwives asap. I did, and as I suspected, they weren't particularly interested. However, I have my booking in appointment tomorrow, so I'll ask them and see if I get anywhere. I have a feeling my GP won't want to prescribe me any unless pushed to do so, so I'll try to stress my anxiety in relation to this in the hope that the midwife can do something.

Dan-o - unfortunately, I have gel pessaries, so they can't be halved. I think what I might do (subject to what the midwife says tomorrow) is attempt to stretch out the doses from every 12 hours to maybe 15+ for the remainder, so as not to go 24 hours without... until I run out!

Thanks for all your responses. That was very useful.

 

[Nita2806]

I was prescribed Utrogestan 200mg (one at night and one in the morning) I was given this when I was 8+2 and I was told to take it for 30 days from then and then I can stop. I will be 12+5 when I stop and my OB never mentioned to wean of them, but to take it until 12 weeks.

 

[Sizzles]

Urgh! Well I saw the midwife today, who has done nothing to reassure me. Basically she told me that I really shouldn't be taking them as it wasn't necessary (in a natural pregnancy the corpus luteum produces all the progesterone needed... blah blah blah...). She said the placenta takes over at 12 weeks, and obviously you haven't got enough to last until then, so 'we don't know what will happen'. She said she couldn't prescribe them (which I knew) and the only way to get any would be through my GP, so I guess I'll call them in the morning.

 

[Nita2806]

I am taking it because I comceived on Clomid, my OB said I dont really need them but as a precaution she gives them to all her patients who conceive on Clomid.

 

[dan-o]

Can you get them privately? There are legit online U.K. GP's and pharmacies that may be able to help if no joy at gp. I would blag it and say you thought you were supposed to take it for any pregnancy, so got started assuming your get a repeat. I get cyclogest for every pregnancy, but GP's can be funny about it as it's expensive xx

 

[forevermore16]

My progesterone at 4 weeks started at 7. They put me on 200 MG suppositories once a day at bedtime. At my 8 week ultrasound, they said everything looked good and I could stop them or use them until I ran out. My progesterone was a 12 at 8 weeks and that is the last time they checked it. I am now 17 weeks so depending on what your level is, just because it's under 20, or whatever it is now that they like to see, it doesn't necessarily mean anything. I've had no spotting or signs of a threatened miscarriage. I've had 6 ultrasounds thus far (RE did weeklies until 8 weeks and then I had a scan at 12 weeks and 15 weeks) and baby is fine thus far.

 

[Calcifer]

Urgh! Well I saw the midwife today, who has done nothing to reassure me. Basically she told me that I really shouldn't be taking them as it wasn't necessary (in a natural pregnancy the corpus luteum produces all the progesterone needed... blah blah blah...). She said the placenta takes over at 12 weeks, and obviously you haven't got enough to last until then, so 'we don't know what will happen'. She said she couldn't prescribe them (which I knew) and the only way to get any would be through my GP, so I guess I'll call them in the morning.

Ugh she sounds a bit snobby. If it reassures you, my fertility OB told me I likely didn't need it, that I can take it as a precaution, that it's impossible to overdose on progesterone as the body will just take what's needed so your'e definitely not doing any harm. My GP confirmed that if i didn't need it, my body wouldn't use the extra. So don't worry about that side of things. And get a new prescription, perhaps lie and say you assumed you were a repeat. To be honest if i was on it for one pregnancy i sure as hell would expect to be on it for the next...

 

[wookie130]

I was on progesterone suppositories for my first two rainbow babies. My progesterone levels were actually normal prior to this current pregnancy, but once I realized I was pregnant, I demanded the suppositories right away. I just got all high falootin' over it, and didn't take no for an answer. Look, there is no harm done to having them, and besides, the cost is on you. If you get demanding enough, I'd think you could get some more.

 

[Sizzles]

Thanks for the recent contributions.

Well, I've sort of decided and sort of had it decided for me to stick with what I've got and run out on Sunday, in time for 9 weeks on Monday.
I called my GP today for a duty doctor call back, but unfortunately was then at my sister's all day in a dead spot for mobile reception, so didn't speak to anyone. Now it's the Easter weekend so the surgery will be closed until Tuesday, and my husband also pointed out that it might not even be something the pharmacy holds in stock, which would mean waiting even longer. The wait also applies to if I were to be able to get it privately. I wouldn't be able to use the 'repeat' excuse, as my original prescription came through the fertility clinic's drug company, rather than my GP.

I've read some reassuring comments on here though, so I'm going 15-18 hours between doses for these last half dozen. I have 4 left, which will be finished on Sunday. Then I just have to assume that at 9 weeks, my body knows what it's doing and this little one sticks around.

Thanks everyone! It's so great being able to put a question out there to people who have experienced it first hand.