Protocol: HCG trigger + Progesterone -- anyone?

[AshleyTTC]

I am going on for my 2nd IUI... My progesterone, at 8dpo (which was 9 days post 250 mcg Ovidrel HCG trigger), was a measly 0.3 ng/mL, so I was put on progesterone suppositories, at 50 mg twice a day. At 11 dpo my progesterone was 7.7, which is a good start. Plan on doing IUI at 36hrs post trigger this time instead of 24...

Doesn't look like I succeeded this cycle, going to stop progesterone sometime soon. Next cycle it is recommended that I do a 500 mcg Ovidrel trigger shot, and then start progesterone at 100 mg twice a day two days later. Use of a second Ovidrel at 250 mcg 7 days later is also being discussed.

Has anyone had a similar protocol? If so, how exactly was it done? If you have/had a similar progesterone problem, and a different protocol was used, what was it?

 

[PCOSMomToTwo]

I don't have any real answers to your questions because my doctor does not monitor my progesterone levels. He just has always prescribed progesterone and I start using it 1 day after my IUI.

My RE prefers to prescribe progesterone cream that is used vaginally with an applicator. I use 1gram of cream. I have had a total of 4 IUI's in my lifetime, 2 IUI's yeilded pregnancy.

1st successful pregnancy I used the progesterone cream till I was 12 weeks pregnant.

2nd I miscarried BUT stayed on progesterone cream until my HCG levels started to drop. I didn't lose the baby until I stopped the cream.

Anyhow, do they monitor your uterine lining?? That seems to be most important to my doctor ... first they check follicles then lining.

 

[AshleyTTC]

PCOSMomToOne -- Thank you for your response. I think my progesterone level was checked because the cause of my being anovulatory was unknown. I would menstruate extremely unregularly and even when I would menstruate I wouldn't necessarily ovulate. I'm 27, soon to turn 28...

But I am not sure whether what my lining was. I will ask. I am not going to an RE... yet.... as I was considered fairly simple. I am looking into scheduling appointments with an RE nearby, lucky enough to have a huge center down the road from where I work, but going to do at least 1 (while I wait to schedule, if nothing else) and considering doing maybe 2-3 more cycles this way before I go that route, at least if it sounds as if things are being done right. Not sure though... Thus my interest in whether this protocol sounds right.

I'll tell you though, I'm turning into a POAS, LOL... even though I know, as much as anyone can ever know, that this attempt failed, I still keep ing and seeing ... Its 14dpo now though, so think I'm going to throw in the towel with the progesterone vaginal suppositories like my doctor recommended, and start all over.

 

[PCOSMomToTwo]

I, too was a "test-aholic" ... My first BFP came at 12DPO but it was pretty fain (with my daughter and my M/C).

With that being said, I will not let myself test before 12DPO ever again. I hope!

Keeping that in mind, I do have 17 pregnancy tests in my bathroom. EEek! The temptation will kill me but I will manage it! I am just gonna keep it in my mind that only a blood test is the "for sure" pregnancy confirmation. My RE always does them 14DP-IUI.

Good luck with you IUI's ... I hope you don't have to move to an RE and just get pregnant next month

(I, too do not ovulate on my own ... therefore require LOADS of drugs) argh.

 

[AshleyTTC]

That is a really good idea.... before 12 DPO its just a series of DOH it is negative... DOH it is negative... but MAYBE..... So, I think I'll do that next-time. Though I just did buy 50 of the 10 mcg tests from early pregnancy dot com.... and was silly enough to take a sample or urine yesterday and let it "evaporate" all day thinking maybe if it was at a 20 and I let it dehydrate down to half its strength, it would test positive and show me I was just below the cut-off. Talk about wishful thinking!

Anyhoo, did another test this morning, def. a negative. So now just waiting for AF to arrive. But I am def. ready for the next cycle. And I hope you are right, that I can nail it this next time and avoid going to an RE, especially as my insurance has NO coverage in my situation!

 

[PCOSMomToTwo]

We tried going to my regular OBGYN in January, but she will only do pills, HCG trigger and ultrasounds. She will not perform IUI's. The good news is that she is covered with my insurance, the bad news is I can not get pregnant that way. I require injections and IUI, therefore had to move onto an RE which zero is covered by insurance. I hate shoveling out $1500-$2000 a month but we do what we gotta do

About the prego tests, ya, I order mine through the early-pregancy-test dot com place too. Then I look for coupon codes on the internet and always get another 10% off. Because I am so much like you, I will test then leave them sit for days and days. I will take them outside to look at them, I have even put them under a black light It ridiculous what I would do to convince myself there is a line