Questions: Low Progesterone, Clomid, etc.

[jmc111]

Hello all! Ok, so i'm really down in the dumps today after talking with my doctor and I have a few questions that I couldn't ask him since he called when I was at work and didn't want people to overhear...

So the story is that I have long irregular cycles (anywhere from 34-more recently 40ish) and last cycle I got a positive OPK indicating that i O'd on CD30 of my 40 day cycle which ended Tuesday so now i'm on new cycle day 2. But anywho...I got my progesterone checked 9 days after the positive OPK as the Dr instructed and he called today and said that it was only 2.4 which is too low so he said he thinks I didn't ovulate. So now im due to start Clomid tomorrow to help me ovulate....So my question is...by him saying I "didn't ovulate" then does that mean that I didnt even produce and egg? It was produced but was not released? Or that something is blocking it from being released? Or are they all posibilities?

His plan is to try three rounds of clomid increasing dosage each time if the first round doesnt work....Isn't there a way to cut to the chase and see if there's something blocking my tube or keeping me from ovulating?! I don't think I can bear another 3 months of "maybe this will help"....

Any help would be greatly appreciated...thank you all!

 

[Megg33k]

The low progesterone could commonly mean 1 of 2 things, as far as I know.

1. You could have actually not ovulated... as in, your ovaries would have produced follicles but none of them matured enough to burst and release the egg, which would keep your body from getting the signal for your progesterone to start going up.

2. You might have ovulated but have a progesterone deficiency... meaning that the ovaries might have produced the follicles, one or more matured enough to burst and release the egg or eggs, but your body didn't follow through with enough progesterone production to give a proper luteal phase.

I actually think that you're better off trying the Clomid, because both of those issues can likely be corrected with it. If your tube was blocked, you would still be ovulating and it shouldn't effect your progesterone level post-O, if actually did O. Your body wouldn't know that the egg couldn't get out of the tube and the sperm couldn't get in. It would only know that you released the egg and it was time for your progesterone to start rising regardless. They can do a test to see if your tubes are blocked, but its far more useful to see if you can conceive when it can be verified that you are ovulating.

If your problem is a progesterone deficiency and the Clomid doesn't correct it, it can be easily corrected with progesterone supplements post-O. Low progesterone is one of the known causes of chemical pregnancy and first tri miscarriage. At 10 weeks, the placenta begins making all of the necessary hormones for your baby... but until the 10 week mark, you have to make those hormones for it to remain viable. If you don't make the hormone, or enough of the hormone, then the embryo couldn't survive.

You can proceed however you like, but Clomid has worked wonders for people for many, many decades. Most who will conceive on Clomid do so in the first 3 cycles!

Good luck with whatever you choose!

~*BABY DUST*~

 

[jmc111]

Oh my gosh Megg you're my hero!!! Thank you so much for all of that info!! I honestly had no clue how it worked with ovulating and all of that as i'm pretty new to actually researching it all...so the Clomid actually could help me completely!! At least that's what I get from all of your info!? Maybe i'm so reluctant or not going to put too much hope into the Clomid because all I have read about clomid in most of the threads is that it either didn't help or made a lot of girls cycles even longer?! I really hope that doesnt happen! Do you know of anyone that had success with it?

Oh and one other question...how does the OPK test positive if I didn't end up ovulating?

THANK YOU SO MUCH AGAIN! YOU'RE A LIFESAVER!!!

 

[Megg33k]

You're welcome, hun!

Yes, the Clomid may actually help you completely! No guarantees, but it does prove to cause ovulation in ~80-90% of women who use it within the first 3 months of use. There are plenty of people who it hasn't worked for... but all it is supposed to do is give you a good, strong ovulation with 1 or more eggs that are mature enough to be viable for a full term pregnancy. It doesn't make the sperm meet the egg, it doesn't make the blastocyst implant, and it can't make it stick if it doesn't want to. But it very likely would cause ovulation if you aren't ovulating, can strengthen ovulation if your current ovulation is weak, and can possibly bring your progesterone levels up to normal after a good strong O.

It can make some women's cycles longer, but that is highly unlikely with you. You generally take it from either CD1-5, CD3-7, or CD5-9... and O is generally 5-10 days after your last pill. So, you would most likely O by CD16, CD18, or CD20. The latest O I've read about with Clomid was CD25 or CD28... and, odd enough, that lady did conceive that month and went on to a full term delivery. The chances of it make you O later than CD30 is SO unlikely... so your cycle would almost certainly be shorter.

I don't know anyone in real life that has conceived with Clomid, but only because none of my IRL friends are trying to conceive! LOL If you search Google for "Clomid success stories"... you will get A TON of results!

As far as the positive OPK and no ovulation (which isn't necessarily the case, but could be), OPKs detect an LH surge that gears your body up for O. BUT! If none of the follicles are mature enough, they still won't be release with the LH surge. And, even if they did, it would be pointless because it wouldn't be a good enough quality egg to sustain a viable pregnancy. The only way that O can be verified is by temping (if you do it right, it can almost certainly verify that you O'd) or by ultrasound, which DEFINITELY can verify O. Temping would show a dip in temperature below your coverline on O day and then higher temps in the next 3 consecutive days after the dip verify O did take place. In an ultrasound pre-O, they can count the maturing follicles and measure the size of each. Post-O, they can see that the follicles have burst and there will be fluid around the ovary to indicate that the follicle's fluid sac burst to release your egg!

I'm sorry if that's a lot to take in. It all makes sense in my head... but I've read it so much that it's as common knowledge to me as my address or phone number! LOL I wish it wasn't sometimes!

Good luck, sweetie! Glad I could help! Call on me anytime you want. I'm around!

~*BABY DUST*~

 

[jmc111]

You are truly amazing Megg!!! You taught me more than i've learned on my own or from my Dr in just a few posts!!! The only thing I don't exactly get is the folicle thing...what is that or how do you get those? Maybe I need to do some more research haha...honestly though, thank you so much! I'm going to try this temping thing but I missed the first day and this morning (CD2) I forgot! Ugh! And this weekend i'll be in Chicago with my mom and sisters on vacation so I won't want them to know im temping so does it make sense to even start temping when I get back on Monday (CD6)??

 

[Megg33k]

I'm glad I'm helping someone with my useless knowledge or girly reproductive parts and their inner workings!

The follicle thingy... It's actually a cyst, a fluid filled pocket, that forms around an egg cell within your ovary. The egg cell grows and matures while being protected by the follicular cyst (technically what it's called). When the egg is mature and it's O time (signaled by the LH surge), that cyst bursts in order to release the mature egg into the fallopian tube so it can journey to the uterus... hopefully making nice with a swimmer along the way... and then it can embed it's fertilized lil self snuggly in your uterine lining to grow and develop!

Think of the follicle bursting to release the egg like you would think of your "water breaking" when the amniotic sac bursts to release your baby. It's the same idea, but O shouldn't be as painful as birth... if it was, none of us would do it!

As far as temping... I don't know what happens if you basically miss the first 6 days. I personally would start doing it just to get in the habit of it. Since you have such long cycles, you would probably still be ok to start on CD6. It would probably be more of an issue with someone who generally ovulates more around CD10-14. I think you'd be ok, honestly... but I'm only just starting to temp tomorrow morning! So, that one is new to me!

It sucks when you can't ask your doc things you want to know... trust me when I say that I understand that! So, don't ever hesitate to ask something if you want to know and the doc isn't an option at that moment! If I know, I'll be glad to tell you. If I don't, I might just go find out!

Only moments ago, a friend of mine txt'd me and this was our convo:

Her: Does sticky white mucus mean to stay away from penises?
Me: Is it stretchy? Like snot?
Her: Yeah, like clear snot mixed with white snot!
Me: Yes, stay faaaaaar away from penises!

She is trying NOT to conceive! LOL So, you see... I live this stuff. You probably won't ever sound silly or gross or anything else... I'm SO used to it!

Research is good, but it takes a lot of time. I've probably spent literally hundreds of hours reading whatever reputable sources I could to gather what I know. Now, if I only had that pesky medical degree!

Good luck on getting your soon! I'm going to add you to my friends on here just in case you leave me too quickly!

~*BABY DUST*~

 

[jmc111]

Awwww thanks Megg!!!! I'm sending you lots of dust too!!! Thanks again for the info! I'll be back Sunday to check on BnB!!! I'll be going through withdrawals!

 

[tommyg]

I know this is an old thread but full of great info. I have just been told my progesterone levels are low too.

jmc111 do you mind me asking what your Docs recommend?