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Lisbet
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It has been suggested to me that low progesterone may be the cause of my early miscarriages. I've been using the cream now for the past week and a half, after I suspected that I ovulated. I have noticed that I have much more energy during the day, a more level feeling about me, but when I hit the pillow at night I am OUT! If I were to be pregnant, do I continue the cream and for how long? (everything I've read says I should, but I can't find for how long.)
Anyone have experience with this? Thanks so much!
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Lisa, wife to Tony,
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Philothea
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Oooh, marking to come back later. I have a short luteal phase and have been wondering about this myself.
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kingvozzo
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This was the treatment recommended to me when I was experiencing my miscarriages (3 in a row). I have also used progesterone with my last 3 pregnancies (this one included). I have never used it during a cycle while attempting to get pregnant, but used it up until about week 13 or so (plus or minus).
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hylabrook1
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Lisa -
Progesterone can make you sleepy, so I would guess that explains the part about being out when your head hits the pillow.
Peace,
Nancy
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kingvozzo
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Yeah, come to think of it, several weeks after I had started the progesterone, the nurse at the ob's office did mention that I should be taking it at night (which had never been mentioned before).
She also said that that's one of the nice side effects for the menopausal women who take it, who often have trouble sleeping.
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Lisbet
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That explains that part then. It's the kind of early pregnancy tired where I simply CANNOT keep my eyes open!
Noreen, Did you start when pregnancy was confirmed? I was told to take it the second half of my cycle as it can delay ovulation if taken before.
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Lisa, wife to Tony,
Mama to:
Nick, 17
Abby, 15
Gabe, 13
Isaac, 11
Mary, 10
Sam, 9
Henry, 7
Molly, 6
Mark, 5
Greta, 3
Cecilia born 10.29.10
Josephine born 6.11.12
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MicheleQ
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Lisa,
My OB always has me use it up to 16 weeks and then taper off gradualy not stop it abruptly.
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JennGM
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MicheleQ wrote:
Lisa,
My OB always has me use it up to 16 weeks and then taper off gradualy not stop it abruptly. |
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I haven't used progesterone cream, but prescription supplements. I agree with Michele's timing...the point of the progesterone is to help in the first trimester, but when the placenta kicks in, you really don't need to supplement.
As we near the 40s, women tend to have lower progesterone, and sometimes early miscarriages because of this problem. You don't do the progesterone cream until after ovulation, then start until first day of menses or wean off after the first trimester if you are successfully pregnant.
OTC prog cream is very low doses of progesterone.
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Lisbet
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I suppose 31 is nearing 40.  I wonder if my MW suggested this because it's generally thought that low progesterone is the biggest cause of reccurent miscarriage?? I don't know. Can it hurt?
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Lisa, wife to Tony,
Mama to:
Nick, 17
Abby, 15
Gabe, 13
Isaac, 11
Mary, 10
Sam, 9
Henry, 7
Molly, 6
Mark, 5
Greta, 3
Cecilia born 10.29.10
Josephine born 6.11.12
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kingvozzo
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Lisa, I was 27 when I had my series of miscarriages, after 1 healthy pregnancy. I don't think age had much to do with it. My understanding is that the progesterone is an extremely low risk option. If I recall from my earlier readings (back when all this was going on) the evidence that progesterone actually helps sustain a pregnancy is not definitive, but because it IS so low-risk, it's worth doing. All I know is, I've had 2 full-term pregnancies while using it, and I'm working on my 3rd. 
I have never started progesterone before I actually conceived. I believe it might be common to start earlier. I thought it was a quirk of my ob in Dallas, but my 2 subsequent ob's followed the same protocol.
I've used both the cream and the oral pill. This current pregnancy is the first time I was given a choice between the 2, was told there was no difference in effective, and chose the pill. It was less awkward to deal with.
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fsuadamson
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I think I have read in several books that the oral progresterone is not as effective as the natural cream. A couple reasons that come to mind is that when it is being taken orally it looses some of its effectiveness through the digestive process. The other things I have read suggest that the oral version is not "natural" in the sense that the chemical make up is not a match up to a women's body chemistry for progesterone (I think it has horse urine??) where the natural cream is made up from a plant version that is very similar to our body chemistry.
Back in my early 30's after I was diagnosised with perimenopause symptoms it was suggested I start on progesterone. I did extensive research on this topic for I was worried the pill might act as an abortafacia (?sp). I chose the cream for several reasons over the pill and noticed postive results instantly!
Two books I might suggest that go into detail on the topic of progesterone are:
1. What Your Doctor May Not Tell You (TM): Premenopause, Balance Your Hormones and Your Life from Thirty to Fifty by Dr. Lee (a bit newagie but very informative regarding women hormones and progesterone)
2. Before the Change: Taking Charge of Your Perimenopause by Ann Gittleman (EXCELLENT book!! She is a nutritionist that has spent her life work on the diet and health of woman between the ages of 25 - 50
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JennGM
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fsuadamson wrote:
I think I have read in several books that the oral progresterone is not as effective as the natural cream. A couple reasons that come to mind is that when it is being taken orally it looses some of its effectiveness through the digestive process. The other things I have read suggest that the oral version is not "natural" in the sense that the chemical make up is not a match up to a women's body chemistry for progesterone (I think it has horse urine??) where the natural cream is made up from a plant version that is very similar to our body chemistry.
Back in my early 30's after I was diagnosised with perimenopause symptoms it was suggested I start on progesterone. I did extensive research on this topic for I was worried the pill might act as an abortafacia (?sp). I chose the cream for several reasons over the pill and noticed postive results instantly!
Two books I might suggest that go into detail on the topic of progesterone are:
1. What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About(TM): Premenopause, Balance Your Hormones and Your Life from Thirty to Fifty by Dr. Lee (a bit newagie but very informative regarding women hormones and progesterone)
2. Before the Change: Taking Charge of Your Perimenopause by Ann Gittleman (excellent book!! She is a nutritionist that has spent her life work on the diet and health of woman between the ages of 25 - 50) |
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There really isn't an "ideal" way of progesterone. I had to do a lot of research for myself, too. Dr. Thomas Hilgers of the Pope Paul VI Institute has done studies, and I really respect his conclusions.
There is progesterone made from horse urine, Premarin, but there are other oral ones that match closely to the human body's progesterone. There are also versions, like gel inserted vaginally, and even the oral pills can be inserted that way. That goes more directly to the organs needed. His ideal is the injectable progesterone, which is obviously prescription only.
My Catholic OB agreed with everything Dr. Lee wrote except his conclusion about the Progesterone Cream. Remember just because the word "natural" is used doesn't mean it's safe and matches your body's needs. Progesterone cream is safe, but not necessarily always effective, because applying on body the cells absorb the hormone and release at different levels. So the progesterone can be stored in your fat cells, and released at different times.
It's not harmful, but not ideal. He's found many patients take the cream and it works for a while, but then it compounds some of the symptoms it's supposed to calm. His recommendation if you are doing the cream is to not do it all through the cycle, but as I suggested above.
It's just another opinion...I'm no doctor...Just passing along what I've found in my quest, too.
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ALmom
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I was told to be sure that I was in the luteal phase of the cycle first (ie temp rise for 3 consec. days) just to make sure it does not disturb the uterine lining development.
Also be sure to look very closely at the ingredients of the prog. cream you are looking at as most are designed to treat menepausal symptoms and many are combined with other herbs that are dangerous in pregnancy.
Janet
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I have no knowledge or experience with progesterone cream, but I would like to reiterate the need for adequate progesterone to maintain pregnancy. I did not know about this years ago, and I used to wait until 8- 10 weeks or so to have a prenatal appointment. It is very important to get into the doctor's office as soon as you know you are pregnant so they can check your levels. I needed progesterone to maintain one of my pregnancies (I had started spotting, found out my levels were low, and my doctor prescribed the suppositories). Like I said, I don't know anything about the cream, but if it is OTC I would imagine it's not as potent as a prescription. If you suspect a problem, then get in to see your caregiver to check for sure and to get an adequate supplement dose.
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SharonO
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Where can you get progesterone cream? Is this available over the counter at a drug store? My last two pregnancies which were 5 & 8 years ago, I was prescribed the suppositories. At my last OB-GYN appointment, I was given a prescription for oral progesterone to take after ovulation to help even out my cycles. My cycles go from 3 weeks one month to 5 weeks the next. When I first started experiencing miscarriages, I felt so abnormal. It is comforting to hear so many women who also need a little "help".
God Bless,
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fsuadamson
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SharonO wrote:
| Where can you get progesterone cream? Is this available over the counter at a drug store? |
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Yes, Sharon you can get the cream over the counter at most health stores but I would highly caution using those creams. Like Jenn said earlier just because they say "natural" does not mean they are and many times these creams are packaged incorrectly allowing exposure to air which causes the cream to go bad.
When I started using progesterone cream 6 years ago I have used a cream called Happy PMS Natural Progesterone Cream . I have never had problems with this particular brand and it comes with instructions on how much to take and in what stages of your cycle, and all the different parts of the body to rotate your application. Here again I would follow your doctor's recommendation.
In the second book I recommended Dr. Anne Gittleman recommends Progesta Key Cream. I personally have not used it but I would check and make sure it doesn't have any ingredients that would be dangerous to a healthy pregnancy.
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I havbe never used progesterone cream, but since my first miscarriage (at the age of 29), my doctor prescribed progesterone for my subsequent pregnancies, as soon as I knew about them (about week 4 or 5.) I took the progesterone until approximately week 15. Since I was already pregnant, I don't know that it made any difference in how tired I was feeling, but I do wonder if it didn't make my nausea worse!
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ALMom wrote:
| I was told to be sure that I was in the luteal phase of the cycle first (ie temp rise for 3 consec. days) just to make sure it does not disturb the uterine lining development. |
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Yes! Please be VERY careful using progesterone! It does seem to be helpful for preventing miscarriage for some women when it is used after ovulation, but if it is used before ovulation it can actually CAUSE a miscarriage should conception occur that cycle because it prevents the uterine lining from developing normally in the early part of the cycle.
So if you are planning to use it, please make sure you are quite sure that you have ovulated before you start.
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Lisbet
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Well, I did use it this cycle, after I was pretty sure I ovulated. (I don't temp, but had obvious fertility signals and waited until they had past a few days.) I had a 15 day lutuel phase, and I really began suspect that I was pregnant, but, alas, not at this time. 
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KellyJ
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Years ago I remember hearing something about progesterone cream causing problems (which I cannot recall) for those around you who don't use it (i.e., children). The basic message was to make sure the cream doesn't come into contact with others. Wash hands very thoroughly, etc.
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Topic: Can we talk Progesterone Cream?
