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Hi Paula,
I just started Prometrium tonight- 200 mg per capsules, I am to take two capsules by mouth at bedtime. The reason I was put on them is because my progesterone level dropped from 16 at wee 3-4 down to 10 yesterday. I will ask my doctor tomorrow is suppository dosing is better than by mouth-- does anyone know this?
Anyway, to address your concerns, I had my first sonogram yesterday, I was supposed to be 6 weeks on the dot, but they could only make out what they "thought" might be the fetal pole--too small to really measure--no heartbeat. I was bummed. I was told that pregnancy dating can definitely be off by as much as 10 days, so they are thinking I am only 4 1/2- 5 weeks along based on the sack. I have been spotting for 4 days, very tiny amounts once a day, just when I wipe, it is brown. They called it old implantation blood being released. I don't know. I am anxious, like you. I cried a lot today when I found out I dropped to 10. But what I really wanted to tell you is: YES, pregnancy dating can be off, so do not sweat it until you have your next ultrasound. It is not a perfect science.
Deb

Hey Paula...don't be scared we are all here for you. With my first pregnancy I tested with a hpt on a Sunday and it was positive...got the blood test from the doc on Monday and on tuesday started spotting. The same colors as you...he immediately put me on the prometrium once a day on the morning. A week later I had to get a sono and they found 2 babies...YEAH, crazy! I continued on the prometrium for the next 10 weeks and the spotting also continued. At 8 weeks, they brought me in for another sono and only found the heartbeat of one...they said that was normal though that one could develop before the other. At 11 1/2 weeks I lost one of the little bugs...as sad as it is I was peeing and it fell out in the form of a clot in the bowl! My spotting continued for another week or so and then it stopped and I was fine for the rest of the pregnancy. I feel your pain as I am trying to get pregnant again...this is my fifth month and will get my blood test this coming monday. This time though, my doc has put me on the prometrium starting on day 17 of my cycle and continuing it until I test. This time twice a day...once in the morning and once at night before bed. I too HIGHLY reccomend doing them vaginally...I have heard of much better results...because the progesterone doesn't have to be absorbed by the stomach and then filtered through the liver before ever hitting your utuerus...I know too much, my husband is in the medical field:) I too never know how many days past ovulation I am because every single month my LH surge goes from day 12 to 14 to 12 to 14 and so on...so I am alsways a guesstimate too! If there is anything else that we can help you with please feel free to ask...we all ask crazy things ourselves! Much luck to you and keep us posted:)

Hi Paula79, I just wanted to chime in and let you know that I also post with some ladies on another board and all of them talk about not being able to see much on their initial visit. Then, on their next visit, they do see a lot more. Well, ladies, today marks my 9th day on the prometrium and I praying that it's doing what it's supposed to do. My boobs are hurting like crazy and I know that is a side effect, but I'm also hoping it's a symptom :0). My husband and I used an opk this month and I got my surge on cd10. So, we were made sure to be "active" over the next two cycle days and we bd on cd9. Hopefully one of those days was "the" day for us. Right now I'm at the point where I could use one of those early response tests...you know where you can test four days before...but I'm trying to be patient and see what happens. Hope everyone has a good evening.

Hello all! I am so glad that I found this board. I have been going crazy over the last few days and could really use some reassurance. I am 11 weeks and 1 day today. This is my fifth preg, and I have one amazing little four yr old boy. I have just learned that perhaps the reason for the m/c before could have been b/c of low prog. Not something I was ever told with 3 m/c since 2001. So, upon my first visit to the doc (Fri 3/23), having not realized I was preg until I was about 7 weeks, he suggested we check my prog levels and explained why. I was in shock, since I never knew anything about it. Anyway, I get a call on Tues from the doc office saying that my level was 13.7, and that he would like to see it at 20/22. He put me on 100mg once daily (at bedtime cause it seriously makes me tired) and I have been on it since Tues night. I noticed yesterday some light cramping. But, everything else looks good. U/S showed good size, heartbeat 175 bpm (GIRL, Hopefully old wives tale will prove to be true), I still have all symptoms, and I hope that they are just that and not side effects. My question, I guess, is that level really bad and will 100 mg be enough to bring the level up? I am just SOOOO nervous, I really want to have this baby and honestly I want to know what is "wrong" with me so that I never have to go through this again. Any help, encouragement, anything will help. Thanks a bunch and good luck to all.

Hi Mandy11 -- the fact that you've made it to 11 weeks is FABULOUS. Progesterone level of 13.7 is towards the lower end of the scale, but enough into the "safe" zone that you've obviously made it this far without any problems! That 100mg/day is probably plenty at this point, just to goose you up a bit closer to 20 or so. Plus, most doctors take you off Prometrium at 12 to 14 weeks anyway because by that point, the placenta has taken over feeding the growing baby and you don't need the progesterone to keep it growing. Sounds like you're in good shape. Did your doctors ever do a biopsy on your previous miscarriages? If those biopsies showed no deformities or abnormalities, then it's probably a good bet that low progesterone was the cause of your m/cs. I know -- it's maddening that you had to go through multiple m/c before anyone bothered to test your progesterone! It makes me insane. I'm seriously on a crusade to help inform women that if they're having bleeding in early pregnancy, they need to ask for a progesterone blood test. If the level is 10 or lower, they are in danger of m/c and can actually do something about it by taking Prometrium or a natural progesterone cream! Good luck; sounds like you're in really good shape!

Mandy11, You should be about safe by now! When I had 2 miscarriages, we found out the same thing, low progesterone. I took the prometrium till 13 weeks and am now 17 and a half weeks. It works, so take it and love it!! And good luck baby dust to you!

Thank you so much for your responses! I am so concerned since I have only been on prometrium for 3 days now that I wonder will it be enough? Am I too late in finding out. The one calming thing is that the u/s showed good signs, and all of the symptoms I am having. With the m/cs I have had I always carried to this point, but never had any symptoms at all. I never had any biopsies done, just told that sometimes this happens, without a real explanation. I am highly positive that this baby is here to stay (the story of how is truly a story of fate) and I am really trying to remain calm. Having been down this road before though, I am understandably nervous that yet again I will have a loss. Every story I read is about women that are placed on prometrium early in the preg and I didnt start till almost 11 weeks. I hope that all will be fine. Thanks again for letting me release some of my concern. It is very heartening to find others in the same situation as myself. Thanks a bunch!

Hey everybody--thank you so much for your recent input. I have a few more questions I would like your feedback on. First, I found that only taking the 100mg twice a day would control my spotting until about a few hours before the next dose was due and then it would start up again just like before--so, i took it upon myself to change my dose to 3 times a day--early am, mid-afternoon, and late evening and it has controlled my spotting much better--I have read that people have taken as much as 200mg 3 times a day and we pee off what we don't need anyway right?? I think that even though my progesterone level was good, I need more because I am overweight and have been drinking about 80 ounces of water a day fo the last week or so (since I found out i'm pregnant). Also, I was wondering does naybody know whether taking prometrium will hold in a pregnancy that has miscarried--i mean, if i miscarry, will it make me hold it in longer rather than passing it like it needs to be? Awaiting your response :)

Hey Paula79 - if you upped your dose and the spotting stopped, then you've probably found the right dose that your body needs. I've also read of women taking 200mg 3/day, so it doesn't sound like an outrageous dose. And yes -- the reason you cited about continuing to a hold an abnormal pregnancy that would otherwise be miscarried is I think one reason why more doctors aren't proactive about putting women on prometrium...because there is the concern that it can sustain an otherwise unviable/unhealthy pregnancy. The pregnancy might still terminate itself if it's not viable; think about all the women who have normal progesterone levels who m/c because the pregnancy isn't healthy. And I have no idea if we pee out the unused progesterone. I'd like to think we do, but because Prometrium was not created or intended for use in preventing m/c, there are no studies done on using it in pregnancy. We're all basically guinea pigs in this, hoping for a healthy pregnancy that doesn't compromise our health or baby's health, now or long term! Sorry -- didn't mean to be scary. By the way, are you taking the progesterone vaginally or orally? Women seem to have much better results (myself included) taking it vaginally. Good luck and keep us psoted!

Hey Chantal! How's my friend doing? I haven't chatted with you in a few days and was hoping that all is well. Well...let's see...I am due for my period on Monday, so I already have the script to go and get the bloodwork done. Remember about that whole MRI thing, yeah, well we will go from there with that depending on the results of the pregnancy test. I feel really good...except I have been REALLY moody and snappy. One minute I will be totally fine and then I will snap at my son for the littlest thing...very uncharacteristic of me in general. I was not like that last month, actually my mood seemed better on the prometrium...so I don't know what is going on. My nipples are really sensitive, but then again it could be a side effect of the med too. Other than the cramps those few days arounf day 19-21 I have had nothing like that again....so I guess that it is just a waiting game. Oh yeah, the other two things that I forgot are that I have been excpetionally warm at night and I can't seem to quench my thirst all day long...Weird I know:) How are you feeling? Any "good" signs? Let me know as I think about you daily...fingers crossed lady! Have a great weekend and talk soon:)

Hi Jonelle; I'm glad that you are feeling better...hopefully you won't need that MRI at all cuz' your test will be positive. Wow you've got a lot of symptoms there; it's so frustrating because you never know if it's from pregnancy or from prometrium. One thing that I noticed about me this month is that my nipples started to hurt 2 days after I ovulated...almost like a pinching feeling when I touch them ( I purposely go to the washroom and lift my bra up and start pinching...ha...ha.... Just to make sure that the feeling is still there! THIS was BEFORE I took the prometrium too! X crossing my fingers for both of us again. Good luck with your test; I'm doing mine next Friday (Good Friday) and will be seeing my Doctor on Monday! Can't wait to hear back from you!
HUGS

Hi Jonelle and all my other girlfriends! I just went out for a little walk to the pharmacy to purchase more Iron supplements and well, I litterally had to stop walking bend over a wee bit, take a few deep breaths and then I was ok. I had the weirdest CRAMPS, underneath my belly button pulling downwards towards my vagina! It went away very quickly; but it still caught me off guard. Has anyone else experienced this sort of cramp?

Chantel, OMG yes, I get those still. Uterine stretching is what the doc calls it. But sometimes they are so bad you want to double over! Mine tend to be on the left side though. Anyhow, I got those right before I found out i was preggy. And the cramps when you sleep, the light ones. Hope you and Janelle get your luck this month!

Hey Amberlysmom...I am glad to hear that you too had the cramping. I am hoping that you read my last posting to Chantal with all of the symptoms that I have had. But that cramping at night on day 19-21 was weird. I just got them on those nights when I was sleeping...it felt as though my period was going to start any minute...they haven't returned since then...the only thing that I have noticed in the past 2 days are a severe increase in the amount of urine I get rid of every time I pee and that I am SUPER tired...way more than normal...I don't know! Crazy:) I am due on Monday so we will see what happens...talk to you soon and thanks for the response!

Hi there, im new to this and from the Uk. i have had 3 miscarriages in the past 5 months, all conceiving straight after m/c. each m/c between 5 and 7 weeks. my docs have never mentioned progesterone but i am convinced m/cs are due to low hormone levels. my doc keeps telling me i need to wait to see if i have low levels only when i actually become pregnant. i think i should be administering before then. considering buying online. any advice wecomed as hoping for pg soon!

Good Morning Ladies. I have a question for you all this morning. Has anyone ever taken the prometrium without it causing a delay in the beginning of their next cycle? I take prometrium from day 13 through day 26. Since my cycles are actually only 25 days long, day 26 is really day one of my next cycle. Well, today is day 26/1 and af is here and on time. I thought the prometrium would delay it by a day or two. I am taking 200mg once a day, orally. Anyone use prometrium without any delays? Do you think I'm not taking enough? I've heard of women taking more and didn't know if I should talk to the doctor about upping the dosage or just be a little more patient.