Progesterone ?

Burberry0421

My dr is switching me to suppositories for the remainder of my pregnancy. Well, until 30 weeks is what he said. I was under the impression I'd be taking these until about 14 weeks. Are any of you on the same plan? How does progesterone work in the 2nd/3rd trimesters? This is all new to me.

LittleLady77

I haven't heard of it being used in the 2nd tri.  In the first tri it's about sustaining the pregnancy.  I believe it's given in the 3rd tri to hold off labor??? (I could be wrong about that but I know it is given in the 3rd tri sometimes).  I'm not familir with taking it the whole pregnancy but I'm certainly no expert. 

xnbride

There is some evidence that progesterone taken in the second and third trimester prevents preterm labor. My plan is to continue to take mine until then as well just as a precaution.  Maybe your cervix is borderline short or is measuring shorter then your last ultrasound?  Or maybe he is just being cautious/conservative.

caden

xnbride said:

There is some evidence that progesterone taken in the second and third trimester prevents preterm labor. My plan is to continue to take mine until then as well just as a precaution.  Maybe your cervix is borderline short or is measuring shorter then your last ultrasound?  Or maybe he is just being cautious/conservative.

I was under the impression that's a different kind of progesterone than what IFers use during first tri.

xnbride

I know that it is the same as I take. 200mg vaginal suppository.  I know that a few years back they were doing injections but the recent article I read specifically said vaginal suppositories.

"In a high-profile, randomized, placebo-controlled trial, 250 asymptomatic women with a short cervix (≤ 15 mm) on transvaginal ultrasound at 20 to 25 weeks of gestation were treated with either vaginal progesterone (200 mg each night) or placebo.⁴² Progesterone administration significantly reduced the rate of spontaneous preterm birth before 34 weeks"

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3218546/

edit to add: it goes on to talk specifically about multiple pregnancies and it seems that the research doesn't really show the same outcomes. 

"The observation that progesterone supplementation does not prevent preterm birth in multiple pregnancy suggests that the mechanism leading to preterm labor and delivery in multiples—namely excessive uterine stretch—is different from that in singletons (see discussion above). This argument is supported by a recent study showing that progesterone does not inhibit stretch-induced MAPK activation or gene expression in myometrial cells in vitro.⁵⁷

Burberry0421

@xnbride I haven't started having my cervix measured yet, but he is ultra-conservative. The other dr he works with is really old school & doesn't do much to help you sustain a pregnancy. If you make it, you make it. He was really hesitant to even give me 100mg oral progesterone pills. Now that this dr is taking over, he asked me to switch to 200mg suppositories for the next 15 weeks. I'm fine taking them, but I just had never heard of it. I am seeing this regular OB in conjunction with a high risk OB so we'll see what the high risk guy has to say. I do have some friends who have friends who took it up until 34 weeks, so at least SOMEONE I know (in a round about way) did the same. With my m/c history, he is really extra cautious, which, hey! I appreciate

xnbride

I vote on the side of caution and even though it may not help, it can't hurt especially if you are already taking it. 
In all my years of research on the subject, the only side effect of progesterone that I have ever known of was a very very very slight increase chance of having a boy with a hypospadia in which they would need reconstructive surgery.  To me the potential benefits outweigh the potential side effects. However, it is important to discuss all your concerns with your doctor and make the best decision for you and your children.

jennybean80

I've been on progesterone suppositories from the beginning, but was taking 200mg three times a day to start. Now it's just once a day. I delivered my first at 27 weeks and my cervix is shortening so there are other reasons for me taking it.

caden

xnbride said:

I know that it is the same as I take. 200mg vaginal suppository.  I know that a few years back they were doing injections but the recent article I read specifically said vaginal suppositories.

"In a high-profile, randomized, placebo-controlled trial, 250
asymptomatic women with a short cervix (≤ 15 mm) on transvaginal
ultrasound at 20 to 25 weeks of gestation were treated with either
vaginal progesterone (200 mg each night) or placebo.⁴² Progesterone administration significantly reduced the rate of spontaneous preterm birth before 34 weeks"

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3218546/

edit to add: it goes on to talk specifically about multiple pregnancies and it seems that the research doesn't really show the same outcomes. 

"The observation that progesterone supplementation does not prevent
preterm birth in multiple pregnancy suggests that the mechanism leading
to preterm labor and delivery in multiples—namely excessive uterine
stretch—is different from that in singletons (see discussion above).
This argument is supported by a recent study showing that progesterone
does not inhibit stretch-induced MAPK activation or gene expression in
myometrial cells in vitro.⁵⁷

I was on progesterone suppositories and injections in my first tri for Ivf and again in my 2nd. & 3rd tri for PTL. They were called the same name but were different kinds of progesterone. 2-3rd tri was P17. I don't remember what first tri was but it wasn't p17.

caden

MrsLee04 said:

caden said:

I was on progesterone suppositories and injections in my first tri for Ivf and again in my 2nd. & 3rd tri for PTL. They were called the same name but were different kinds of progesterone. 2-3rd tri was P17. I don't remember what first tri was but it wasn't p17.

P4 is used for the 1st trimester.


Thank you! I was googling random numbers but nothing was giving me results. Lol.