Intro... And some questions

hartmich

Hi ladies. I hope this post is ok - I'm a TTGP gal and rules there are a little stricter it seems. But I have a lot to say and I'm tired of dumping my negativity on my H... I've been reading through a lot of the posts here and I told H that this group is now "my people". I've seen so many of you say exactly what it is I'm feeling and while I hate that we are all here, I'm so grateful right now that you are. 

We got KU on our third month, which in the scheme of things, is pretty great. For some reason, I was paranoid about a loss from the beginning. I was counting down the days to my first appointment which would have been at 7+1. At 6+1, the slight symptoms I had disappeared and deep down I just knew it was over. Surprisingly the anxiety of waiting between the time I began spotting to full on bleeding was the worst part for me mentally (about three days). I was so overwhelmingly sad at first but now I'm just angry. I'm so angry at the world and my body and God and science and just everything. I'm sure I'll be sad again but right now it's easier to be mad. 

I have only had one blood draw so far and by that point, my progesterone was less than 5 (4.6 I believe when I was 6+3). When I meet with my doctor, I'll ask her about this but is this something that means I should have been on supplements? Should I ask for supplements (hopefully) next time even if the doctor says not to worry? I really hope they'll let me get blood drawn asap next time because I don't think I can mentally take that waiting game again. 

I know I'll have more questions but I can't think right now. I hope to jump right back into TTC if I can, and I'm sure I'll be hanging around here a lot to get through the day. 

yolandamunoz

I am so sorry for your loss. This board is a good place to be though.

About progesterone, I don't know because I hadn't have that tracked for me on any of my 2 pregnancies and 2 MC.

About supplements, the one thing that almost all doctors agree on, is in taking folic acid, before you get pregnant. I've been doing that for A long time, but you should ask your doctor about the amount that you should be taking.

 They all say not to worry and we worry anyway. For me I wanted all the things that could be tested to be tested before hand so that if there was anything wrong with me I could fix it before trying to get pregnant. But it didn't happen that way and I discovered I had hiper insulinemia and hiper prolactinemia after my 2nd loss.

Things are different also depending on your health background and your age. I am considered Advanced Maternal Age (over 35) and that just makes everything more difficult. Sweet. 

 We all get mad and everything and I totally understand where you're coming from. I hope you get the answers that you need with your doctors, and that you get to go through your grief in a way that is kind to yourself.

Hugs!
-Y

RiverSong15

@hartmich I'm so sorry for your loss. Welcome to the board though - this place has gotten me through some rough weeks.

As far as progesterone supplements go, you have two "camps". One that will supplement if progesterone is low, just in case it helps. The other is that low progesterone is a symptom of weak ovulation or a nonviable pregnancy, rather than a cause. So, the low progesterone and the MC are both "symptoms" of a problem with the embryo. In that case, supplementing with progesterone would just drag out a pregnancy that would otherwise end naturally. 

Are you charting? Do you have any signs of a luteal phase defect (e.g., LP consistently less than 10 days, spotting for 4+ days before AF in most cycles)? If not, I'd guess this was a one-off. But definitely ask your doctor what they think, and see if they can get you in for a blood draw next time if it would ease your mind.

hartmich

@yolandamunoz thank you so much for your kind words. It is just nice to know I'm not the only crazy out there who feels like I need to DO something to take control of this uncontrollable situation. 

@RiverSong15 I only have one month of charting from before getting my BFP, and my LP was 12 days so not bad. I guess I'm just wondering if anyone's ever taken the approach that if it doesn't hurt to take progesterone, then why not take it just in case? But I never thought of what you said - that it could delay a loss that was coming anyway. 

Would there be any reason to think a later ovulation would have any impact on anything? I didn't O until CD24 this cycle, and the cycle before was 19. 

chloe97

@hartmich I'm so sorry for your loss.

I am your example of taking progesterone because "it doesn't hurt". I felt my symptoms fading at week 5, so I had beta and progesterone taken. My progesterone was low and my betas only went up 3% in 48 hours.  I was told I was miscarrying. Called back to get cytotec a few days later and the OB on call wanted me to get an ultrasound. SURPRISE! I had an embryo measuring perfectly with a great heartbeat.

The OB offered me progesterone supplementation and I took it because I thought it wouldn't hurt. I went in once a week for an ultrasound and saw a HB each time. Then I had my NIPT test and it came back low fetal for fraction. I retested- same thing- no results. Per normal progesterone supplementation, I stopped progetseron supplementation at 12 weeks. I also had a NT scan at 12 weeks and it was very obvious something was wrong. Baby was curled up with a head too large for her body, measuring 2 weeks behind. My baby had triploidy. I scheduled a D&C and by the time of my surgery,  the baby's heart stopped because I was no longer supplementing progesterone. If I would have let nature takes its course, the pregnancy would have ended on its own far earlier and I would not have undergone the additional 6 weeks of stress and the trauma of having the decide to terminate a pregnancy that had no viability of life. Also, I'm 37 and lost 3 months of fertility that I desperately need. 

So long story short- unless you are SURE you have luteal phase defect, I would not recommend taking progesterone. Taking progesterone because "it couldn't hurt"  ended up hurting worse than miscarrying at the first signs things were going bad. 

Sorry i I don't have a rosier story for you. Good luck with whatever you decide.

hartmich

@chloe97 I'm so sorry to hear what happened to you. I really appreciate you sharing your story with me because this is something I hadn't really thought of, and now I'm totally reconsidering my approach. I realize that we should all listen to our doctor's but in all honesty, I've learned much more from these boards than anywhere else. 

TScalei

Im so sorry for your loss @hartmich. This Board is wonderful though and has helped me a lot and I hope it will you too!