All Things Baby Aspirin and Progesterone?

msstephanielynn · September 2017

Hi ladies, I am sorry to start a new thread

... but I was having a hard time finding specifics on this from a search and I know there are quite a few of us on this board I have seen mention of supplementing with baby aspirin & progesterone... This will likely be my course of action shortly, so I am curious... Hopefully this post will help someone else in their search too.

So my question is, if you have taken either baby aspirin or progesterone

Why did your OB/RE prescribe it?
When do/did you start taking it in your cycle?
And how long do/did you keep taking it through your cycle? If you found out you were not pregnant that cycle?
Was/is the progesterone a suppository or shot?

Thanks ladies!

vlagrl29 · September 2017

For me I only used a prog suppository in the month of March. She prescribed it because she thought it couldn't hurt not because my level was low. It will not help you get pregnant but might help an embryo stick better. She told me to take it the day after a pos opk but after doing my own research cause I'm OCD like that I found out that it can inhibit your ovulation if you take it prior to releasing the egg which is really jacked up if you think about it. I got a second opinion from a different OB and he told me not to take it because I don't need it. I'm glad I stopped because it was causing me too much stress. So if you take prog wait until you really do pass the egg which can only be correctly tracked thru temping. It delayed my AF so I had to stop it in order to get AF. If you really do have low prog in pregnancy you take it until about week 12. The prog pills are evil and gave me a ton of bad side effects. horrible! Also the suppository crinone is super expensive. I had a different suppository shaped like a little bullet.

I've never taken baby aspirin so I got nothing on that.

msstephanielynn · September 2017

@vlagrl29 Ugh thanks for the heads up, that sounds miserable. I wonder if it's worth only taking once a positive pregnancy is confirmed or if that would be too late... This will be the first round of three m/c's that they are going to test me for it so I really have no clue if I'm low or not. Maybe I should push for that and the bullet

vlagrl29 · September 2017

@msstephanielynn obviously do what your doc recommends but I personally don't think it's necessary until tested in pregnancy. It is one of those can't hurt to try things. If you truly have very low prog then you're not ovulating and should take something like clomid.

Mack2342 · September 2017

I took progesterone with my last loss. I had my blood drawn the day after HPT and RE said it was a little low so he gave me suppositories. I took them until it was a confirmed loss. We started IUI process right after that loss and we are now on 4th cycle and RE prescribed it this last time and he told me to take it on Friday. I had my IUI on Wednesday so I guess that was two days after O. I'm now 14 DPO and took test at 12 DPO with a BFN so I'm thinking I'm going to stop it Friday which will be 16 DPO. I'm only waiting bc we are traveling this weekend and I want to be able to get to RE if it screws with cycle.

I have never ever taken aspirin

sprkls8506 · September 2017

I am taking endomitrin. I was told to take it 3 days after LH surge. I was taking it only if I got a BFP. It def can't help you get pregnant but they say it might help it stick. Who knows. I don't find it to be that bad. Def a blah feeling. AF usually shows up about a day or two days later once I stop taking it.

sprkls8506 · September 2017

I've never done the baby aspirin thing but I'm curious about it.

tosh24 · September 2017

I probably missed something in the WTO/TWW or check-in threads, but I just want to caution that these items should only be prescribed by a doctor. Were you found to have a clotting disorder? That's the only reason I have ever known anyone to take baby aspirin and they are generally prescribed it daily for the rest of their lives, not just when TTC/pregnant.

Progesterone is prescribed for women who have been found to have low progesterone levels after O (usually checked by a 7 DPO blood draw), women with a luteal phase defect, to start menses in women with ovulation defects/PCOS, and most women who are undergoing fertility treatments. If your issue is not low progesterone or a short luteal phase which is preventing you from conceiving or maintaining a pregnancy, progesterone will not help you to get pregnant or prevent a miscarriage.

Progesterone suppositories during fertility treatments (do not have a problem with progesterone levels on my own)
Two days after ovulation
About 14 days after O. If you get pregnant, you take them until 10-14 weeks as per your doctor.
Vaginal suppositories (I've only ever heard about women using PIO in IVF cycles)

tosh24 · September 2017

I would start taking it after O, not once you get a BFP. If low progesterone is a problem for you, then it is probably impacting the quality/thickness of your uterine lining. Taking progesterone helps to build a think uterine lining to facilitate implantation during the luteal phase.

Everyone always complains about the suppositories, but I've never had an issue with them. Not a ton of discharge or irritation. Just gotta make sure you get them right up there

vlagrl29 · September 2017

@tosh24 good info. I also agree with the LP defect it's a symptom of low prog. A LP that is less than 10 days.

If you take suppositories take them at night. After about a week taking them I would find they would just slip right on out if I didn't get them high enough.

shri929 · September 2017

I take baby aspirin due to factor v which is a clotting disorder daily 81 mg

BornReady · September 2017

lurking...hope you don't mind

Why did your OB/RE prescribe it? I took it with my RE for my treatment cycles IUI and IVF/FET
When do/did you start taking it in your cycle? I was triggered for my IUI, so I began taking it the day of insemination. For my FET cycle I began the progesterone 5 days before transfer as I was transferring a 5 day embryo so we wanted my body to think I was 5 DPO.
And how long do/did you keep taking it through your cycle? If you found out you were not pregnant that cycle? For my IUI I took it until 14DPO when I had a negative blood test. With my FET I took it until about 10 weeks when the placenta takes over.
Was/is the progesterone a suppository or shot? I took Endometrin inserts for my IUI and Crinone for my FET. PIO (the shot) is often prescribed with IVF/FET if the doctor wants to do a progesterone blood test, it is also cheaper than Crinone for those paying OOP. Crinone is also just a cream insert and not measurable with a blood test as it goes straight to the source so not the preferred choice for some docs. From what I've seen on the IF boards it seems like some RE's just have a personal preference of one over the other.

FWIW, my RE didn't buy low progesterone being an actual problem and felt it was more of a "what came first the chicken or the egg" thing. As in, if your 7 DPO progesterone is low it says more about egg quality and strength of ovulation than anything about your progesterone levels in and of itself.

mrsjcrane · September 2017

My RE recommends me taking an aspirin daily until 8 weeks of pregnancy (whenever that happens). I didn't do this with my loss because I only started seeing him after the loss. I don't have a clotting disorder but I do have two autoimmune diseases. He said it would just help reduce inflammation. Just adding this in because it's not only for people with clotting disorders.

msstephanielynn · September 2017

Thanks everyone for your input. I think I have a laundry list of questions to ask the OB after my surgery and we are un-benched

@vlagrl29 Thankfully I am ovulating, but I am usually a little late.

@mack2342 Thanks, I will need to ask my OB if he plans to test me, or just straight prescribe it as a cautionary measure. Sorry for the BFN, hopefully it’s just early. Enjoy your travels!

@sprkls8506 Thanks, that’s my understanding as well. I believe the aspirin is just for those with clotting disorders or MTHFR mutations. I’ve heard varying timelines for when it’s started though, so I’ll have to consult with my OB to understand his opinion on the timing.

@tosh24 Good info. I came back low positive, negative and indeterminate for the clotting disorder (3 separate occasion tests). RE is convinced I have it, 2 OBs and Rheumatologist say no. I also have the MTHFR mutation, so the OB mentioned that it is something we could try along with progesterone to cover bases. I am OCD though and need to be informed/ completely to understand other approaches/risks, so I can at least ask the question of why it’s this way over that way. I do also have a late ovulation, but I think my cycle is starting to work itself out.

@shri929 Curious if you are on this forever or just for pregnancy?

@bornready No definitely lurk I will need to ask what his preference is next time I meet with him. Surprisingly, this is the one thing that the OB and RE actually agree upon (I’m leaving my RE for other reasons, septate uterus – on weekly update) so that gives me some peace of mind.

@mrsjcrane Interesting, there was no mention of when to stop. I assumed it would be throughout pregnancy or close to delivery, so will add this to the list to ask him. Thanks!

tosh24 · September 2017

@msstephanielynn I'm assuming with the MTHFR mutation you are on a higher dose of L-methylfolate rather than just folic acid? Has the doctor looked at your homocysteine levels along with the MTHFR mutation diagnosis? Just a side note that you may want to have your homocysteine levels regularly monitored as you age (not just with TTC) because the MTHFR mutation causes high homocysteine levels which is linked to increased risk of heart attack and stroke. Obviously you can try to address this by staying on a methylfolate supplement for the rest of your life but just a good thing to be aware of!

cseley321 · September 2017

Bornready pretty much summed up everything I had to say..

TW - I used suppository progesterone for my IUIs and IVF. The IVF resulted in a full term pregnancy and I took them until week 11.I stopped baby aspirin early on bt stayed on lovenox shots in my belly until week 37 for the clotting disorder.

I am doing the same regime for my FETs now, but they switched me to the shot, which I hate.

msstephanielynn · September 2017

Thank you to all the ladies who have responded. I think I have a good base of questions to ask the OB

@tosh24 Yes, I am on pre-natal with methylfolate (Zahler brand) since it definitely can't hurt either way. I haven't had the homocysteine levels checked, but they said that I have the less problematic MTHFR mutation (hetero A1298C). Do you also have the mutation?

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