Low Progesterone?

[smallllmin]

Does anyone here have low progesterone? Did your doctor diagnose it? Are you taking supplements while TTC? And do you spot before AF? If so, for how many days?

Sorry for all the questions-- just working on a hypothesis for my gyn appt next week. I spotted for 12 days before AF this month, (my typical is about 7). I know this can be related to low progesterone. When I got KUd with DS, I spotted for 8 days prior to BFP, and continued to spot all throughout my first trimester (which was super stressful). And then ended up with two accessory lobes on my placenta, velamentious cord insertion, and vasa previa. I'm wondering if progesterone supplements would prevent all this pre-AF/early pregnancy spotting, which may lessen my chances of possible placental abnormalities.

[samanthasays]

I do, I was diagnosed through my RE when we were doing the 7dpo blood draws, my numbers were consistently low, even though we knew I ovulated based on ultrasounds. I also had low progesterone in both CP's. I did take supplements, aka vaginal suppositories after O, but I like supplements much better I normally don't have spotting pre-period, but my LP is on the shorter side at 10 days, which did get longer by 2-4 days while on progesterone.

Good luck! The good news is it is easy to test and treat if you do have low progesterone.

[lettricern]

Were you diagnosed with low progesterone with your previous pregnancy? Could it be possible that all the spotting you had was actually due to the issues with the placenta/umbilical cord?

edited for clarity

[smallllmin]

Feb 3, 2016 15:13:21 GMT -5 lettricern said:

Were you diagnosed with low progesterone? Could it be possible that all the spotting you had was actually due to the issues with the placenta/umbilical cord?

No, I haven't been diagnosed. I'm just trying to figure out why I spotted for nearly my entire LP. The first-tri spotting could have been from either, I assume.

[lettricern]

It's worth asking your doctor about since you are going be seeing him/her anyway. How long is your LP usually?

[emilie]

You can always ask if your OB will do a 7dpo blood draw for you to see where you're at. But the only "supplement" I've ever heard of that can help low progesterone is - supplemental progesterone, which is by prescription only.

[joy]

My RE doesn't really believe in quantitative progesterone tests. On a natural cycle, my 7DPO progesterone was 4 (or something). He said "Great! You ovulated!" while I was like "Isn't that low??" He shrugged and said that measuring progesterone was tricky.

I always spotted pre-period and I always thought my progesterone was low. My RE didn't care and he did not recommend supplements. In the end, it didn't appear to matter.

Sooo... my point is that there are different schools of thought on this subject. Some doctors will rush to supplement while others will shrug their shoulders and say those 7 DPO tests are merely qualitative. I don't know who is right.

[mrsjene]

Feb 3, 2016 15:48:47 GMT -5 joy said:

My RE doesn't really believe in quantitative progesterone tests. On a natural cycle, my 7DPO progesterone was 4 (or something). He said "Great! You ovulated!" while I was like "Isn't that low??" He shrugged and said that measuring progesterone was tricky.

I always spotted pre-period and I always thought my progesterone was low. My RE didn't care and he did not recommend supplements. In the end, it didn't appear to matter.

Sooo... my point is that there are different schools of thought on this subject. Some doctors will rush to supplement while others will shrug their shoulders and say those 7 DPO tests are merely qualitative. I don't know who is right.

This.

I asked my RE about testing my progesterone and he said that testing progesterone isn't really reliable, so he didn't think it was worth my time. I used to start spotting about 5-8 days before my period.

[littlelion]

smallllmin, I have low progesterone. RE has tested. Typically when I see my RE I am already pregnant and my initial progesterone levels are 11-13 range (I've had multiple losses). I take supplements (oral and prescribed). Currently TTC and my RE has me start taking my progesterone pills at 3 DPO. 

I will say I do not usually spot before AF. Maybe 3 times in my life I spotted on random cycle days. Hope you can get some answers!

[smallllmin]

Feb 3, 2016 15:31:26 GMT -5 lettricern said:

It's worth asking your doctor about since you are going be seeing him/her anyway. How long is your LP usually?

That's what I have the appointment for. I've only charted for one cycle so far, and my LP was 14 days-- with 12 of those days having light spotting.

[smallllmin]

Feb 3, 2016 16:08:45 GMT -5 mrsjene said:

Feb 3, 2016 15:48:47 GMT -5 joy said:

My RE doesn't really believe in quantitative progesterone tests. On a natural cycle, my 7DPO progesterone was 4 (or something). He said "Great! You ovulated!" while I was like "Isn't that low??" He shrugged and said that measuring progesterone was tricky.

I always spotted pre-period and I always thought my progesterone was low. My RE didn't care and he did not recommend supplements. In the end, it didn't appear to matter.

Sooo... my point is that there are different schools of thought on this subject. Some doctors will rush to supplement while others will shrug their shoulders and say those 7 DPO tests are merely qualitative. I don't know who is right.

This.

I asked my RE about testing my progesterone and he said that testing progesterone isn't really reliable, so he didn't think it was worth my time. I used to start spotting about 5-8 days before my period.

You don't spot pre-AF anymore? How did you fix it? I used to start spotting for like 5-7 days, but since having my son it seems more erratic and often for a longer period of my LP.

[smallllmin]

Feb 3, 2016 15:40:01 GMT -5 @wickedcandy said:

How may cycles have you had, since having your LO ? Do you spot consistently through every cycle ? If it's only been a few cycles that it's happened on, I wouldn't jump to that,but if it has been 4+ cycles, I would talk to your dr. some will be concerned, others won't.

I've had AF back for over a year. There was less spotting in the beginning few, and gradually it became longer in duration. It's definitely consistent-- spotting pre-AF every cycle, though the length typically ranges from about 5-10 days pre-AF.