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3 miscarriages later... low estrogen and low progesterone

by Christi

I am 41 years old and have had 3 miscarriages in the past 3 years. I recently went to a fertility Dr. looking for answers. He did blood work over the course of a month and found that I have low progesterone and low estrogen. My progesterone levels on day 10 were 0.2 and day 21 it was 0.5. My estrogen level on day 3 was 21 and on day 10 was 31. He is recommending timed intercourse with Follistim, as well as Ovidrel and progesterone suppositories.

I am looking into other treatments tho'... I would like to balance my hormones before I even think of trying to conceive again. My sister (age 47) has been diagnosed with breast cancer and has had hormonal imbalances as well. My main focus and concern right now is getting the hormone levels balanced. She has recommended Bio-identicals... transdermal cream of progesterone and a low dosage of estriol cream. She has also recommended acupuncture. I am seeing both my ob/gyn and primary care physician next week to discuss what would be the best treatment. I still would like to try for a baby... I have had 2 healthy pregnancies prior to the 3 miscarriages. I feel tho' that the first priority is to take care of the hormones and everything else will fall into place. Do you have any info or suggestions as to how I should approach this.

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Jun 26, 2011
 3 miscarriages later... low estrogen and low progesterone
by: Wray

Hi Christi Progesterone levels start dropping naturally from about age 35, when we begin getting anovulatory cycles, when of course no progesterone is made. Your progesterone level on day 10 should be low, unless you have a 21 day cycle. Progesterone doesn't rise until after ovulation. Your day 21 was low too, but was this taken at mid-luteal phase when progesterone peaks? This is always, in all women, ±7 days after ovulation or before bleeding. The luteal phase lasts 12 to 14 days. It could be that you didn't ovulate that month, which would explain the low progesterone. So you needn't necessarily have a low level. Your oestrogen on day 3 is normal, it doesn't begin to rise until day 4 or 5. And day 10 it will be rising, but not at it's peak. Oestrogen has two peaks, a few days prior to ovulation, which occurs any time between day 7 to 21, and at mid-luteal phase, see the Chart we have. The range for a pre-menopausal woman is 30 - 400 pg/ml. It appears you have no trouble conceiving, but in carrying the child to term. So I don't see the point in the drugs. The problem to me seems more a drop in progesterone levels causing the miscarriage, so supplemental progesterone is vital. We do have a page on Pregnancy you might like to look at. It explains when and how much progesterone to use, plus many papers showing it's benefits in miscarriage, pre-term births too. I believe it's essential to start the progesterone well before conception, so I'm pleased you are thinking along that route too. Please have a vitamin D test done, it's vital for a healthy pregnancy and for the growing foetus, see here, here, here, here and here. This is an excellent video to watch too, see here. I'm running out of space, so will start a new comment below. Take care Wray
Jun 26, 2011
 3 miscarriages later... low estrogen and low progesterone
by: Wray

Hi Christi For more info on vitamin D see the Vitamin D Council and GrassrootsHealth websites. Please also consider taking taurine, this too is vital for the growing foetus, see here, here and here. Please ask your sister to have a vitamin D test too, a lack of it is implicated in over 20 different cancers. See here, here and here. Finally a lack of vitamin D reduces the benefits of progesterone. Your sister might like to see our page on Cancer and progesterone. Take care Wray

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