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Progesterone Deficiency during pregnancy, What to do after??

by Emma K
(Nottingham, UK)

After 6 early miscarriages, I finally managed to convince my doctors to prescribe me progesterone suppositories. They told me they didn't believe it would help, however I was adamant I wanted to give these a go and finally they agreed it wouldn't hurt to try.

The first month of trying these, I got pregnant again and
I am now sat holding my beautiful 20 week old daughter. I began taking the suppositories twice a day from cycle day 21 right through to week 26 of my pregnancy.

I believe my progesterone deficiency started after coming off the pill I had been taking for 8 years. I gradually started to develop symptoms including constipation, anxiety, tiredness, lacking in energy, pms, very short periods (only 3 days long) and the worst for me, lots of spots!! Not great when your in your late twenties!!

Once I began the progesterone treatment to maintain my pregnancy, these all seemed to vanish including the spots much to my delight and have all seemed to clear up... until now!!

I am now on cycle day 20 so have just ovulated a few days ago (I have a 29 day cycle) and the dreaded spots are back!! Along with the anxiety, constipation, tiredness and I am having really heavy dragging pains in my uterus and lower back!! I really thought the days of these awful symptoms had vanished and maybe my body had remembered how to regulate the progesterone naturally again!!

My questions is: is this the return of my progesterone deficiency and will I ever be rid of it?? Should I begin trying the cream and see if this would help?? And if this is the case, will I need to use this for life?? The doctors refuse to help me saying they cant do any tests to check my hormone levels?! So tied of hearing this from the NHS and feel so stuck in this vicious circle!!

Time to self diagnose again.

I would Just like to add, This is a fantastic website which has helped me through one of the lowest parts of my life. I never thought I would have my baby and now after discovering your website, I found the cause of my early miscarriages!
Thank you soo much Wray!!

Emma x

Comments for Progesterone Deficiency during pregnancy, What to do after??

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Aug 01, 2013
 Progesterone Deficiency during pregnancy, What to do after??
by: Wray

Hi Emma Your news fills me with delight! And thanks for the kind words about the site, I'm so pleased it helped you. Needless to say, but I'm shocked at the indifference of the doctors. Usually after 3 miscarriages they begin checking for abnormalities, normally chromosomal first, heaven knows why that and not progesterone, which is so often the cause. And refusing you help now, again I'm shocked. Contraceptives often cause great problems after stopping them, having forced a woman into a cycle which is not her own. 28 days is the average length, they can vary from 21 days to 35 days. The page gives more info on the after affects of stopping them. Progesterone drops sharply after birth sending up to 25% of women into some form of depression. From the baby blues, to PND, to post natal psychosis, luckily this is very rare. So I think this is the problem now, rather than the return of the deficiency. I can't say if your cycle will normalise again, it's too early for that. You're too young to need progesterone for life, I'm sure given time things will come right. Although I will use it for the rest of mine, but then I am in menopause now. I know you're not pregnant, but please look through our Pregnancy page and this one here too. They give info on progesterone and the after affects of having a baby. Maybe you've already seen them. I do believe the symptoms you have now will be helped with the progesterone, just as they were when you were pregnant with high levels. Please contact Julienne in the UK, she can give advice on progesterone, and supply it if you decide to go ahead. Please have a vitamin D test done. Birmingham Hospital send out test kits for £25 and the results back by email. Please ignore their 'adequate' level which follows NHS recommendations, it's far too low. Blood levels should be 175-250nmol/L and not the 50nmol/L the NHS says! A lack of this can also cause miscarriages, probably because a lack reduces the benefits of progesterone. It also adversely affects the reproductive system, so it could be you have a low level, plus low progesterone. Continued below
Aug 01, 2013
 Progesterone Deficiency during pregnancy, What to do after?? Part 2
by: Wray

Hi Emma Once these are corrected, I would hope you won't need the progesterone, but would continue for life with the vitamin D. It's vital for the new born baby too, there are excellent videos about this on the pregnancy page I gave above.

For more general info please see our page on How to use progesterone cream. You might like to look through our page on Menstruation too. Particularly as you've had a baby girl, a lack of vitamin D can cause very early puberty. Take care Wray

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