What was your progesterone level on day 21/ 7dpo?

Hi,

I had my prog level to be less than 2 in oct and when i had the reading again in feb it only goes up to 9 which is still very low cos my doc said it has to be 30 before i can ovulate.

How helpful is the clomid to increase my prog level and can i take it without doctor's prescription?

just got results back from my day 21 progesterone and it was 56.9. this was my first month of clomid 100mg. Have been ttc for 1 year with one miscarraige last summer.
all tests come back good, cycles every 28 days but no pregnancy Could 56.9 mean I might be pregnant even though my .10ml very sensitive early pregnancy tests come back negative - should get period in 4 days.

Hi Simmo

I questioned if a 21 day test was worth doing as if I am ovulating, then it'll be around day 28 aswell. My GP just said it was a good place to start and then do another test every week if neccesary.

Hi Simmo

Secondary subfertility isn't actually all that uncommon unfortunately. You should be referred to a specialist at a subfertility unit.

With a cycle length of between 35-42 days these cycles could well be anovulatory ones (i.e ones in which ovulation has not occured). A "normal" cycle length is between 21 and 35 days, cycles over 35 days can often be anovulatory. It is certainly not the case at all the ovulation occurs 2 weeks before the start of the next period.

Ovulation is not an exact science and can occur earlier, later or not at all in any given cycle.

A day 21 test measures progesterone; its a standard test. This will determine whether ovulation has occured or not. However this is only part of the story. You need a day 3 test done too to see what your LH and FSH levels are like. LH and FSH are vitally important as they kickstart the ovulation process; if the levels of these two hormones are out then progesterone will be awry as well. If you do have a day 3 done (and I suggest this is done) the GP MUST compare the level of LH against that of FSH. Ideally these two are the same; an imbalance warrants further investigation.

BTW did you get multiple OPK postive results? If so this is a clue. What these kits measure is LH on the misleading principles that a rise in LH is immediately followed by ovulation and that women only have one rise in LH every month. Both of these are not true. If you are one of many women who are producing higher than normal levels of LH (a common problem with polycystic ovaries for instance) the kit reads that. Thus OPK's are not of any benefit to women with PCO.

LPD is controversial; some do not think it exists. Many GPs aren't aware of it and many can be dismissive of such things.

You need a referral to a gynae; you need a diagnosis of the underlying problem. Regardless of the progesterone result I would insist on a referral.

Do not be fobbed off!!

HTH

Attila

Hi Simmo

My understanding was that the '21 day' test is for women that have a 28 day cycle or thereabouts - as it's meant to measure progesterone at its peak, which is usually about a week after ovulation.

If your cycles are anything up to 42 days then I'd have thought it was too early.

The day 3 tests are to measure FSH levels, oestrogen and LH.

six months isn't that look TTC and as you already have a daughter I guess I can understand your doctor's reluctance. But i also understand it must be frustrating for you.

I am going for a blood test on Friday for a dya 21 test. Been ttc no. 2 for 6 months and went to the doctor as my cycles are quite long (35-42 days) and after monitoring temps and using OPK have identified that my luteal phase is between 5 and 8 days long.
From reading thread is the doctor doing the blood test on the right day? On Friday I will be day 21 but I usually ovulate around day 28.
Should I expect my progesterone score to be low? Also have not had a day 3 test to compare it with. The Doctor was reluctatnt to do anything as I have ds.
Anyone any suggestions??

The guy that told me it should be over 50 is an obstetrician and a friend of the family.

I had my levels tested and they were around 70 - I was actually worried that they were too high as my GP had said anything over 30 was good.

But the obstetrician said that really they should go over 50 - over 30 might indicate ovulation but over 50 indicates and ability to sustain a pregnancy.

My GP also says that they look for a level of 30 to indicate ovulation. My last test came back as 3, which confirms that I'm still anovulatory due to my PCOS.

doctors seem to disagree on what is a good marker for progesterone levels.

My GP said over 30 was fine but another doctor (that I know personally and didn't see as a patient) told me that really it should be over 50.

Hootie - sorry, can't help you with the long cycles as mine are around 28 but if it turns out you aren't ovulating at least you may get to the root of the problem and be able to shorten your cycles.

Hi Thanks for all the info, am having my first day 21 test next week and wasn't sure what the levels should be. Have any of you got cycles of 44 days or more? My GP doesn't think I'm ovulating

have just had some test results and mine was 1, yes 1

they are going to repeat the tests I think (can't get to see my Dr for a while to discuss it) but I think I may have blinked and had a menopause... had had slightly erratic periods for a couple of months

it's interesting to see all your levels though, and if anyone can explain a freakishly low level, other than menopause then let me know!

was TTC no 3, but guess I will be getting off this thread.

meant to post ages ago that 31 of mine was a pregnant one!!! before i had dd at 32 it was 40 (am now 35) hope this helps someone babydust to all who want it.

mine for the past three months have been: 21, 3, and 82!

Just got my result and it was 66

thanks natty and chandellina thats really made me feel better. i just got the results over the phone so wasn't sure. i am going to try and be more positive about it all

Yeah i was told anything over 16 is a sign that you have ovulated so try not to feel too low about it. x

rubyroo - i don't think that is anything to feel blue about. when i was told they like to see it around 30 -35, i got the impression that was normal/ideal. whereas even at a level of 21, they said i had ovulated.

got my results today it was 31 is that just borderline ovualtion then? feel a bit blue

If bbt temps are erratic or you do not see a spike, charting can also let you know that there may be fertility or health issues to check on. For example, LPD - or luteal phase defect - is a shortened second half of your cycle (which may indicate a deficiency in progesterone or hormonal imbalance).

BTW I never temp charted because I never had a cycle to speak of!. In my case PCOS was to blame.

thanks attila - i didn't know that the temp could still rise even without progesterone. do you know anything more about it? that might explain why i had a day 20 progesterone reading last month of zero though i thought i had o'd on day 18. period came on day 31. my temps above coverline from day 18 and stayed up. i also had abundant cm for more than a week, which i have since heard can actually indicate an anovulatory cycle.