Day 21 Progesterone Test

[bethholm]

Hi !
Just joined and have had an emotional rollercoaster of a ride since we started trying for a baby 5 months ago.

My main problem is that I am 40 next month ( my mum started the menopause in her 50s) and it's taken me 40 years to find Mr. Right ! We got married in July and started trying immediately.

I have been on and off the pill for 21 years or so and came off in June. My periods are all over the place, ranging from 24 days to 35 days so it makes it really difficult to monitor. I had one period which last for 3 weeks and my doctor said on the Friday that I had miscarried (what a fun weekend that was!) and booked me in for a scan and d&c at our local hospital. It was a rollercoaster of a weekend. On the positive, at least I could have children but on the negative side, I had miscarried. I went to the clinic to be examined and was told very abruptly and rudely off a young female doctor that I hadn't been pregnant in the first case! I felt such a fraud.I went back to my doctor with the information that the hospital had given me and was told that he had made a mistake. Great.

I then saw a femal locum doctor and told her that my ovulation kit said that I was ovulating around day 15/16. She replied that at my age my eggs could be very poor quality despite ovulating. I went home and cried.

Since then, my family doctor has said to throw away my charts and diary and 'go at it like rabbits' as I am young at 40 to have a baby (?!!!) I still went ahead and had day 2-4 test (normal result ) but I had a blonde moment and went for the day 21 test on day 29! I sat in the surgery and was told ,because the results were invalid due to the wrong day, it had to be done again. I had then to wait for my period to start! My husband's test came back above average, so at least that was a glimmer of hope.

We finally got the day 21 test results off a locum doctor 3 weeks ago and were told that they were normal. I visited the dr today as I have flu and double checked and found out that the previous doctor had misread the results and than my progesterone level from the test was only 12 which was very very low. My dr apologised and says he will refer me to the fertility clinic immediately, however because we have only been trying for nearly 6 months, despite my age, they might not see me.

My husband and I have conflicting information over the past 6 month. I have been told 2 different start days for periods- one dr said it is the very first sign of blood ie.spotting, however another GP said that it was when the blood is really flowing, so I don't know for sure if it was my day 21 or not.

Can you still get pregnant with a day 21 test level of 12?

Feeling incredibly emotional and that time is not on our side at all.

Sorry for the long letter...just need to hear some positive news off people out there!

Sorry you've been having a rough time of it. Have you ever looked at the ttc website Fertilityfriend.com? I found it VERY useful - you have to pay for "VIP" membrship but they give you a month's free trial so you can see if you want to pay or just stick to the basic free charting stuff. The discussion boards have LOTS of info (i you do not mind it all being a bit glittery and "hun"-ified...)

FWIW, and you should ask your doc about the progesterone thing but there are prog creams you can buy (eg Pro-Gest) online/over the counter that are supposed to help with low progesterone levels. Your doc can probably prescribe you somethinmg better but thought I'd mention it. GOOD LUCK!

I have been trying for a baby for 2 nd a hlaf years and had the 21 day test last month. The result was similar to yours which was explained to me as im not ovulating basically and i have been offered clomid to try to get me ovulating. I was also referred for a ultrasound which came back clear of polycystic Ovaries.
Have oyu been referred to gynea???

that sounds like a horrendous rollercoaster. Poor you. I know what you mean because I am a bit younger than you but would have liked children earlier but only found my Mr Right recently too.

I think you should go to the fertility clinic with a list of questions and get definitive answers.

But also whatever they say, just shagging every other day from day 8 (first day of period is first day you need a pad rather than spotting but start shagging from day 8 and you are covered whatever) until day 18 or so. And stay laying down for at least 20 mins afterwards - no loo no shower.
x

Thanks to all who have emailed me back. Overwhelmed by the support.
My doctor has referred me to the fertility clinic, but they generally only see people who have been trying for 2 years. Hopefully they will take my age into consideration.

It would have been nice for the dr when giving me the correct results at last, to tell me what could be done to treat low progesteron rather than simply passing me on as it is somewhat upsetting to hear the news, especially as I was told that the results were ok at first in December!
x

Your GP should refer you to another fertility unit if these people won't see you. Generally speaking gynaes like to see women over the age of 35 if they have been ttc for 6 months without success.

Re the progesterone that is only part of the story. They should have also checked your LH and FSH levels around day 3 of the cycle. If LH and FSH are awry then progesterone will be awry too. A level of 12 would indicate that ovulation did not occur that particular month (a level of 30 or over should be seen).

If periods are irregular as well the blood test can be done according to calendar days i.e the 3rd and 21st of each month. Bet they did not tell you that either!.

With your cycle being as it is you definately would be seen as having irregular periods (a normal cycle is a cycle length of between 21 and 35 days OR with a variation of less than 4 days from month to month). Ovulation kits are of NO benefit at all if cycles are irregular; they can be misleading at best in these circumstances.

Brilliant advice!!! Thanks.
Fingers crossed re fertility clinic as we've been trying for 6 months and I am 40 next month. Hopefully there won't be a long waiting list as I can't afford to wait.

Hi there
Just wanted to say I understand how you are feeling - DH and I TTC for 2 years during which time I had lots of tests! Though I was only 33/34 menopause strikes early for the women of my family (late 30's ) so I was super paranoid. I had also been on the pill constantly for 17 years. Although my cycles were pretty regular I still felt like it took 6 months to get it out of my system iykwim.
I had a blood test in Feb 07 for AMH levels which is supposed to indicate ovarian reserve and it came back with a massive stamp of LOW FERTILITY - even though I knew it was an experimental test and could be unreliable it was still horrible and really depressing. Anyway I had three day 21 tests - varying results from 30 - 68 but by the time I had them I was charting and temping (FF website is great would recommend it too) so really felt confident that I had them on the correct day (7 days after OV) which was more like Day 19-20 for me.DH was tested too and was all good like your DH.
By the time we were into our second year of TTC I was so down and so obsessed that I decided to get proactive. I started acupuncture, cranio sacral therapy, loads of supplements (a mega multi pill called Perfect Prenatal - excellent), flower essences and even bought a fertility spell of ebay!! desperate I know

Anyway to try and cut it short I got a BFP in May 2007 and he is just about to turn 1 Ironically we had our first consultation with a specialist that month too - very cliched! So I guess my main advice would be to get really healthy, look after yourself really well (When I look back at the first year of TTC I was quite uhealthy - lots of antibiotics, cold sores etc) and try not to get too caught up in just BDing on the right day - like yellowflowers said - every other day from 8-18 at least is a good plan (DH and I never managed that though!! but we have been together for 15 years so not so much of a novelty ) Get yourself whatever appointments/help you can - I really believe that it helps your state of mind to feel like you are a bit in control. Especially when actually the whole process is sort of so out of your control even though it is happening in your body!

Sorry I have rambled on so much Keeping fingers crossed for you and keep us posted - there are some lovely threads on here and loads of good advice

Just a thought too - the cycle I got pregnant (with twins!) was the first cycle I tried using pre-seed which is a sperm-friendly lubricant. Most lubricants (including saliva) can actually damage/kill sperm so I would highly recommend pre-seed. In fact, i should be on commission for them the number of times I've recommended the stuff to people. Obviously, it could just have been a coincidence that I got pg that particular cycle BUT we had been trying for years with no success and then wham!

Final bit from me, if you haven't already read it, get hold of Taking Charge of Your Fertility which is an excellent book that can help you a lot with charting your cycles and seeing when/if you are ovulating.

Me too with the pre-seed! Forgot about that. And the TCOYF book is excellent for educating you about your cycle/body.

Please question and question a consultant who tells you that you need 30 to show ovulation as this is not that case. You need a level of 30 to stay pregnant, not to get pregnant. A level of 12 shows some kind of ovulation activity but it is far from high enough to maintain a pregnancy. This is extremely important as it may make a difference to the kind of treatment that you need. Normal treatment for this would probably be clomid, or even IVF but a progressive consultant will be able to track via ultrasound if you have ovulated by a monitored cycle and if you have then a course of progesterone pessaries may be all that you need.

I have a history of early m/c due to poor progesterone, my levels have never been over 24 and my DD was conceived on a level of 7 but a BFP at 12dpo and progesterone supplements meant that she was literally saved and she was born at 40+5 after a completely uneventful pregnancy.

I hear you about the roller coaster ride...I am almost 36 years old and have Type 1 diabetes (insulin dependent/juvenile.) I finally found the man of my dreams and married him last year, and since we both want kids (and I'm not getting any younger), we started trying right away. Here it is 6 months later, and nothing. I've read Taking Charge of Your Fertility, been using Pre-seed, having sex every other day during the "fertile" time, and been charting my cycles and have that part down to a science.

So I went to the OB/Gyn last week for "fertility counseling", and he basically told me I should keep trying for 3 more months, this is all "normal", yada yada. I basically burst into tears and finally he said we could start some basic fertility testing, but he was firmly of the mindset that I just need to stop worrying about it and stressing over it. He thought all my charting of my cycles was a waste of time and that I was trying to "control" it too much. Hello, I am a diabetic and have to be concerned about my health and monitor my body every single hour of the day - how does he think I could be different when it comes to getting pregnant?

I just got my 21 day progesterone test back, and it was 7.3, which he said is "normal." But everything I'm reading online makes me think it's not? Does anyone know definitively?
My hubbie goes in for a sperm analysis next week, but I'm just curious if my doctor is brushing off the importance of this to me- I know "stress" is a factor, but how can one NOT be stressed when this is something you want so badly, yet have no control over??

Hi, in having trouble getting pregnant too? We've been trying for 18 months and don't seem to be getting anywhere :( As neither of us have children the dr has done a full blood test, m.o.t so to speak and found I have a vitamin b12 deficiency which they think is causing problems with my thyroid and not producing eggs. It is easily corrected with injections every 3 months. I've looked this up and this can cause problems getting pregnant. I've been on the injections and have my blood test today to see if everything is back to normal, if not they refer you to a specialist for ovary stimulation. Which is control by tablets. A friend of my sisters had the ovary stimulation and got caught within 2 months :) some women just need a helping hand to get started. I hope this helps and makes you feel better knowing your not on your own :) good luck xxxx