Progesterone support in fresh IVF

[Hobbes39]

Hi, having just finally got a BFP on our 3rd fresh round of IVF, I have been speaking to my Clinic about progesterone support. They told me that I can stop my crinone gel (2 a day) now that I have a positive pregnancy test, but I’m scared to do so as I am sure low progesterone has been an issue for me before.
Anyway, I have begged them to the point of distraction and Now had an appointment with the consultant tomorrow to discuss - he says it’s not their standard protocol on a fresh cycle. Those of you who have had fresh cycle with BFP - am you tell me if you continued progesterone and if so for how long and how much? I had assumed I’d keep going until placenta takes over at about 12 weeks?? Thanks x

[Pugmumfornow]

Iv never got the BFP yet but have been told I will be on supositories for the full 12 weeks following EC x

[InspectorPenguin]

Congratulations on your BFP!
Not got there myself (yet - testing at the weekend...) but my clinic told me that if successful I would continue with 2 x daily suppositories for the first 12 weeks. And I don't have any diagnosed issue with progesterone.

Your clinic must have its reasons I'm sure, but worth insisting even if it's just to put your mind at ease I think. Good luck!

[Scottishgirl85]

Congratulations! If I had got a bfp on my fresh round I'd have been on 800mg pessaries for 12 weeks. I ended up getting a bfp on my first fet and was on 1000mg for 12 weeks. I don't believe it can do any harm, your body uses what it needs and discards the rest. X

[Hobbes39]

Thanks all - that’s interesting your clinics would all continue it...can I just check you are all in the uk? I will be armed with the info that other uk clinics would do it when I see consultant tomorrow. I was told he had said to the nurses that it wasn’t required on a fresh cycle, just a frozen, but it seems their protocol isn’t the same as other clinics and sometimes I wonder if it’s down to us being self-funded at an NHS clinic rather than a fully ‘private’ clinic..? I will tell him I’m happy to pay extra!

[Twickerhun]

I read a study of progesterone in ivf which showed there is no evidence that progesterone after you official test date makes any difference, clinics still use it for much longer because it basically doesn’t do any harm (I’m paraphrasing inaccurately here, but that’s the gist).

[Twickerhun]

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3551800/
Check this out...

[Hobbes39]

Thanks twickerhun - interesting reading - and I suspect this is what my clinic are basing their protocol on... I do note that it does state the study has ‘important limitations’ - basically the sample size isn’t large enough to be absolutely conclusive and it also excludes participants with ‘advanced maternal age’ (Im 40) and endo (which I recently discover I have to an unknown extent)... so I’ll go with the extra just in case I think! X

[justtheonethen]

My clinic told me to carry on until 6 weeks. I had read what twickerhun said but obviously followed their 'can't hurt' advice.

[Hobbes39]

So I nagged the consultant and have convinced him to give me one crinone a day until 12 weeks - phew! I realise that no amount of progesterone will stop a miscarriage that is meant to happen, but this will help me not panic, which has to be a good thing!
Thanks for your posts, it helped me have the confidence I wasn’t be unreasonable to ask for it. X

[RubyBoots7]

I didn't get a BFP on our fresh cycle so I stopped progesterone obviously.

I did get a BFP on our first frozen cycle. i continued progesterone meds for ages, some until week 14. I won't go in to all the details, but I was prescribed crinone, utrogestan, prognova and lentogest anyway. They tested my progesterone levels at some point (can't remember when - might've been on transfer day or pay BFP) and they thought they were still too low. So they added cyclogest and lubion. Stopped things at various points between weeks 10 and 14. Nothing stopped before week 10.

Lots of these meds I was taking two or three times a day (except lentogest, which was three times a week).
We were NHS funded at a London clinic.

[Blondeshavemorefun]

I took till 14w then weaned self off as was worried

Clinic said fine to stop at 12w

[cazinge]

My clinic told me to stop @ my 7w scan. Had been on 2x 400mg a day up till then, had 2 or 3 pessaries left so used 1 a day until i ran out. Am now 13+4 & all was well at 12w scan last week.

I have mixed views, I was petrified it was the only thing keeping my pregnant but my nurse talked me down from that although would have prescribed more if it was going to reduce my anxiety. I took the view that I would panic whenever I came off it so I tried to be brave!

[Blondeshavemorefun]

SEems some clinics say you don’t need them. Most prescribe and sure if anxious they would be happy to prescribe them

Or get your gp to prescribe them. Will be free as on Maternity pre paid

[Izniz]

Its so scary that every clinic seems to have a different view on this! I was just told that because its a fresh cycle as opposed to a frozen cycle, i should only take progesterone until 8 weeks. Really scared to stop though...