Progesterone to help prevent miscarriage

[ruthbarts]

Hi there,
I recently suffered a miscarriage at 6 weeks and I have been told that a progesterone supplement may help to prevent future miscarriages during the crucial 12 weeks.
Can anyone advise about this and does anyone know where I can obtain progesterone? Maybe ladies who have used IVF progesterone in the past? Thanks for the advice. Ruth

You will need to be prescribed it. Your GP may be willing to do so.

Thank you!

No worries. Good luck. My Gp was not keen but I was prescribed it by a private fertility doctor.

i took it prescribed by hospital consultant in recurrent miscarriage. however he did say that recent research had suggested it makes no difference. But he said i could take it if it helped me feel more positive... dc2 arrived safely but who knows if it helped. Be warned its a pessary and messy!

I'm a GP and I wouldn't prescribe it - in most areas it is "specialist only" and the evidence behind it is not clear.
If you don't fulfil the criteria for NHS fertility or recurrent miscarriage referral you will have to see a gynaecologist privately.

Research B vitamins for a similar outcome, I am sure that’s what sustained two of my pregnancies beyond 12 weeks

It won't prevent miscarriage as most pregnancy loss is caused by genetic abnormalities in the embryo/aneuploidy but as you say it's often given alongside IVF treatment especially donor egg treatment and FETs

I had it prescribed by a gp after discussions with a consultant after an mmc and a stillbirth. I went on to have another mmc in my next pregnancy whilst using progesterone.

My fourth pregnancy i took it again but also used b vitamins particularly b6 and b12 (and a concoction of other things that have slipped my mind) and now have a beautiful 8 week old baby girl.

Tbf my theory about my own pregnancies was that my body was good at being pregnant it was the developing baby that was the issue. Each pregnancy i needed intervention to remove the baby long after babys hearbeat had stopped.

I also had a MMC on progesterone and needed surgical management, I used it for 5 IVF cycles and there were 3 negatives, 1 MMC and a live birth from donor eggs, I used intramuscular progesterone in oil for the donor egg cycles and it cost me a fortune, around £65 a week for 12 weeks

Unless you've had blood tests confirming low progesterone levels I wouldn't get it proscribed privately - it can also have the effect of masking an impending miscarriage and so just gives false hope in many cases x