Low Progesterone? Referred to Fertility Clinic. Help / Advice

[Girlanon]

Afternoon everyone,

So, i'm in the UK, 35, TTC for a year with no luck.

I went to the Dr and had some blood tests done (thyroid, progesterone, prolactin) two came back normal but my progesterone came back abnormally low and no evidence of ovulation. This is despite getting the peak fertility flashing smiley face on an OTK two days before my bloods were taken ... does this suggest that I'm getting the luteinizing hormone spike, but not actually ovulating?? Does anyone know why / how this could happen?

The Dr is referring me to a fertility clinic, this is on the NHS and I've been told the waiting lists are longer than usual due to the covid backlog. Does anyone have experience of going private for fertility investigations in the UK? Would this preclude me from using NHS fertility services in the future? Like if I needed IVF?

I'm particularly concerned about waiting for all the usual reasons but also because I have mental health problems and my psychiatrist has had to change my medication and reduce my dose while I'm TTC, and until I've had the baby, I can't take my usual medication (Depakote).

Any help, thoughts, experiences or advice would be greatly appreciated! Thank you

It sounds like your progesterone blood test was taken at the wrong time. How soon between the positive opk did your period arrive? Ideally the progesterone test should be done 7 days before your period.

So I don't think you're definitely not ovulating, but I'd recommend getting the test redone.

Each area is different re eligibility criteria, so might be worth looking up your ccg details.

If you did progesterone test 2 days after a positive OPK then it was taken at the wrong time. You'd need at least another 7 days after ovulation for it to be at peak

I have had a similar experience- my tests came back with low prog and we eventually found out I wasn't ovulating. Make sure the prog test was done in the right time - should be day 19-21 I think?

I was put on the waiting list for NHS reproductive health but was told it would be a 9 month waiting list, so went private. It doesn't have an impact on you being able to go to the nhs later. Have now had one cycle of ovulation induction through private provider- fingers crossed. Also, different areas of the UK fund different levels of treatment on the NHS - Here in Cambridgeshire, ivf isn't funded at all, for anyone! It differs from region to region.

I definitely am glad we went private - especially as if you are slightly older, time is of the essence. Even going private, it took a month to get a consultation and then another month or 2 to get all of the tests done...

Thank you all so much for the kind, thoughtful replies.
My cycle is short, usually 24 days, but my last cycle was 23 days. I had the blood test done on day 15, and my period started 8 days later. So I am not sure whether the tests were done at the right time, or not? It's hard to equate things when your cycle is shorter than the norm. x

@Girlanon do you track your cycle with temperature or opks? I have short cycles (25 days) and I went on cd19 and it confirmed ovulation. It is tricky to get the right day. Hopefully trying in a different cycle on a different day will confirm for you 🤞

I got told yesterday that my progesterone reading came back at 12.9 (should be 25 in order to ovulate) so is too low, but my doctor said it's likely blood test was taken a day too early. She said it's actually quite tricky to catch ovulation via blood tests as it's so quick.

Maybe this was the case with you too as progesterone is typically low and then rises very quickly. You may have only missed it by a day or two

I have also read a lot about long waiting lists of 9 months to a year. If you have the option of going private it's worth considering xx

The cycle I had the blood test done on lasted 23 days. I had the blood test on day 15 and my period started 8 days later. My progesterone level came back as 11 nmol/L.

I use Ovia the app to track my cycles, and it usually suggests ovulation on day 13, but I don't know how accurate it is. Without being too gross, I do notice that my cervical mucus gets 'fertile' around that date in the cycle.

It's all so confusing!