Progesterone pessaries TTC

[DreamingofDisney]

Hi,

I have recently been prescribed progesterone pessaries after trying to conceive for just under 2 years. My progesterone has been tested twice and come back just within range (29 pmol) but I always get 5-7 days of brown spotting prior. I’ve had a hysteroscopy and laparoscopy and all is fine structurally. My luteal phase is 11 days and my cycles range from 23-26 days.

Has anyone had success after taking these? I’ll be on 200mg Cyclogest twice a day.

Looking forward to hearing your experiences!

I'm sorry I can't help with this as I haven't taken it yet, but I am going to start shortly.

I was taking them during IVF and conceived both times, but I have never naturally and have a short luteal phase.

Do you start taking them at about day 20 and stop at day 28?

Hi @Longbin

I’m on my second cycle and started taking them at 3dpo. I’ll test at 14dpo and if it’s negative I stop taking them. It completely got rid of my spotting last cycle so it’s definitely doing something!

I hope you have some success when taking them 🤞🏻

@DreamingofDisney I could of written this first thread myself! Its so significant! Apart from I haven’t had the laproscopy. Long story short ish - had a second trimester miscarriage feb 21. Started trying again around April / May 21. Nothing… come July and I’ve been having brown spotting for 7 days before my period. So usually around 7 dpo or sometimes as early as 5dpo! It’s been horrendous. Had numerous scans etc and nothing showed so went private in Jan 22 and then finally a hyterscopy and biopsy in May 22. He said the hyterscopy will rejuvenate the lining and hopefully cure the brown spotting. Low and behold the next month came around and brown spotting at 7dpo and a poor progesterone result. The worst I’ve ever had! 21 n mol. December was 37 and last august was 61. I was on clomid too that cycle. I do ovulate on my own on cycle day 16/17 each month but he wanted to give a “super ovulation”. Anyway now similar to you I’ve got cyclogest progesterone to have 48 hours after ovulation for through my luteal phase. Had my peak solid smiley yesterday so just figuring out when to start taking these and praying it will fix the spotting and it’s not an egg quality issue (nearly 36). Good to see it stopped your spotting for you and fingers crossed for a successful cycle for you! Xx

@DreamingofDisney sorry to post again but how did you get on? I’ve done 3 months of cyclogest now and no luck.

Hi @Loz2467

Sorry for not getting back to you before. Unfortunately no luck here either. They won’t give my anymore so now I’m being referred for IVF. Are you able to take it for another month? Fingers crossed for a better outcome soon xx

@DreamingofDisney sending big hugs! I’ve been pricing up the IVF packages today. Have you got some good support and a good clinic?

How many months of the cyclogest was you allowed to try. This is my fourth one now. Not feeling hopeful at all to be honest. Never have done. I always think and fear the worst.

Hope you don’t mind joining this…did you get prescribed the progesterone on the nhs?

I have had a short luteal phase (5-8 days) for over a year after I got my periods back after having missing periods for a few years but have been told under nhs treatment they won’t prescribe it as little research on luteal phase defect. I had some tests done privately and can get a prescription through that and at minute wondering whether to give it a go before ivf.

@Buttons86 Im so sorry you find yourself here and struggling for some support but yes I went private. I was back and fourth with the brown spotting before my period with my GP and NHS for a long time! Nearly a year. Decided to go private and I’ve had extra testing done and then I’ve been given 6 months of clomid and progesterone. I ovulate anyway so didn’t really need the clomid but he wanted to produce a “stronger” ovulation. At first he thought the clomid would change the luteal phase on its own but it didn’t and I did need the suppositories too. After reading so many forums I have noticed women getting pregnant with a shorter luteal phase so it depends I think. Is yours spotting or straight to flow?

@Loz2467 thank you! I am ovulating as well, privately was suggested clomid and progesterone as an option to see if if it helped before IVF.

I am going straight to flow after that time. When I had a scan done although it wasn’t mentioned by the doctor the lining did seem thin (5mm) given I had just ovulated and I think the progesterone can help with that too.

How have you found taking it? Not really sure what to do in terms of trying it or starting the IVF process.

@Buttons86 It sounds so similar. My lining at 5 days past ovulation was only 7mm and my periods have been super light and changed in texture since my miscarriage. Sorry for TMI.

Ive got pregnant naturally twice before. We lost our second at 18 weeks so it’s really hard to get my head around IVF and the financial costs. Would you be NHS funded for IVF? I’m with Care fertility who are across the UK.

I’ve had hot sweats from the clomid and felt a bit down. The cyclogest I find fine but a bit messy. How about you? Xx

Just jumping on, I am due to start my first monitored letrozole cycle next month. I also have cyclogest that I have picked up recently in preperation. Not forward to using them assuming it’s quite straight forward, anything to get positive results :)

Also I have to declare that I too love Disney @DreamingofDisney cant wait to get back there. Two childless adults, but we love it there!!

@Loz2467 I was only given 3 months. I’m being referred on the NHS so will get one free fresh round and up to 3 frozen transfers. If that doesn’t work we’ll pay for a private round if we can afford it. So sorry to hear of your losses xxx

@Buttons86 yes I did but only after having a laparoscopy and nearly being referred back to my gp to just keep trying for another year! I had to push for it.

@Hedgehugs I didn’t find them to bad to use. I’d put it in around 15 mins before I got out of bed and didn’t really have any issues. Hope they give you a positive result!
Same! We went the year before Covid and can’t wait to go back!

@Loz2467 really sorry about your loss, it must be really hard. Thank you for sharing so much, I really appreciate it. We were referred to a fertility clinic on nhs for further tests but they are saying nhs won’t fund ivf for another year based on our results. We said we had been trying a year because my periods only came back a year ago but going to go back to gp to discuss because it has been longer just with no periods! The rules in my area also say after 12 months when you are over 36 which I am so hoping we would get funded. I haven’t started using clomid or progesterone yet as we only had the appointment this week so trying to digest it all and figure out if try them first privately when waiting to see if we can get nhs funding for ivf.

@DreamingofDisney thanks for the advice…think need to get a but more pushy about it!

@Buttons86 Thats so tough when you’ve already been trying over a year regardless of how your periods disappeared before that. You obviously wasn’t trying then because had no periods. That’s unfair and I hope you can get seen sooner unless the clomid and progesterone is a success for you! Fingers crossed!

I just feel like it won’t work for me now on month 4. Surely if it was going to work it would of worked by now.

I saw on another forum that luteal phase defect is caused from the corpus luteum not producing enough progesterone afterwards or a lining issue. The clomid alone corrects it for some people but it didn’t for me. So I’m assuming mine is a lining issue which is a worry especially for when we go to IVF as it’s on the thinner side too.

I also worry because our miscarriage was due to chorioamtetis suggestive of covid which is an infection so I’m worried if that’s caused issues as I had it from week 13 - week 18 and didn’t know. It was a MMC so we lost her around week 14 but didn’t know until week 18.

It makes me worry it’s caused some damage because of all these issues and not getting pregnant again. The hyterscopy came back clear. I’m constantly wondering why it started to happen from last July - my vaccine month and it makes me worry more because a friend of mine who is just 30 hasn’t had a period since her vaccine 16 months

Hi @Hedgehugs i know this is an old thread but just wanted to ask, if you don’t mind, how you got on? I’ll be having my first monitored cycle with letrozole and hoping for the best! We plan to do this for 3 mos before going the ivf route. We’re with Lister clinic. Xx

Hi @Pep1952 I don’t come on here anymore but had an email that someone had tagged me so thought I would come write to you. I did 3 cycles no luck with letrozole. Stopped, took a months rest and planned on moving onto ivf the following month… found out I was pregnant on a natural cycle! Unfortunately had a miscarriage at 7 weeks. Well it was a missed miscarriage actually and I think cyclogest pessaries played a part in that. Doing what they’re meant to do… they stopped my body from miscarrying and made me think I was still pregnant but it didn’t progress in private scans… stopped taking them and miscarried. That was a year ago now.

Heard so many positive stories of letrozole it just didn’t work out for me.

hi @Hedgehugs thanks for getting back and i’m so terribly sorry for your loss.