IVF pregnancy, time to stop progesterone, worrying

[morningvenus]

Hey ladies, I am 12 weeks 5 days today. My clinic has sent me instructions regarding how to stop progesterone pessaries.

This is my first baby, 4th IVF treatment. I have never reached this far before. The clinic said there's nothing to worry BUT I am really really worried.

Did you feel anything different after stopping pessaries? Or did you have any pain, bleeding, etc?

If you have any advice please please let me know.

Thanks.

Hi lovely, also an IVF pregnancy here and I was exactly the same, pure panic when it came to stopping the progesterone but I went with clinic advice and came off everything at 12 weeks and I'm currently 24 weeks pregnant and everything is going okay, all looked brill at 20 week scan :)

It's such a worry and I know how you feel but I believe at this point the placenta is formed enough and has taken over everything so the progesterone pessaries are not doing too much come this point

I felt fine after stopping but I went to 16 weeks in this pregnancy - as my progesterone treatment was for recurrent miscarriage. Currently 38 weeks and all was ok.

In my first pregnancy I tapered off around 13 weeks. Again, no side effects, just felt worried but it wasn’t an issue - DD is now 3.5.

At the current stage you’re at, it should be fine. Have you had your 12 week scan? If so and all was well then I can’t see any issue with stopping. If you’re happy with your clinic and they’ve given clear advice then I would follow it.

In both my pregnancies I had scans at 16 weeks to help with the anxiety during that time. It’s hard when symptoms stop but movements haven’t started and the bump isn’t very visible.

Good luck!

Hi my pregnancy is IVF, currently 34 weeks, and I felt no different immediately after stopping meds at 12 weeks, had no pain or bleeding. I stopped the meds about a week before the scan if I remember rightly as my 12 week scan was quite late and I had a tiny bit of bleeding (less than a half a teaspoon worth of brown blood) the day before the scan but I don’t think that was connected and everything was fine at the scan. Best of luck!

Thank you ladies; this is very helpful. I trust my clinic so will follow their advice. They asked me to stop slowly in a week. So will do that.

I had my 12 week scan & everything was ok; I asked about placenta But the person doing scan said we don't check at this stage.

But reply from you all ease my worries :) Thanks for that

Hi my second was an ivf pregnancy and I stopped the progesterone just before 12 weeks and my scans were fine, I felt fine and no issues. It is very worrying especially an ivf pregnancy you just want everything to be perfect. I don't think there was any part of my pregnancy where I didn't worry to be honest even had extra private scans but looking back I wish I could have relaxed and enjoyed it more. Good luck op.

@Miracle29 - I am in that boat right now. I have spent the last 3 months worrying. I am not a worrier actually; and my DH cannot believe the kind of thoughts I get when I share them with him

Also thinking of a private scan in 2-3 weeks' time coz I took my first COVID jab.

I was exactly the same I had quite a few private scans and even brought a doppler (which i wouldn't really recommend) but once I started to feel her move I felt more at ease, I did still worry but not as much. Pregnancy is such a worrying time for most but even more with an ivf baby because we have been through so much already to get pregnant that we worry about everything. Even when she was born the worry didn't stop. Maybe mention to your midwife about your worries that is what they are there for. I used to really look forward to my midwife appointments.

@morningvenus I’m 7 weeks with an IVF baby and mine stops in a weeks time so I’m sure whatever needs to be in place to keep hormone levels up is fully established by then if they’re bringing me off at week 8 ☺️

I was really nervous coming off them too (first/only baby after multiple IVFs like yourself). But you have already stayed on progesterone much longer than a lot of women having IVF so I'm sure it will be fine - my clinic typically only keep you on them till 8 weeks (I had extras so managed to stretch mine to week 10 by going down to 1 a day after 8 weeks).

I'm 15 weeks gestation now and I didn't feel any different after stopping completely - maybe slightly less constipated (which can only be a good thing ) but I think the cramps and sore breasts which I had put down to the progesterone had already started to ease before I stopped them.

I listen to the BFN podcast and they have the director of Oxford fertility on every week to answer questions. They asked him about progesterone pessaries and why some clinics do longer than others and he said the evidence is actually that it is only beneficial for the first 2 weeks after transfer (except in some special circumstances I think) but that to be safe most clinics do a bit longer. So at 12 weeks you’re definitely fine coming off it.

I remember that feeling well.

You'll be fine. Many people stop much earlier nowadays.

My clinic explained it to me like this: by this time the placenta is formed and the luteal-placental shift has happened so the placenta is taking care of things and the extra progesterone is not needed. And if it hasn't formed, extra progesterone is not going to help.

Hey Ladies, it's so relieving to see all your messages.
Thank you very very much.
I agree with you all; I feel the same. I worry from one milestone to another :)

Hi I’ve just posted a similar thread today, I didn’t see this one! Except my pregnancy isn’t an IVF one. So useful reading through these replies
@morningvenus good luck with the rest of your pregnancy x

Thank you @MrsS89K.
I have stopped progesterone now & it's been ok

Good luck woth the rest of your pregnancy @morningvenus

@Miracle29 - Thanks so much