Progesterone pessaries success stories - 3dpo, CD1 or once you had a BFP?

[DancinOnTheCeiling]

I’ve had three miscarriages and am going to try progesterone pessaries. Was on holiday visiting a friend who lives in Germany; I saw a private gyno there who prescribed it.

EPU here said they’ll give me progesterone if I get a BFP and if I start bleeding (which happened in all 3 of my miscarriages) but I’d rather take progesterone even if there is no bleeding. I forgot to ask the gyno when to take it. Reading up on it, I’ve read either to take from 3dpo, CD21 or once you get your BFP. Can anyone give advice who has had success with this? I know it defo has to be after ovulation.

I’m also taking 150mg aspirin, started a different thread re when to take it and received very helpful advice.

Posting under pregnancy as I figured the best advice will be by those who have managed to fall pregnant this way but might post under conception as well..

Hi OP so sorry for your miscarriages. I had 2 miscarriages prior to current pregnancy (16weeks). I fell pregnant the 2nd time during private fertility consultations and my consultant prescribed me progesterone pessaries immediately after testing positive but I miscarried anyway. In this pregnancy (following letrozole and a trigger injection on day 14) I was prescribed progesterone pessaries 3x daily from 2DPO until 12 weeks. Studies have shown very little positive impact taking progesterone after a positive test (no idea why EPU insist on following this) but good success if taken immediately after ovulation.
Fingers crossed it seems to have done the job and this pregnancy has lasted past the first trimester. I also took mini aspirin from the same time. Best of luck to you.

Thanks so much @Texasholdem20, that’s very helpful. So sorry to hear about your miscarriages too but huge congratulations on being 16 weeks. I hope your pregnancy continues going well🤞🏻🤞🏻

Does anyone else have any experience with this? What @Texasholdem20 says seems to make sense - just strange why so many women are advised to take it from BFP 🤷🏼‍♀️

Abit different as I done IVF but I was on pessaries from the egg transfer till 12 weeks.

Where I am they will only give after a viable scan / heartbeat seen (following 2 MC's) ill be on them until 16 weeks.

I had two healthy babies then three miscarriages.

The next time I was pregnant, I was prescribed Progesterone pessaries from my GP as soon as I could speak to her. Certainly before any scan.

I took them until I think 16 weeks and they worked - now in 3rd trimester.

I'm so grateful for progesterone and am convinced it's the reason this baby has survived to a viable age. I hope it works just as well for you.

I've had many miscarriages, this is the first time I've been prescribed pessaries via Tommy's as my GP and EPU refused each time. So far so good, although I'm waiting for a miscarriage at anytime . It's hard but the pessaries of definitely give a go. Been on them since positive test at 4 weeks.

Thanks so much everyone for your replies.

@SunshineClouds1 that’s great, sounds like it worked for you.

@keepaweatheredeye so interesting how it varies. My EPU said they’d only give if there is bleeding.. have heard of other EPUs saying from heartbeat or some prescribe from BFP. Shame they have different rules. Not quite clear from your post if you’re already on them but sounds like you might be/they helped?

@FriedasCarLoad wow, really sounds like progesterone is what made the difference for you. Congratulations and I hope your pregnancy continues going well and you have your baby soon. Thanks for your good wishes 😊.

@plantsareglorious oh that sounds so difficult. So sorry for the many losses and that nobody would prescribe. No wonder you’re anxious. How far alone are you?

@plantsareglorious along not alone!

I am on them; currently 10 weeks. I was on them in my last pregnancy which ended (diagnosis of Edward's syndrome following tests). Had a MMC last year and wasn't on them then.

Fingers crossed for me please 🙏

I had 3 miscarriages. For my 4th pregnancy, once I'd had a positive test, I was prescribed progesterone pessaries until 12 weeks. I now have a happy 1 year old.

@keepaweatheredeye yes definitely fingers crossed for you 🤞🏻🤞🏻. So sorry to hear about your losses 🥲. Wishing you a healthy pregnancy

@HappyMouse oh that is such a lovely post, thanks for sharing your positive story. So chuffed for you 😊

I took progesterone after 3 miscarriages and I ended up having an ectopic unfortunately but it was the furthest pregnancy I had so doctor said he thought the progesterone was doing it’s job just that baby had implanted in the wrong place.

After that I got pregnant with my little boy and I started progesterone the day of my BFP and carried it on until week 36 (Doctors Orders) and he arrived safe and sound 🥰 not sure for certain it was the progesterone but I’m my head I thought it was! I was also taking 2 baby aspirin daily, 5mg folic acid and vitamin D all the way through!

Following 3 previous MCs (between 5 and 6 weeks, so very early on), I was on Utrogest from 5.5 weeks to 16 weeks for this pregnancy.
I’m 23 weeks now!
All has been good so far (touch wood and praying things stay that way!).

I think it has made a difference to me.

For this pregnancy, I went to the GP and then EPU at 5.5 weeks, as I had some cramping and a bit of spotting. They scanned me and they said they had to see a viable pregnancy, to be able to prescribe the progesterone. Luckily, they just about made out a yolk sac (or half of one, probably because I have a retroverted uterus) and gave me the pessaries.

( Some info that I wrote for another thread, that might come in useful for you, if you do go on them…..

They came with an applicator, which made it easier to get them plenty high up.

I used them vaginally, as I was told to. I didn’t have thrush or spotting/bleeding but was perhaps a little bit sore at times. I do think they made my nausea worse though, as that stopped a day after finishing the Utrogest at 16 weeks!

The progesterone apparently takes 20-30 mins to absorb so that’s why it says to lie down for a little while afterwards, to make sure it has chance to absorb where it’s supposed to.

The rest of the mess that comes out after that point (and there is so much mess!!), is just the bulk of the pessary, not the progesterone.

I found that any toilet that I used, would have a layer of greasy film type stuff so I’d have to flush twice after I’d been for a wee!! There was a lot of mess but it did wash out of underwear etc.

We tended to DTD in the evening, before I put the pessary in. We didn’t have any problems.

I read that it should be fine to shower or DTD an hour after inserting the pessary, as the progesterone should have all been absorbed by then.)

…. just to add, we were about to start IVF, just as we had our BFP this time. It would have been the plan to be on progesterone pessaries from egg collection each month (even though we weren’t going to implant until month 3).

Question ladies. What exactly does the aspirin do during pregnancy? I'm very early . Only tested positive yesterday but have been bleeding for now this is the 3rd day . My fertility consultant did say my progesterone was low so I don't know if that's something I need to be concerned about. I know it's a waiting game to see if I've lost this pregnancy or not but even if there's a small chance everything is still ok I'm wondering what should I be taken to give me the best chance.

Aw @A95 congratulations on your little boy. And so sorry for the losses prior to having him. Sounds like progesterone helped you.

Congratulations @i83, wishing you a healthy pregnancy and hope all goes well 🤞🏻🤞🏻. Thanks so much for the info re progesterone, that’s very helpful as I didn’t expect that (a mess, side effects etc). Did you take yours twice a day? As I said I forgot to ask when/how to take mine. The gyno said I can take mine orally or vaginally but there is no applicator (the instructions don’t mention vaginal use, just oral, but since the doc said it’s fine I’ll use them vaginally I think). Maybe I could buy an applicator or use one from one of those thrush pessary/cream packs… is an applicator important so the progesterone goes in more deeply/higher up?

@i83 that’s so fab you didn’t need to start IVF in the end. So what was the purpose for being on progesterone even before month 3 then? And would they have put you on progesterone from egg collection until period to then stop again and start again?

@MK85 so sorry you’re bleeding. I’m not 100% sure re aspirin, something to do with blood flow. I have another thread I started about aspirin and the consensus seems to be women who took 150mg of aspirin in the evening seemed to have better pregnancy outcomes (despite previous miscarriages).

Thank you @DancinOnTheCeiling . It took us 3 years to get this far so we still can’t quite believe it’s actually happening but we are starting to allow ourselves to be excited.

I’m surprised that they have said you can take the progesterone orally, as I thought it needed to be closer to where it’s needed and not have to go through the harsh environment of the stomach etc.

The ones I was on (Utrogestan) were to be used vaginally but I know other women who have been on a different brand (that didn’t come with an applicator), that were to be used vaginally or anally. Some ladies preferred the second option, as they said it was less messy and some had soreness/dryness/thrush problems if they used them vaginally.
It seems to make sense to me to use them vaginally, as that’s where it’s needed.

I’ll add a photo of what I was given.

I had to insert 2 pessaries in the morning and another 2 pessaries in the evening. So 400mg twice a day. Having an applicator for every single pessary, did seem a little wasteful (and bad for the environment 😬) BUT it was very useful and meant that I didn’t have to worry about washing an applicator each time or adding any bacteria in there!!
I think I’d have found it fine to insert them without an applicator and I don’t think they have to be mega high up but I’d have just made sure that I’d have washed my hands and nails really well with unfragranced soap. I did that anyway but the applicators did make it slightly easier.

I was given 2 weeks worth from the EPU, then scanned again and then my GP prescribed the rest, to last me till 16 weeks. The EPU wrote a letter for me to take to the GP. I think they are expensive and that’s why the hospital couldn’t keep prescribing them.

So if we’d have started the IVF, between egg collection and then the start of my period, I would have had progesterone pessaries (to be inserted vaginally or anally again). It would just have been for the second 2 weeks of my cycle, each month. I’m presuming it was because they felt my progesterone levels were low or it was because of my history of miscarriages.
I think it was all gearing up towards the 3rd month, when they were actually going to implant (with a fresh embryo from that month or frozen one from month 1 or 2, depending on which they thought was the best quality).

Hope some of this helps. Feel free to ask anything else though, it might help to know what to expect!

Following recurrent early miscarriage (between 8-10 weeks), I started progesterone pessaries the day I got a BFP.

I now have two children. Wishing the best of luck to you 💐

Thanks so much, that’s so helpful @i83 and sorry for my really slow reply. I was working overtime and also think I’m coming down with something so have been off mumsnet..

So sorry it’s taken you so long to conceive but so great to hear you’re this far - 23
weeks, right? Not long to go now! How are
you feeling?

I think the gyno I saw wasn’t a fertility expert; she also didn’t really believe progesterone would make a difference but was still happy to prescribe it anyway. That’s probably why she said it can be taken orally ie she didn’t seem to know the fertility benefits from taking it vaginally… I didn’t really go to her for an opinion (had already made up my mind that I wanted to try progesterone) but more to exploit her for a prescription 😂 (my German friend said it might be worth a try seeing the gyno for a prescription which I’m glad I did).

Your advice is super helpful. My only issue is: I have terrible thrush that is honestly unbearable and the most painful/stingy thrush that hurts like hell… to the point I’m considering that it might be something else. Haven’t started the progesterone yet; was planning on starting it from Friday this week but I’m now paranoid because of this thrush thing - argh, what terrible timing! Did you have any issues with thrush?

Ps @i83 did you have any side effects from the progesterone?