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..

They didn't answer so I've emailed them, but they haven't gotten back to me yet. I will take the 200mg tonight as before and see what they say tomorrow. I'll only be 4/5dpo by then so hopefully it should be ok. Thank you for your reply ☺️

Also, fingers crossed that the tiredness is from pregnancy and not just the progesterone 😂

In case anyone else is reading, I was told to take just the one 200mg pessary every evening, vaginally. I'm now 10dpo, bfn on a cheapy this morning, but will wait until the day my period is due to do a proper test.

The side effects of progesterone have really had me thinking I'm pregnant (mainly the cramping!) but of course I know I shouldn't get my hopes up as it's just the progesterone.

I had a hugely stressful weekend, and that was when the implantation window was beginning, and I really hope that didn't scupper things for me. I think the progesterone didn't help me there, I just couldn't stop crying.

In any case, I'll update in a week or so :)

Hi @DancinOnTheCeiling would you be ok updating us as to your journey since January. I have similar circumstances. I got Cyclogest from a friend and I want to try them this cycle. Any update would be very helpful. Thank you x

Hi @Fedup42. So far no pregnancy news yet unfortunately.

I had one chemical pregnancy in March (and possibly another one in May but this one might have been an evap as it was a cheap internet test so not sure if it actually was a positive pregnancy test in the first place). Both times I was on progesterone but it didn't help unfortunately (took it from CD3).

Between January and June (ish), I've been taking progesterone around CD3, then tested at around CD27/28 and stopped progesterone if the test was negative. The difficulty for me is that it then sort of messed up my cycle ie I'd stop progesterone, my period wouldn't arrive until about 3 days after. Usually I'd count my period starting as CD1 but weirdly despite my period starting 'late' I'd ovulate as if my cycle started the day I stopped the progesterone ie I might ovulate on what seemed like CD10 if I went by my first day of bleeding. Since then I decided to take a break from progesterone, plus I also had some side effects that I didn't like.

I was going to start again but we had a consultation with a London fertility expert who is testing us for all sorts of things, and he said to put ttc on hold until the tests come back, so we're on a two month break. And interestingly he said only to start progesterone once we have our BFP as he feels it messes up the following cycle otherwise (which is exactly what I've experienced but I also get the logic of starting before BFP to help with implantation).

I don't know if this is helping at all? I feel as clear as mud at the moment re what helps/what doesn't help etc. It's so frustrating and upsetting.

What's your situation?

Hey, thanks for getting back @DancinOnTheCeiling I was hoping you would say it has worked a treat and you were pregnant/with a newborn. Sorry it hasn’t. Getting the prescription in Germany is something I would have done which is why I sort of felt a connection to your circumstances. I am 42 (hence the name?!) I’m not always fed up! But if I am being honest this situation has had me very very down. 3 years trying. 3 miscarriages, most recently 5 weeks in Jan 23, and it was 8 weeks in Sept 22. First was a chemical in October 20. I didn’t get a referral to recurrent miscarriage until last September, and it was the “6 week scan” rule for the progesterone. So I was really f**king angry (because I was so upset) to lose the pregnancy at 5 weeks early this year. Would progesterone have helped it? They just fob you off with chromosomal abnormalities? Who knows. I have tried for 6 cycles since then, and I think 2 of them I was pregnant. But no test to prove it. I’ve had 15 months acupuncture, stopped drinking for a year, read it starts with and egg, take all the vits, I’m not obsessive about my make up etc, but I don’t eat from plastic etc. We eat clean, good, varied balanced fertility foods…
Got a scan at a clinic in London on Monday, consultation on Tuesday and will hopefully start the IVF in November. I have had all of the bloods/semen analysis done with my doctor last month. We just don’t have time on our side. I’ve had lots of tests in the past year or 2 (HyCoSy, thyroid etc) and whilst I am normal/within range, it shows I do have a diminished reserve, so I have been focused on quality.
I think our biggest problems are age related.

Let me know how you are getting on going forwards and I’ll be crossing my fingers for you x

@DancinOnTheCeiling what you said about your period being late but your body behaving otherwise as though it was at its usual cycle day happened to me too! My period was late by about four days after stopping the progesterone, first day of bleeding I recorded as CD1 and I ovulated (I think anyway, I also had weird OPKs this month. Not tracking BBT anymore) at some point between CD8-10, normally I ovulate on CD12-13. Weird that our bodies kind of kept on as normal, even though the progesterone was clearly having an effect?

I'm not taking it this cycle cause it did a bit of a number on me last month, but if (big if 🙄) I get a BFP this month I'll take it after that.

@Fedup42 and @mushroomushroom
I'm so sorry for not responding, I didn't realise you had posted and only noticed now as I started a new thread. I really don't like it when threads aren't updated. Just about to start a work shift but will reply properly on my break.

@Fedup42 hi again, and so sorry I didn't notice your reply earlier. Your story sounds very tricky, I'm so sorry for your losses. You must've started IVF now, how is it going?

We had tests with a London fertility consultant (Dr Thum), and there were issues with my NK cells. He prescribed all sorts, prednisolone, progesterone, aspirin, heparin and intralipids. I have literally just found out I'm very very early pregnant (have started another thread); I'm not sure I definitely believe it as I used internet cheapies and don't trust them 100% but I've just today started progesterone and will take aspirin before bedtime and start prednisolone from tomorrow AM. It was kind of reassuring to get the NK results and find out there was actually something wrong rather than random miscarriages. The sad thing about recurrent miscarriages is though that once you're pregnant again it's soooo hard to relax, and I am definitely not relaxed.

@mushroomushroom sorry I didn't get back to you in October. Yes it is very weird that progesterone made our periods start late but we still ovulated as though our periods had started earlier, I don't get it. How are you getting on?

I just found out today I'm very very very early pregnant, started another thread and then realised I had some unanswered messages. See message above re our fertility consultation re NK cells...

@Whataretheodds do you still have spare applicators to give away?

@DancinOnTheCeiling v possibly - I'll check and let you know.

Oh that's great, thank you @Whataretheodds 😊

Yep - PM me if you'd like them.

Thank you, I just did @Whataretheodds 😊