Difficulty getting GP to prescribe more progesterone

[MeadowMouse]

Has anyone else had problems getting prescriptions on the NHS after graduating from their fertility clinic? I got a GP appointment so that I could get more Cyclogest - my clinic has me on 4 pessaries a day - because I will run out in the not distant future. I'm almost 10 weeks pregnant and my clinic says I should take progesterone until 12 weeks.

My GP had never written a prescription for fertility meds before, so wanted to get advice from a maternity hospital. To make things more complicated, it's not the hospital I'm currently registered with, it's a hospital my GP has referred me to. My original fertility clinic has already advised how long I should be on the meds, so imo I should have just been given a prescription.

I'm at the mercy of the hospital and my GP for my prescription, and I'm really worried I won't get it in time! I can't believe it's so complicated.

Can the original clinic not prescribe a further 2 weeks? It's a few years ago now but I don't remember getting any prescriptions via my GP during or after my fertility treatment, it all came from the fertility clinic.

Yes, I will ask my clinic. The maternity hospital won't prescribe, my GP can't advise.. it's ridiculous.

I had the runaround with this. Consultant impossible to reach, midwives couldn’t prescribe. A GP did though, bless him, I got a good one that day didn’t even question it

Actually getting the medication was a ball ache too, about 5 pharmacies until I eventually had success (had been warned there was a national shortage of cyclogest)

Now, at 20 weeks, different consultant has asked do you want to remain on it to term as some people are more comfortable with that.

Baffled 😂

In our area, this would be deemed a ‘red’ medication which means it’s for hospital prescription only, so definitely approach the clinic. Your GP has probably never had to do a prescription for this before if it’s usually a hospital matter, so may not be familiar with the process in your area. The clinic should issue a prescription for you though, so hopefully it will be sorted quickly.

Thank you for all the insightful replies! It turns out I will have enough medication to get me to 12 weeks per clinic recommendations, because they said I can reduce from 4 to 3 progesterone a day since my unexplained bleeding stopped, plus family is posting a box from the time I went to urgent care while I was visiting them.

I still don't have a view from my hospital on whether I should actually stop at 12 weeks. NICE guidelines say you should continue until 16 weeks if you've had bleeding, which I have. The struggle goes on...

My GP's is / are rubbish. I just stick with the fertility clinic prescribing it

I have messaged you x

Sorry to hear about your issues getting hold of the medication, I had similar problems with bleeding and the local Early Pregnancy Unit declined to prescribe me any additional progesterone despite it being an IVF pregnancy and me having a previous confirmed miscarriage. I know other people who’ve had their GP prescribe progesterone as soon as they had a positive pregnancy test after IVF, solely to save them paying for it, so it does seem to vary depending on your location. Despite the bleeding my consultant was happy for me to cease all meds at twelve weeks and I went on to have a successful full-term pregnancy so hopefully that will be the case for you even if you do stop taking it at twelve weeks. Have you had your booking appointment yet? If not and it’s before twelve weeks maybe you could speak to the midwife then about what to do as hopefully they will be able to get advice from the obstetrician before you run out of meds.

The pharmacist at my GP surgery sorted my progesterone prescription out. I dropped the copy of the hospital prescription off at the surgery which stated I had been given 4 weeks supply through the hospital pharmacy and that I needed progesterone until 16 weeks. This was a further 4 weeks supply and they got it sorted straight away.

I was told by the hospital to put the request in with the GP straight away and not to wait until I needed it as there can be issues with the GP prescribing the progesterone