Progesterone pessaries - stop after 12w?

[tinseltits21]

Hi everyone, just wondering if anyone can advise? I was prescribed progesterone pessaries for luteal phase support and told to stop at 12w, which I did (now 12w3d) but I was given enough to last until 16w and I can see that NICE guidelines recommend taking up to 16w so I'm not sure what to do. I've emailed my hospital but they haven't got back to me. Is it normal to stop them at 12w or better to continue til 16?

And I’ve just thought - maybe when the dr said to stop at 12w they meant 12w6d not 12w0d. Will I have done any harm?

Hi, I was told to take mine until 16W. I’d give your hospital a call when you can to get them to confirm though

@Rosesonrosesthey won’t get back to me and now it’s the weekend so I’m really panicking. Thank you for your reply. What were you prescribed them for? I’m terrified that missing 3 days will mean I will miscarry

I was terrified of stopping them cold turkey at 12w, and like you my GP and midwives didn't get back to me when I had the same query about 12 or 16w. So I suppose I self medicated? I carried on taking them but gradually reduced after the end of 12w so I slowly withdrew from them and then stopped by end of 16w. I went down to dosing once a day for week 13, once every 2 days for week 14, twice a week for week 15, and then once more in week 16 and stopped. Not sure if that was the right thing to do or not but the graduated cessation made me feel better about the terrifying prospect of coming off them although, this thing that had helped me hold onto the pregnancy.

Good luck! That rainbow baby is 2.5y now and absolutely fearless! Smooth journey wishes for you!

@Makingpeacethanks so much for your reply. Isn’t it awful that the professionals don’t get back to us? When I was told ‘stop at 12w’ I thought it meant 12w0d but now I realise it meant 12w6d. I’ve restarted again this evening but I’m terrified I will have done harm

I remember the feeling. It's the unknowing, the uncertainty and the feeling of being left to it by professionals when you already feel at your most vulnerable!

I remember reading up so much on it at the time and from memory the research all said there wasn't harm to the baby in taking it (so I'd extrapolated that as no harm in stopping it either, or restarting) and there wasn't much difference either between stopping before 16w - just that their group for research purposes had been taking it up to 16w. I think it was in the Tommy's website. I found that quite reassuring.

@Makingpeaceyes I’m obsessively googling now! I’m happy to continue taking them til 16w, just worried I’ve done harm now missing 3 days. It seems some people are advised to come off them at 10w though so maybe I’ll be ok? It’s so hard being left without any actual medical advice

I was also told to stop taking them at 12 weeks.
I'm now 12 and a half weeks so I've only got a few more days to go.

Your placenta takes over around 10-12 weeks and will be producing progesterone now. Just keep taking them until you get confirmation from the hospital but I don't think you have anything to worry about.

Why do you think 12 weeks 6 days? You’re in your 13th week when you go beyond 12 weeks, so that would be continuing for longer, so don’t worry about that aspect.
I’m in a different scenario, but early ivf preg and my clinic advised till 12 weeks. I consulted another ivf early preg person who was told to stop at 8 weeks. My clinic explained 12 weeks to me as being when the baby and placenta would be definitely self sufficient. Obviously what do I know, but just repeating what I was told.

I stopped taking mine at 12 weeks on the advice of a consultant and everything was fine!

@Babyburrito0thanks, I hope so

@aLogLadywell that’s what I thought at first but Google says stopping ‘at 12w’ means 12w6d not 12w0d. Did you stop at 12w0d?

@Hellothere89thank you, do you mean you stopped 12w0d or 12w6d? I’m so confused

@Babyburrito0thanks, I hope so

@aLogLadywell that’s what I thought at first but Google says stopping ‘at 12w’ means 12w6d not 12w0d. Did you stop at 12w0d?

@Hellothere89thank you, do you mean you stopped 12w0d or 12w6d? I’m so confused

@Babyburrito0thanks, I hope so

@aLogLadywell that’s what I thought at first but Google says stopping ‘at 12w’ means 12w6d not 12w0d. Did you stop at 12w0d?

@Hellothere89thank you, do you mean you stopped 12w0d or 12w6d? I’m so confused

@Babyburrito0thanks, I hope so

@aLogLadywell that’s what I thought at first but Google says stopping ‘at 12w’ means 12w6d not 12w0d. Did you stop at 12w0d?

@Hellothere89thank you, do you mean you stopped 12w0d or 12w6d? I’m so confused

It’s like your age, if you’re 37 and a bit, you’ve already lived a full 37 years, you’re born at 0, not 1. Same with pregnancy, you start at 0, so when you reach 12 weeks, you’ve completed 12 weeks. Why would they say 12 weeks and not 12.5 weeks or whatever. I just mean this to back you up in your initial reasoning, you got it right. Google has it wrong. If I’m wrong I’ll… eat my hat? 🙃

I’m yet to stop (only 5 weeks and praying to reach 12, 3rd pregnancy and no bairn yet) but the day I reach 12 complete weeks of gestation is the day I would stop, not 12+6. Think how many women would get it wrong if that’s what they meant!

I stopped at 12w0d!

@aLogLadythank you, this was my logic, felt like I was going mad when I was googling last night!

@Hellothere89oh thank you! That is reassuring 😊

Hi! Completely get your anxiety over this. I’ve had multiple miscarriages (double digits) and now have a healthy 2.5yo and 7 week old, I stopped progesterone at 12 weeks on the dot (not 12+6) with both of them. No problems at all. Congratulations and I hope you have a happy and healthy pregnancy xx

@elm26thank you for empathising, it’s such a minefield! So sorry to hear about your losses but thank you for the reassurance and congratulations on your two living babies xx