Howdy - progesterone, miscarriage and PCOS

Hi there

Apologies for gate crashing but I have a PCOS problemo. After TTC for 6 years and after loosing 3.5 stone Ive managed to conceive 3 times - all resulting in m/c at 5 weeks and am about to be 'investigated' as after 3 in a row they look at treatment options.

Ive read that some of us PCOS gals have been given progesterone to limit m/c instances. I have had PCOS for 20 years, diagnosed at 17.

Anyone know much about it? Been prescribed it?

Would appreciate any information as its heartbreaking, as I sit here preparing to go to hospital tomorrow for an ERPC. This time I didnt have any negative clinical symptoms til 10 weeks (the other two just came away naturally at 5 weeks at home). At 10 weeks I thought Id finally cracked it but when I started to bleed, I knew it wasnt good. It has resulted in a delayed m/c with the pregnancy being non-viable from 5 weeks (as usual) but my body did not show any clinical signs of m/c til 10 weeks - and after 3 scans they have advised I will need medical management and poss ERPC as its not 'evacuating' quickly enough and may become infected. Plus tbh my heads wrecked knowing I have been carrying it for almost 12 weeks and it had already gone at 5 weeks,

Really appreciate any information.

Many thanks

C x

Hi Cherryade

I don't have any answers for you hun but just wanted to say how sorry I am for what your going through, life can be so very cruel sometimes but you must keep positive because you will get there, I have friends who suffered recurrent mc's but did get there in the end, keep pushing and searching for the info you need and don't give up.

I also have PCOS and had problems ttc but thankfully didn't suffer mc's.

I so hope you get the answers and help you need. x

hi cherryade
how did it go with the ercp hope all normal, the progesterone thing is basically given to try to sustain the pregnancy longer as in "normal" pregnancy the progesterone levels increase daily and make the lining of the womb thicker helping inplantation and placenta development. they think that in some mc's the levels are low so the lining sheds away like a period instead of carrying on and recognising a pregnancy is going on.
good luck with your investigations and conceiving, x

hey Cherryade,

I am just about to begin tests with my fertility specialist, he suspects I have PCOS from all of my presenting symptoms.

I also know from charting that I have a short luteal phase, which could be a sign of low progesterone. A luteal phase is the period from when you ovulate to when your period arrives. Ideally it should be 12-16 days, any less than 10 and it can cause problems and lead to miscarriage or trouble getting pregnant in the first place. This is because the womb lining starts to shed before or just after the egg tries to implant. My luteal phases are 8 to 11 days at the most, so as you can see not very good.

Many doctors do not believe progesterone supplements actually make much of a difference, but some will prescribe anyway, as obviously there is no harm in trying.

I am so sorry you have suffered 3 miscarriages. I had one at the end of 2009 and it was a very horrible time for me. So can't imagine what you are going through after 3.

I am presuming your doctor will run some tests for you, first of all probably a karyotype test, which will test for any chromosome type problems between you and your partner. Also If you haven't already, then it would advisable to request cd3 and cd21 blood tests to check what your hormones are doing, and if they are doing the right things at the right time. Have you had any ultrasounds done, to check your uterus and ovaries for any abnormalities? That would be another check that is generally carried out after ttc for a long time or suffering several miscarriages.

Do you use ovulation tests? If so do you know how long your luteal phase is?

There are various medications out there too which can help, so prescribed, some easy to obtain from a health shop or similar. But of course it is wise to avoid any until you have an idea of what your problem might be.

I hope you get some answers soon. Please feel free to message me if you have any other questions.

Hi,

I'm in the same situation. I was diagnosed with PCOS early last year, at the grand old age of 37!!! However I'm probably at the lower end of the spectrum, when I'm of a normal weight my symptoms are practically non existent bu the heavier I get the worse the PCOS gets. So I reached my peak of 17st13 last year and my periods all but disappeared, got put on metformin, lost a stone and now I'm ovulating every month regularly. BUT and it's a big BUT, I'm still not producing enough progestorone to support a pregnancy, everytime I get a pos HPT I start to bleed within days, we've given up trying now as it's so heartbreaking, so I have to get my weight down, simple as. And I'm 37 so time is running out.

Anyway, what I simply wanted to say was in general they like you to get your BMI down to 35 before they'll help with any kind of fertility drugs. More than likely they'll offer you progestorone supplements, as far as I know you only take them for the first trimester til the pregnancy gets established.

Good luck, let us know how you get on! xxx

Hello there, im not sure if this will be any inspiration to you, i was diagnosed with PCOS and the young age of 21, i had a great consultant in London just as things were progressing for me aged 24 i moved back to my home town and there seemed to be a long waiting list to see a consultant, when i finally got to see him he carried out various investigations and establised I also had endometriosis. He did tell me that PCOS was not uncommon but he felt the need to carry out key hole lazer surgery to remove the endometriosis. At this point I had already come to terms with the fact that children were not an option. in 2002 I had my surgery and all went well, I was monitered regulary by my consultant, a year later my husband and I went for a routine appointment and he then asked if we ever thought of trying for a baby, he asked if i would consider trying clomid to see if my body could get back to normal and produce hormones for a pregnancy, i was prescribed this for 6 months with what seemed like no joy. On my 6th Month consultation he said he would extend the prescription for 3 more months but couldnt do anymore than this, little did i know i was already pregnant, I had a bleed 5 weeks into my pregnancy so was scanned to my disbelief i was expecting TWINS. I now have very healthy boy/girl twins so have been extremley lucky, they were very healthy babies and have just turned 3. There is hope ladies, stick with it
the only downside I have with PCOS is the hairs that seems to be sticking out my chin every now and again ha ha x

Wow, mumtotwins30s, that is an inspiration!

Cherryade, i know how you feel . I have been ttc for 12yrs now! I have pcos and i have had 1 ectopic pregnancy and 5 miscarriages. Atleast they are gonna investigate why you miscarry, but for me they will not because i have had some of my miscarriages abroad and not 3 here in the uk.
Do let me know what happens next because i would like to know and this way i sometimes get answers im looking for.

Atleast we can carry on with our weightloss to help us and just keep hope that things will turn out well for us too, just like they have for others who suffer from pcos and have children!