Heavy bleeding and Progesterone?

[LadyM2019]

Ladies, I'd really appreciate your experiences/input.

I've bled heavily (very heavy period flow) 7 days post 5 day transfer twice. These were fresh transfers and we asked whether our NHS consultant could arrange for progesterone testing on the day of transfer. He explained this isn't something the NHS offer and he couldn't say whether the bleeding was related low progesterone.

Following this we had a consultation with a clinic in London with high sucess rates. I didn't mention I was concerned about the bleeding. I just told him my experiences, factually.

He said the biggest thing that stands out is the early bleeding and this clinic are prescribing extra progesterone to support my next FET cycles and I will have progesterone testing. I don't see many experiences of people on here who have had heavy bleeding 7 days after transfer...

Am I the only one? Did this happen to you and did you require more progesterone?.. xx

[Lisichka]

It does sound like you had low progesterone. I started bleeding 3 days past transfer and the nurses at the clinic did not think it was a big deal and they did not want to get it tested because it’s not something that the clinic does. Anyway, it was a chemical pregnancy that cycle and I always wondered if that was low progesterone that caused it. Going into the next cycle I mentioned it to the doctor and he agreed that needed more progesterone, even though he was like plenty of people get pregnant on the standard dosage (we did injections and pessaries and I insisted on testing it pre and post transfer). I also got a second opinion from the doctor in the States and she said that there should be no bleeding that early on. So definitely push for testing, you can see lots of stories on this board about low progesterone, they really helped me with info about it.

[LadyM2019 in reply to Lisichka]

Thank you so much for your response. It's so worrying and it's an issue that seems to be quite easily resolved! Well, easy in terms of the world of IVF..!

[Lisichka in reply to LadyM2019]

Yes, absolutely! Push for testing and for extra progesterone. My previous experience of ivf was in New Zealand which has pretty much the same healthcare model as the U.K. and I’ve noticed protocols are exactly the same so you have to go into battle for anything extra. We moved to the US last year and did a cycle here (transferring tomorrow!) and I’ve noticed how many more tests they do here, lots of monitoring compared to what I had in NZ. So my advice is if something doesn’t feel right, push for answers!

[IvfStruggler]

I have had early bleeding after all three transfers. The first time was on day 9, the other two on day 4. It is different from you as it has always been relatively light but doesn't stop until after my period. For my last cycle my consultant had increased my progesterone dose but for some reason my clinic does not want to test my blood. I have also read that having too much progesterone can be detrimental and in my case progesterone really affects my mood and makes me really anxious. The last consultation we had I mentioned that I felt that my oestrogen starts dropping early as well. By doing IVF I have got a clearer understanding of how my body responds to certain hormones. During the last cycle I started to get night sweats and my breasts became less sensitive and full 7 days after the embryo transplant which are indications that my oestrogen is low. Low oestrogen could also cause the uterine lining to break down. Because I'm now doing a medicated cycle, I'm hoping that the oestrogen supplements will help to keep things stable. I'm also going to arrange a blood test in terms of my progesterone. I really don't know if it will help. It would be nice to avoid early bleeding as it is so distressing. I hope your next FET is successful! X

[LadyM2019 in reply to IvfStruggler]

Thanks for your response, its so distressing isn't it. I know private practices will check it and the cost of the test is around £40. I'm having mine checked at another local hospital. I really hope this cycle is the one for for you xx

[IvfStruggler in reply to LadyM2019]

I'm with the same clinic as my NHS cycle which is at a hospital but they recently joined a large fertility group. I'm paying for treatment and would be happy to pay extra for the test but they still say no. When I was so desperate when I started bleeding last round I also tried to call my GP but they really didn't want to help. Where I live there are not many alternatives to get your blood tested so I may have to try where you can send your blood via the mail. I really hate how difficult they make it as it is such a simple test and possibly could make all the difference. I also hope your next round is successful x

[Abbywithag]

I had heavy bleeding 5dp5dt 1st round just using cyclogest, 2nd round I also used lubion and got a positive. I’m currently 31weeks pregnant. They never tested my progesterone but my dr did say it was probably low which caused an early bleed xxx

[LadyM2019 in reply to Abbywithag]

Aw brilliant news! Thats reassuring to hear thank you xx

[Cinderella5]

Hey, I had bleeding with my NHS cycles, I was fobbed off like you and told that it was just because treatment hadn't worked. When we moved to private I had my progesterone upped and I didn't bleed early although no success. Fast forward a couple of cycles, 1 lost and a chemical I had my progesterone checked and it was low when I had my chemical. We have since upped my dose again and check on day of transfer and my levels were much better. I currently have a BFP and Im on heaps of the stuff now. So I agree, some of us perhaps don't absorb the progesterone very well and its good that think that too. I would recommend high progesterone to anyone now!xx

[LadyM2019 in reply to Cinderella5]

Congratulations on your BFP! That's really helpful to hear that. It's such a straightforward thing to test/check it makes you wonder why it's not routine. Great to hear you got your positive xx

[Mrsmc2019]

Hiya, I had a full on period 9 days after my first fresh cycle(came the exact day it was due to)

I was only on 1x crinone pessary per day.

I am having my frozen transfer tomorrow and have asked 3 times for more progesterone but they are still giving me one per day! I’ve pretty much written this cycle off already

Good luck with your next cycle 🤞🏻🙏🤞🏻Xx

[LadyM2019 in reply to Mrsmc2019]

Oh Mrsmc It's awful when you're not expecting it and why would we be.. I feel like the nhs clinics are so hard to negotiate with once they've made up their mind. I really hope luck is on your side this time xx

[Mrsmc2019 in reply to LadyM2019]

It’s horrid 😞 they should of warned that it could happen but all they say is to test 2 weeks later. At least I’m prepared for that now! Drinking pomegranate juice like it’s going out of fashion lol and have my pineapple ready for tomorrow (worth a shot)

If this round fails and we have to pay private it will be interesting to see how different we are treated.

Thank you! Same to you lovely xx