2 chemical pregnancies in 3 month, low progesterone levels?

[ArishaC]

Hi ladies, after what I can describe as hell on earth last year I am finally feeling strong enough to ask for some advice/experience from you 💕

I've had 3 transfers (luckily only one ivf, as we had 12 embryos). My first transfer didn't stick. But last October and December I have had 2 transferred each time and both were chemical pregnancy's.

I was devasted but also angry and questioning my ivf clinic. So we always went private, as i have a daughter from my first relationship. I always had one doctor who I have selected myself and she has been dealing with us all the way through.

So after the first transfer I said to my doctor that I've had a blood test done in the past and I'm prone to miscarage. So I was sent for a blood test and this was indeed confirmed (shocked that it was me asking for it after all the money we pay). So my second transfer I was given blood thinning injections.

On day 4 I had quite a strong positive. On day 6 I had super strong positive. But I started to bleed. It got worse by day 8 and not getting any decent advice from my private consultant I went to a & e. They took my bloods and hcg came back 34, but progesterone came back 10!!! Which is wayyy too low from what I read. My consultant was saying it flatuates... But I don't believe that 10 is a good sign or enough to support a pregnancy. How can I flatuate so such a low level?! Surely this isnt normal.. I read that it can cause a miscarage, especially if both embryos implanted(which was quite a high possibility).

I still didn't have a follow up appointment, which is next week. I have decided to take time off till the summer to heal and also get healthier and more fit before I do my next transfer. We still have 7❄️ left.

But im questioning if my clinic has done enough to keep my pregnancy going! Why my progesterone was so low? Why the previous time they didn't check that I need blood thinners...

Sorry for a long post, but maybe someone has advise or had similar experience with progesterone? I've heard lubion is a good way to get enough progesterone and heard some success stories..

Trying to calm down and make a list of questions I have for my appointment.. Any advice would be so appreciated 💋❤️💕

Much love to all of you, warriors XxXX

[Hopingfornumber2]

Hi ArishaC, sorry you’re going through this. The journey really is so hard.

I have had successful IVF (1st attempt) followed by 8 failed attempts( 3 of which have been chemical) ! But also 3 natural ectopics. About 3 cycles ago I did a dry run and some biopsies ERA/EMMA/ALICE and one of these checks how receptive your lining is on what would be the day of transfer. In my case I was pre-receptive. I now need 6 days of progesterone ahead of a transfer rather than 5. I am still taking lubion sub cut in the morning and crinone gel at night.

I am yet to know if that is enough because my next transfer failed but I actually think there is an issue with this clinic so I am moving. Like you I am frustrated by having to research and suggest possibilities myself despite spending over 10k last year.

I have a consultation with Gennet In Prague by WebEx this month and hoping the fresh eyes will give me some new perspective.

The very best of luck

[Jess1981]

I’m so sorry for your losses very awful.🥲 I’ve had a late loss of 20 weeks and 3 early losses it’s very difficult losing any pregnancy. 🥲. I know there was a lady on here that had done quite a few failed transfers and only when she had her progesterone checked and upped did she have a successful pregnancy with her little boy. I thought after miscarriages progesterone was issued by nice guidelines as I think that has been updated? I guess with IVF you’d be on progesterone already? Some ladies do have an issue with absorbing progesterone and need stronger prescriptions then just cycolgest. If in any doubt at all I’d get a second opinion. Personally I think 10 does sound too low however I’m not at all medically trained! What I’ve learnt from this TTC larky is if you have a gut feeling back it normally we do know our bodies better than anyone else. Wishing you lots of luck. sometimes we don’t always know why some pregnancies aren’t viable- we had our daughter Francesca after our first chemical pregnancy and I’m 34 weeks pregnant after a late loss and 2 early losses. Post mortem on our daughter Amelia revealed no obvious cause of death and miscarriage specialist couldn’t reveal a cause for our early losses- tho I did push hard for the steroids as I’d had those with Francesca ( due to raised nk cells) as in Covid they were banned and with this pregnancy I had them till 12 weeks. Impossible to say if it was that or my body needed a rest after birthing my still born daughter. I hope you can get the answers and extra you need to help another pregnancy along ☝🏻Xx

[Barenina]

So sorry to hear about your losses. I feel you. It’s hell on the earth!

I also have a child from before and trying for my second. We had our 8th IVF attempt for sibling this autumn and I finally got pregnant but had a misses miscarriage at 7 weeks. Two months later I got pregnant on our first ever FET but I was spotting from 11dpo.

My clinic had no advise and said I just had to relax but I went to check my progesterone levels and they were only 6!

I wrote my clinic and they just told he to double my dose and not check again. Three weeks later with spotting and small bleeding every day there and as nothing to see at my 6 weeks ultrasound.

Now my clinic think I didn’t absorb my progesterone very well. Usually I take cyclogest but I asked for a oral progesterone this time (dupahstone) and I am beating myself up for asking for that and also angry with the clinic for not realizing earlier that this progesterone was not working well and advising me to take something else when it was still maybe a chance.

For next cycle they said they will test my progesterone 5 days after egg collection, give my cyclogest again and that I should take a HCG trigger shot 6 days past egg collection to boost natural progesterone levels. I also wonder what else I can possible do.

I have pcos so my progesterone level has never been tested in a cycle.

It’s frustrating to do all the research when it’s the clinic's job to do this! It’s already stressful enough this journey!

Someone here gave me the tips of taking lubion injection so I will maybe push for that also 🤷🏻‍♀️

Enjoy your break and save up some energy to start again fresh 💫

Hugs Nina

[MrsOrangejuice]

I'm sorry for what you've been through. This is long but I was in a very similar situation this year, so I hope it helps: I had two rounds of IVF in around three months, including two fresh transfers (one NHS and then had to go private as the delays were too long to do any more transfers) and from those, two BFPs. Sadly they ended before 6 weeks. I got my HCG results back late and it turned out they were never that strong and had stopped rising - the meds had just stopped me having a bleed I guess. After seven years of unexplained infertility it was the first time I had seen positive pregnancy tests and the way my clinic had said how great everything was going on our first transfer, I really thought we had just been lucky first time. The second one I was a bit more ready for. My doctors said it was just a numbers game and getting pregnant and having it develop even for a while was a good sign and ruled out a lot of issues and tests. However, I wanted to know if there was anything we could change so I had a lot of calls with my consultant and really pushed on anything and everything that might be relevant - he said unlikely genetic because of our ages, not quality generally for same reason and good sperm results etc, not a physical or lining issue (I'd had a hysteroscopy), not blood clotting (had that tested), no need from ERA etc as it had implanted and developed... So maybe get those all checked for relevance, but we were a bit stuck. I had endometriosis when I was younger which had finally gone but since then I always spotted before periods and had loads of other symptoms that didn't seem normal - always fobbed off by doctors - but I researched (plus received amazing advice on here) and there can be problems with progesterone absorbance and progesterone resistance (usually with oestrogen dominance). It's common with endometriosis, even when there aren't any lesions. Basically your progesterone blood levels can be high but the uterus doesn't necessarily react to all forms of progesterone properly. Also it can just be low. Apparently vaginal progesterone can be better absorbed in these cases. My progesterone had been sky high very early on my previous BFPs taking cyclogest rectally, but I'd still spotted. So for the FET, my doctor agreed to put me on ultrogestan vaginally, plus lubion injections. And I took aspirin and folate (not just folic acid) just in case. I had my progesterone measured on the day of transfer and it was 52 which doctor said was ok, but low for the amount I was on, so added an extra lubion per day. We got a BFP at 3dpt and the HCG and everything else was much stronger. I stayed on progesterone until around 11 weeks but when I came off I spotted straight away, so went back on them - so they were definitely doing something for me. Also the UK NICE guidance is now to use vaginal progesterone in miscarriage risk, so it's only just being recognised and maybe why it's not been as closely watched for you. I would push it though as my doctor said you can't have too much progesterone.