what should progesterone levels be for FET?

[Hopewhite]

hi I hope you’re all doing well and keeping hope up wherever you’re in your journey xx

I’ve FET scheduled for this Thursday, the nurse told me I need to have a blood test to check progesterone levels the day before transfer. I didn’t get this with my 1st fresh transfer (ended as MMC) so wondering what the optimal levels should be ? Also, what happens if it’s low would they delay ?

Thank you very much for sharing your experiences !

All the best of luck to you all xx

[BabyDust23]

hello Hopewhite, I also didn’t have progesterone levels checked for the fresh transfer however have told that I will have blood tests for the frozen embryo transfer. The nurse told me it would be day 16 of my cycle which will be day 4 of pessaries, the levels should be above 45mmol. If the level is less then I would have to have progesterone injections for 12 weeks. As I am under the NHS they offer prontogest intramuscular injections every 3 days, or I could self fund for subcutaneous daily injections of Lubion at £58 a week for 12 weeks. Hope this helps. Good luck with your transfer and hopefully you don’t need the extra progesterone xx

[Hopewhite in reply to BabyDust23]

Hi babydust thank you so much for explaining this in detail , does it mean the transfer would go as planned but if levels come low then they’ll prescribe some progesterone injections ?

Thank you for the good wishes, likewise I hope everything goes perfectly for you xx when’s your FET date ??

[Kitkat10 in reply to Hopewhite]

Yes transfer goes ahead anyway but if progesterone needs boosting they give you lubion or injectable progesterone alongside the pessaries. Good luck x

[Hopewhite in reply to Kitkat10]

Thank you Kitkat, I was just wondering as this will be my first FET so still learning the process, good to know you can carry on. It doesn’t feel very real just yet , although I’m starting to get the jitters!

I hope you’re doing well . All the best of luck for your journey xx

[BabyDust23 in reply to Hopewhite]

Hi Hopewhite, yeah the transfer should still go ahead but with extra progesterone boost

My FET was supposed to be planned for the 15th November but my cycle is delayed I’m still waiting on AF to show her face so it will now be pushed back. Typical the only time I want her to arrive and she’s late! Xx

[Mrs_G_xo]

Hi! Clinic wanted levels to be at 30 (not sure of measurement unit) but mine was 30.5 which meant I just continued on my Cyclogest pessaries and didn’t need an additional injection. It won’t stop transfer going ahead if it’s lower than recommended, it just means you might need some further progesterone support. They advised us of it mainly because we’re paying private and would have needed approximately £1000 of additional medication if this had been the case! Hope everything goes well! X

[Hopewhite in reply to Mrs_G_xo]

Hi thank you very much for sharing your experience. That’s good to know I was worried it could cause further delays. Thank you for the good wishes I hope you’re doing well on your journey, sending you loads of hope and good luck xx

[Mrs_G_xo in reply to Hopewhite]

Thank you! It’s a very daunting experience especially when it’s your first time (like me!). We got our BFP yesterday so we are over the moon (OTD on Weds) but you never stop worrying even when it’s positive news xx

[Hopewhite in reply to Mrs_G_xo]

Congratulations that’s great news !! I hope everything keeps developing perfectly for you xx May I ask what day did you test ? I’ve been told it’s 12 days, I was very good to wait on the first fresh transfer , but would like to know just in case I’m not as patient this time 😂

[Mrs_G_xo in reply to Hopewhite]

Thank you so much! I tested on day 10 post transfer as I was feeling sick and really tired and it came up straight away, should officially test on day 13 so will still do another test and then need to ring the clinic about next steps xx

[Hopewhite in reply to Mrs_G_xo]

Thank you for explaining, amazing news for you , what a lovely outcome for your first transfer ! , I hope you have a smooth pregnancy and you get to relax and enjoy after this xx

[Eloquentia]

My clinic too wants them above 30. My progesterone level was low for my first FET, so they increased my medication. Low again two days before the second FET, they ended up doubling the already increased medication and I think this is what made the difference for the FET to work. Very best of luck!

[Hopewhite in reply to Eloquentia]

Hi Eloquentia I hope you’re doing well in your journey, thank you for sharing this , that’s a relief that it will not cause further delays and there’s time to correct the levels , I hope I get as lucky as you did this time 🤞🏼

Sending you loads of good luck on your journey xx

[Comfortingsoul]

Hey! If your levels come back lower than they want to see they'll increase your dose post fet. Nothing to worry about. Good luck for Thursday 😘

[Hopewhite in reply to Comfortingsoul]

Hi Comfortingsoul, thank you for sharing this and for the good wishes, it’s a relief that it doesn’t get further delayed .

I hope you’re keeping strong and have good support around you, I read your post yesterday, I’m very sorry and hope you can get your dream come true very soon, all the best of luck xx

[Wishinandahopin]

hello, my first two transfers mine was 20 and then the next time 25 and my clinic want it over 25 (but I’ve heard that higher is much better) so both times I had to add injections and an extra pessary. The last time I did it, it was like 125 or something (I had done a stimulated transfer and 3 pessaries and Lubion) and I thought that may be too high but they said it was great. That cycle worked and I’m now 21 weeks. I’m sure there were other things at play but progesterone is super important and better to have too much than too little

[Hopewhite in reply to Wishinandahopin]

congratulations, it’s great news that it has worked for you ! I hope you’re having a smooth pregnancy so far and have managed to relax and enjoy it xx

Thank you for sharing your experience, it’s reassuring to know it’s being checked , wondering why they don’t do that for fresh transfer xx

[LaSep in reply to Wishinandahopin]

Hello, Congratulation on your pregnancy!

I was injecting 1ml progesterone in oil daily (started 6 days before the transfer day) and my doctor said no need to monitor the level of progesterone (it was frozen transfer and failed). How much progesterone daily were you taking during your first two transfers?

[Wishinandahopin in reply to LaSep]

Thank you! Progesterone in oil is the strongest progesterone and so this should be plenty for you as it goes straight into the muscle.

My two transfers that failed I was on the same amount of progesterone but it was a a fully medicated FET, the one that worked was a more natural mild stimulated FET so I was producing my own progesterone too.

I’m so sorry your transfer failed though.

It’s not the only reason my third one worked - I was also on steroids and blood thinners and had had lots of immune testing. But hard to tell what really did it.

[LaSep in reply to Wishinandahopin]

Thank you so much for your response! Enjoy the rest of your pregnancy