Had a frozen embryo transfer yesterday. Clinic just called to say my progesterone levels were at 16 and they want it at 50. Advice was to double the lubion from today until Thursday. Obviously very disappointed and disheartening in less that 24 hours it’s all come crashing down already.
Has anyone had this and still had a positive outcome? I already feel like the situation is hopeless so doing the maths can’t see how I can get to 50 in a few hours.
What say you?
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leo1980
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Sorry, not experienced the same, but they’d know what you need to get it to that stage so hoping for the best for you!
Not sure what the numbers all mean- I’m in TWW and my clinic said my progesterone was 14 and that was fine according to them?? Big difference from the 50 your clinic want you at.
Maybe call them and discuss with them if doubling the lubion will get you to 50, and whether there’s alternative form of progesterone they could prescribe to give you the boost. If not, atleast they’ll be able to reassure you
Thank you so much for responding. Shed the tears and moved on. Just guttered with the numbers. But like you said perhaps they just aiming high. I refuse to Google like a psychopath (IVF turns me into one of note)
It is what it is at this point. They have changed the meds to prontogest which is painful and fast acting so will take it tonight.
Thank you, this was just the reassurance I needed. How are you holding up?
I completely understand the worry! I don’t understand why they test on the day of transfer and not a few days before instead. I told myself I would absolutely NOT google normal progesterone levels after finding out mine was 14 and I’ve stuck to it. Helped me keep my sanity, until I saw that your clinic wants you at 50! 😂 too late to do anything about that now so I’m not going to let myself stress over it or google anything ahah.
I’ve been trying to focus on “letting go” at this point, there’s nothing we can do or not do at this point to change whatever the outcome will be- we just have to wait and see.
I’ve been pretty relaxed but here I am, scrolling through fertility posts 😂. I’m trying to avoid any “symptom spotting” posts as I don’t want to inadvertently compare my symptoms to anyone else’s as the symptoms literally mean nothing when comparing between individuals.
Wishing you all the best and praying this sticks for you!
Sorry! I didn’t think about the consequences of my post. Full on crazy here!
After my hissy fit/epic meltdown this morning, I have just parked it. Going to just go with the flow like you say nothing I can do about it now. Sensible lady you are!
Ping if you need anything. I hope it works for us.
Hi Leo, I think progesterone levels fluctuate rapidly depending on when we take doses of our medications, it doesn’t last long in our system hence the frequent dosing. I used to take my next dose after my blood test so I would get an indication of how “low” my levels were getting (not sure if my logic is sound of course as I am not medical!).
I also think the older we get the more likely we are to have lower progesterone levels naturally so need a bit more support. I had low levels on my last FET and my clinic said I could take lubion and get blood tests to check levels regularly or take protogest (intra muscular injection in bum) every 2nd day and not need regular blood tests. I opted for prontogest and my little miracle is 8 weeks old now.
Will your clinic retest your levels on Thursday? Or sooner? Xx
Hi! My clinic wants progesterone around 30 or above. They insist that there is sufficient time to increase the level after transfer. My progesterone was on the low side (24) on the day of my second FET. They increased my meds on the day after transfer when we got the results and the transfer worked. All fingers crossed for yours!
Hi Leo1980, yes I did. My clinic tests progesterone level the day before embryo transfer and to my shock, the day before the current transfer, my progesterone level was also only 16 nmol (my clinic likes it to be at least 30nmol). My doctor wasn't too worried about it and said progesterone levels fluctuate all the time, the result does not necessarily correspond to what is happening in the uterus and I should increase the use of pessaries from 3 a day to 4 a day and that should be enough.
The following day after I had frozen embryo transfer, I mentioned that the pessaries do not seem to be absorbed by my body properly, as I can see a lot of white residue on the outside. I was then told to switch to Prolutex injections once a day. 10 days later was my OTD and I got a BFP, but my progesterone level was still at 16nmol! My doctor then added the 4 Utrogestan pessaries to the daily Prolutex injections, which, 4 days later, increased my progesterone level to 34 nmol and, 6 days later, to 50 nmol. I should also mention that my lining on the day of the transfer was 13 and, as I understand, progesterone is responsible for the thickening of the lining...
That said, either it is possible to get pregnant with a progesterone level as low as 16 nmol or blood tests are unreliable when it comes to measuring the true progesterone level in the uterus.
Every clinic has a different number to aim for apparently. The same thing happened to me, mine was 28 on day of transfer and they want it to be 50, but the nurse told me some clinics accept 20, some want 30. Anyway I was already on 3 x Cyclogest and 2 x prontogest per week - they added daily prontogest into the mix and I’m now 9 weeks. This was my 3rd transfer. It’s so hard but I personally felt letting go and trusting the docs was my only choice at the time x. Good luck xx
Thank you, just wanted you to know that increasing it on the actual day worked fine for me and how the nurses had really reassured me that every clinic works differently. Lots and lots of luck xxx
My progesterone levels dropped dramatically a few days after the TWW when I got a BFP result. I was put on lubion injections twice a day. My levels rose from 5.2ng/ml to 45.7 ng/ml in a matter of days. I am now 10wks 6 pregnant.
Mine was low was on day of transfer. Can't remember the number but I started on Lubion that day. I was very anxious about it but the transfer worked and we went on to have twins.
my progesterone dropped a few times during my 2WW. It doesn’t mean that it hasn’t worked, they like to keep the progesterone high to support a potential pregnancy, if you do get pregnant your body will also produce progesterone naturally. I worried every time it went down but I done a lot of research and it’s just the clinic giving your embryo the best possible chance! X
Thank you Rosie! No fault of the clinic at all. I just feel like I should have known….but like you said we have no way of knowing the actual levels in a non ivf cycle clinics just try for the best don’t they. Thank you for responding. The reassurance is comforting
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