Question About Prometrium

Dear D.,
I suggest you find a HypnoFertility Therapist to help you conceive. Look on the HypnoBirthing web site to find a therapist.
Best of luck, S.

Hi D.,
I have alot of experience with low progesterone myself. I found this wonderful doctor who deals only with natural hormones. His name is Dr. Platt, he is in the Palm Desert area and he is a wonderful doctor, he can definitely help you to get pregnant in a non invasive and healthy way. He has a website and it is www.drplatt.com and he wrote a wonderful book all about natural hormones.

Good luck,
M. S.

I don't know about Prometrium, but when I read about your situation, I wanted to send you a note.
I, too, have low progesterone and have a short luteal phase. I spot for a long time before I actually start menstruating. SO... my husband and I thought we weren't going to get pregnant for a while and started making plans for our life without a baby. One time, I threw caution to the wind because I thought, "Oh, an egg wouldn't even be able to implant." As it turned out, my body did something different that month, a fertilized egg WAS able to implant, and now we have a 6 month old baby. So, there is hope. Our bodies sometimes change. I hope what you're trying works out for you!

Hi D.,
I am a pharmacist and I have a close friend who took Prometrium during her two live-birth pregnancies. Prior to the use of Prometium she had been unable to keep her pregnancies (had 5 miscarriages). It was determined by her OB/GYN that low levels of progesterone may have been the reason for her frequent miscarriages. She now has 2 kids. Both very smart, beautiful and healthy. As soon as she started the Prometrium, she had no more miscarrages. Needless to say, my friend is a firm believer that the prometrium helped her. I, myself did not take prometrium per-se but was prescribed progesterone vaginal suppositories (same idea) after 2 miscarriages. Progesterone is the hormone responsible for maintaining the pregnancy once conception has occured. If you have a short luteal phase (which you seem to have), then it is very likely that your progesterone levels are low (your doctor can sometimes order a laboratory test to confirm this). If this is the case, prometrium may be of help. Prometrium is chemically IDENTICAL to the progesterone produced by the human body (unlike other synthetic progestins) so it is safe to take in early pregnancy if your levels are low. Once you achieve pregnancy you would usually continue the progesterone supplementation until the placenta takes over progesterone production (at about 12 weeks gestation). At that point, your doctor will probably discontinue the medication. About the pregnancy category...the only medications that are category "A" (considered super-duper safe) are vitamins. Most medications which are considered safe during pregnancy are category "B" (like prometrium). And, in practice, it is not uncommon to see prescriptions for medications in the "C" and "D" category prescribed to pregnant women (risks and benefits need to be weighed). I believe the reason why Prometrium is "contraindicated" in pregnancy (based on the package insert) is because the manufacturer has not PROVEN that it is useful to mantain pregnancy in the absence of progesterone deficiency and because certain studies suggest that other SYNTHETIC progestins (medroxyprogesterone, for example) may increase the risk of some minor birth defects.
Sorry for all the rambling, but hopefully you found some of this information useful. And...remember, many of us took years to have a successful pregnancy so try not to get discouraged!

I had multiple miscarriages until I started taking prometrium from the time of conception. I now have a beautiful healthy 7 month old baby boy. I am fairly positive the prometrium is what allowed me to carry my baby. Good luck!

Hi
I too had a short luteal phase and a hard time maintaining my pregnancies. I took progesterone (which made me sick) and one baby aspirin a day and I have a beautiful 8 month old baby girl!
Good luck!
N

Hi D.! I also had a luteal phase defect and tried to conceive for 14 months. I got pregnant unexpectantly three months after I had surgery to remove and endometrioma from my ovary. I was bleeding very early on and had boderline low progesterone. I took the prometrium vaginally twice a day for 12 weeks. The bleeding stopped by 8 weeks and I had a normal, healthy pregnancy from there. I now have a happy, and beautiful 8 month old daughter. Good luck and keep trying!

Prometrium is a synthetic progesterone that was developed for the treatment of menopause symptoms. This is what it is actually approved for by the FDA. Getting a drug approved for use during pregnancy is next to impossible because of the restrictions on medical research on pregnant women, so pretty much everything has that "contraindicated for pregnancy" statement. It's use to help women maintain a pregnancy is considered off-label use. However it has been done enough that the FDA can give it a Category B rating. Category B means that there have been no formal controlled studies proving it's safety but enough pregnant women have used it to indicate that there is "no evidence of risk".
- can you tell I work in medical research?-
Any way, I've never had to use it but two of my friends have. One has a beautiful little girl and the other is going to start trying again after her vacation to Asia in a few months.

Good luck and happy conceiving.

Hi I am 25.5 weeks now an I took prometrium vaginally for the first 3.75 months-before I had 3 misscarriages an I am sure it helped hold things-my midvives also told me to take it-the r. don't want to say it works or dosent work they will just prescribe it-they feel it can't hurt-I am convinced-good luck -take the herb Maca too-it will help regulate the hormone levels-read about it online-L.

Hi D.,
I asked the same question when my OB/GYN put me on Prometrium for the same reason. It was confusing because the patient information page from the pharmacy says NOT to use it during pregnancy and that progesterone hasn't been shown effective in preventing miscarriage. The explanation the nurse in my doctors office gave is that there are two forms of progesterone, synthetic and natural. Natural progesterone (which Prometrium is) is safe to use but the FDA doesn't differentiate between the two forms and puts the warning on all progesterone. Hope this eases your mind.

I didn't have a history of miscarriage but my OB put me on the Prometrium because my progesterone was low and we were having trouble conceiving. He had me take it from the day after ovulation through the end of each cycle. Once I became pregnant he had me continue to take it until I was 12 weeks pregnant because that's when the placenta is large enough to take over the production of progesterone on it's own. It tooks us close to two years to conceive, 8 months on Clomid and Prometrium. We now have a delightful 14 month old daughter. Best wishes.

I just asked my doctor that very question about the progesterone that I am currently on (this is the vaginal type pill, but I believe it is the same). I am also trying to get pregnant for the first time and we have unfortunately had some bumps in the road. We have only been trying for a few months, but I am already in my second cycle of chlomid & HCG and in my initial cycle of progesterone. My doctor says that when your progesterone is low (usually happens over the age of 35), that the walls of the uterus are not as 'sticky' or thick as they need to be in order to have the egg properly attach and the progesterone helps this. It increases blood flow and makes for a healthier site for the egg implantation and allows it to remain attached. I am also taking an 81mg of aspirin dailing that is suppose to help increase blood flow as well. It's a complicated journey, but hopefully it will be a blissful one in the end!
Good luck to you on your journey... sticky baby dust to all who are trying to conceive!
M