Trying for a baby (12+ M/not straightforward)

becs

Hi Annie,

I'm still very much learning about my condition with the prolactin issues but am finding out lots along the way. My understanding with progesterone is it affects fertility in that your leuteal phase might not be long enough. As you conceived I don't think this would be an issue. As for the prolactin, basically similar story, prolactin is produced when you are pregnant, so if you have high prolactin before conceiving your body thinks it already is pregnant and therfore stops ovulating and prevents conception. As you have managed to conceive I would put it down to just being one of the unexplained mc's and think positive that next time will be different. MC statistics are extremely high unfortunately and although I've yet to actually conceive myself it is something I have prepared myself for as best I can. We've been trying 2 years now and I'm sure if we got a BFP now then mc it would be devastating but tehre is a huge part of me that can see the positive that it is relatively common and therefore doesn't necessarily mean I have a problem. And also positive in that after 2 years of trying and adjusting meds etc that we'll have cracked the conception problem! I really hope this doesn't sound insensitive as I'm desperately trying not to but to try and reassure you that mc's happen all the time and is just one of those things.
My Mum, My sister in law and my best friend all had mc's before sucessful pregnancys and it's just natures way of sparing us more heartache later on.

I hope you and Nikabella are able to pick yourselves up when you are ready and go on to have happy healthy pregnancys. Nikabella, it sounds like you are in a much more posiive frame of mind and as you say sometimes we get so caught up in what we want so badly we forget to really appreciate all that we have. Good luck to you both.

AnnieM_3

becs wrote: »

As you have managed to conceive I would put it down to just being one of the unexplained mc's and think positive that next time will be different. MC statistics are extremely high unfortunately and although I've yet to actually conceive myself it is something I have prepared myself for as best I can. We've been trying 2 years now and I'm sure if we got a BFP now then mc it would be devastating but tehre is a huge part of me that can see the positive that it is relatively common and therefore doesn't necessarily mean I have a problem. And also positive in that after 2 years of trying and adjusting meds etc that we'll have cracked the conception problem! I really hope this doesn't sound insensitive as I'm desperately trying not to but to try and reassure you that mc's happen all the time and is just one of those things.

You don't sound insensitive at all! You're right in that we are still one step further on than we were as we have actually been able to conceive, which I am extremely grateful for. I know early mc's are very common in first pregnancies, and hopefully it was 'just one of those things'. I just need to feel I've done everything I can maximise my ability to carry a baby to term, so I'll feel happier in my own mind if we conceive again!

There seem to be differing opinions over whether low progesterone is a cause, or merely a symptom of mc, and I read something about high prolactin being a possible cause. I figure I might as well check with the doctor, just in case she thinks a supplement might be worth it. I was meant to go back for a repeat cd3 prolactin test anyway (after the lab forgot to do my last one!), so I need to check if I should still do that.

I hope we'll all soon have good news and sticky beans!

AnnieM x

becs

Hi Annie,

I really wouldn't link the prolactin with a mc. As I said your body produces more prolactin when you are pregnant so it should be higher than normal in pregnancy. It's responsible for you producing milk for the baby so it's quite normal. High prolactin only really comes into play for conception because it tricks your body into thinking it already is pregnant and therefore stops ov and af's. I know it's easy for me to say but I would really try not to think it was something that was caused by your body and believe it was just one of those sad things. As the old saying goes if we don't go through the bad times how can we truly appreciate the good times.
All the best Annie.

shelly

AnnieM wrote: »

I feel more like I'll definitely be ready to start trying next cycle. I want to ask my GP about whether the low progesterone or high prolactin they found before could have any impact on a pregnancy. I need to know whether I should be on progesterone or whatever. Because I got pg just before we were due to go for our referral, I don't know if we should get referred again to investigate the dodgy results or whether the will just consider us ok unless more mc's happen. I'm hoping this mc didn't happen because of low progesterone that could have been sorted - the doctor didn't say anything about it when I went for my first appointment with her, but maybe she had forgotten or maybe it was too late by then anyway?

AnnieM x

Having done a little research I'd definately see your GP in regards to low progesterone.
I'm sorry to say that progesterone is needed to support and maintain early pregnancy.
Found this.....
**Hormone imbalance
Progesterone is a hormone which prepares the lining of the womb for a pregnancy. If the egg is not fertilised the lining is shed in menstruation.
If a pregnancy occurs, progesterone, together with other hormones, continues to maintain the lining and keep the pregnancy secure. If there are low levels of progesterone in early pregnancy a miscarriage can occur**

here http://www.lifefertilitycare.co.uk/recmiscarr.html


also this
**If Progesterone Levels are low, a woman may have difficulty conceiving or in maintaining a pregnancy. Low Progesterone Levels in early pregnancy are a major cause of miscarriage. In either of these conditions, Progesterone supplements may be prescribed to help a woman become pregnant or to maintain a pregnancy.**

here http://www.internethealthlibrary.com/women/Progesterone-Levels.htm



As always though as this is info from the net I'd advise seeing your gp to clarify things.

AnnieM_3

Thank you for the info Shelly :A

I will definitely make an appointment with my GP to discuss.

AnnieM x

ginvzt

How is everyone?
I am back from my visit home. I got a nice surprise - my friend is pregnant. I couldn't visit her, and although these days news of someone else being pregnant make me upset and depressed, I am truly happy for her. Her first pregnancy ended unfortunately when baby stopped growing and they had to "clean up", when she was told it was twins. She got a lovely boy afterwards, and I know she has been trying since (6-7 years), and had at least one mc since and lots of health problems. This time, I really hope she will do well.

Just to share the difference in the attitude to mc - she is 6 weeks pregnant, and she was jsut back from hospital with suspected mc. Don't know, but it seems that doctors in Lithuania are trying that small and fragile life - she is only 6 weeks pregnant, but instead of sending her home, they put her in the hospital to check things!!!!!

gymfiend

Hi all,

Ginvzt nice news about your friend, hope you had a good time away How's the cat? Our younger cat has been horrid this week bringing in all sorts of animals - thankfully we've gotten to the mice and birds before she's killed them and they all flew/scurried away but yuck, I hope she gets out of this phase - in her previous almost 3 years of life she's only ever brought in one bird!

Becs - how are you doing? I'm wondering, I have a trip to the endo at the start of May but they've not asked me to get my bloods done in the letter, should I just go and get it taken and sent to them anyway? I did this last time and they told me the results so am wondering if it's just normal that they presume you will!?

I've got a Q - I bought these ov sticks and have been testing since CD9, based on a 29 day cycle I was assuming I'd have got a positive around CD13, presuming that it shows positive 24-36 hours before ov. I'm on CD13 today and nothing - am I calculating right?! No ewcm either, and now I'm starting to panic that I'm not ov'ing! I really thought these would make me calmer but actually they're making me panic more!!

Watched the Great Sperm Race on 4od last night after avoiding for a while - my word, how do any babies get made?! Made me wonder about trying pre-seed too - is anyone else using it? Guess it's too late for this month as I'm hoping to ov on Thursday I think

Hope everyone is ok, hugs to all who need them xx

becs

Hi Gymfriend,

I'm getting on ok, my last bloods showed prolactin at 150 which is the lowest they have been since being diagnosed, also (will elaborate on this in a sec) my ov has come forward from day 22 to day 14 this month! So it looks like teh meds are doing what they are supposed to, fingers crossed it helps us nail that elusive BFP soon! My endo sent me to have bloods done when I saw him but the results took ages to come back and when they did prolactin was really high again so he doubled the dose. If you can get them done before I would try to as he can make any decisions to meds when you see him and can ask relevant questions. My GP surgery does prolactin for me whenever I want and I just ring through for the levels and verbally tell him. This seems to be fine with him.
Regards ov as per earlier bit, when I first started charting last july it showed I was ov'ing on cd22, when they doubled meds in Jan, it moved to cd 20, then feb was cd18 then this month was cd14! so if your prolactin is high it could be that causing ov'ing later in cycle. As a side point to that though I never managed to get a positive on ov strips, as I discovered a few posts ago either on here or "normal" TTC thread that you need to do them middle of the day and when you haven't had a drink for a while to dilute urine! I get on much better with the clearblue monitor.
Good luck with your endo. Have you had your MRI?

gymfiend

Great news on day 14 ov You're bang on there - will keep fingers crossed for you - what CD are you on?

Had my MRI but they sent the results to the wrong department so haven't had it fed back to me yet, they know there's a tumour from a previous scan so guess they will just tell me measurements when I see the endo in May? Will go to the GP and get bloods taken a couple of weeks before then Really struggling to track OV with these sticks, was hoping to know for def whether or not I was oving before seeing the endo so I could discuss but now I think I won't because these sticks are flipping stupid!! Fingers crossed I get a positive tomorrow

becs

Hi Gymfriend,

I'm CD24 now, I have a 12 day luteal phase so AF due on friday. I'm not holding out any hope as no symptoms at all.Will be disappointed though as was really hoping this month could be it with the ov cd14, would be a due date of boxing day what a fab xmas pressie/start to the new year and it would mean that the whole house would be capricorn lol! Me, dh and the dog currently!
My last MRI showed tumour had shrunk by 1mm on 1 side since being on the bromocriptine. I have to say the clearblue monitor has to be my best investment. It's reassured me I am ov'ing, made it a lot less hassle than temping and easier than the ov sticks. I know alot of people say it adds to the pressure because of the lack of spontanaeity (sp!) but for me I think it's done the opposite. Unfortunately one of the side effects of the tumour has been a libido through the floor so bd'ing every other day just wasn't going to happen and starting around day 14 when ov'ing around 22 meant we were both fed up by then! This has helped because we know the 2 crucial days and anything else is a bonus. We did manage 2 days before ov, 1 day before ov,ov itself and 1 day post ov this month which is good! Sorry tmi! Anyway I love the cbfm and would recommend it. I got mine off ebay, only thing I don't like is the price of test sticks!