Low Progesterone and Miscarriage
Question
I am 29 years old and have three living children. The youngest is 7.5 months and I have a 2.5 year old and oldest is 3.5 years old. I like having my children closely spaced like that.
Anyhow, I recently miscarried our 4th child at 6 weeks along. I temp and I noticed that the months after my last baby was born and including the month I got pregnant again this last time my post ovulation temps were a lot lower than normal. Usually would be 98.5 and now they are around 97.7.
I am concerned I have low progesterone and could have another miscarriage because of this. I have talked to my OB and he just suggests waiting it out a few months to see if my temps regulate and then I may try a progesterone cream. Do you think my low progesterone caused this miscarriage? I had some tests done after this miscarriage and my prolactin was a 3 and my thyroid was in the middle range. My beta blood test was down to 10 at the time these other tests were taken and now it’s 2.
I am just so confused and now scared that I will go on to have another miscarriage and that for some reason I have low progesterone now.
Thanks!
Holly
Answer
Last Updated: June 14, 2013
Low progesterone can be a cause of miscarriage, and if low progesterone is suspected, a fairly simple regime of blood tests can be performed to check your levels in the last phase of the menstrual cycle and determine if supplementation with natural progesterone is advisable before attempting to achieve pregnancy again.
You may want to go through one complete cycle after the miscarriage first, to let your body recover, before testing these levels. If you are indeed low in progesterone, you can supplement your levels for ten days in the cycle with a natural progesterone, beginning on Peak + 3. A physician can prescribe progesterone and given by suppository, injection, or in oral mircronized form. Over-the counter progesterone creams are available, but may not be of sufficient potency or quality to be of help. Progesterone is also helpful in the first trimester of pregnancy as well as pre-conception.
Mary L. Davenport, M.D.
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