by Ashlye K

Created on: May 19, 2009   Last Updated: May 22, 2009

The link between miscarriage and low progesterone is a controversial topic in the medical community. The argument among the medical community is whether low progesterone is the cause of the miscarriage or if the low progesterone is a symptom of an impending miscarriage that was bound to fail due to other abnormalities. Some gynecologists hold the viewpoint that there is not enough research to determine definitively whether low progesterone is a cause of miscarriages, and do not consider supplementation as an option. There are also some gynecologists who agree that there is a possible link, and are open to allowing their patients to supplement with progesterone when recurrent miscarriages occur. Then there is the population of women that swear through their own personal experience that their miscarriages were stopped after progesterone supplementation. I am writing on this topic as one of those women.

Prior to conceiving my youngest son, I experienced three consecutive miscarriages. Both of them were early in the pregnancy, prior to 6 weeks. The symptoms of each miscarriage was the same, all began with spotting, and all ended early. After a battery of tests revealed that there was nothing physically wrong with me that would cause me to miscarry recurrently, I began to do my own research. I found a lot of information on the Internet, but was most impressed with what I found on a website full of women's stories relating to miscarriage and low progesterone (www.lowprogesteroneinpregnancy.com).

I checked into my last miscarriage and discovered that the progesterone numbers were low. I asked my doctor if she would allow me to try progesterone supplementation with my next pregnancy. She agreed that I could, but emphasized that there was no guarantee that it would work. She did state that the supplementation would not hurt, but warned me against looking at it as a sure answer. As soon as I became pregnant I contacted her office and she started me on progesterone supplements, 2 times per day for the first twelve weeks of my pregnancy. I had no spotting as I did with my previous pregnancies, and had a pleasantly uneventful pregnancy and delivery. I delivered a healthy 8lbs, 7 oz. baby boy at 39 weeks!

Can I state unequivocally that the progesterone supplements allowed me to have a successful pregnancy? Maybe not. Fortunately for me, I had a doctor that was willing to be open-minded. She will probably never say that is the reason for my successful pregnancy, but every day I see my son is all the proof that I will ever need. This is certainly not medical advice, and a woman should definitely consult with her doctor prior to beginning any sort of progesterone supplementation. However, I do think that if a woman is having recurrent miscarriages, with no known medical reason, it should be at least something that should be considered.

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