Progesterone shots

C

CanadaKate

Registered User
I found out I'm pregnant after a long fertility journey. My doctor was very cautious sometimes, I think, to stressing me out. But I'm happy about the result.
He's had me on twice-a-day vaginal progesterone pessaries for 2 weeks. Now he wants to supplement with daily progesterone shots, which he insists on doing himself, meaning I have to go to his clinic every day for the next 8 weeks. The says they will cause bruising (though, God knows, I'm used to needles now).
I looked online, and it seems like progesterone is generally used for women who have low levels or who have had past experiences with MC. Even then, it was one shot a week. I'm perfectly healthy, touch wood, with no past MC experiences.
Is this doctor being overly cautious? Did other women have daily shots for 2 months?
Merry Christmas to everyone. Happy new year. I wish you healthy, happy pregnancies!
 
Congratulations on your pregnancy!
I had mine every day but the nurses showed me how to do it so I injected myself. They are a bit painful at first but you get used to it - the bruising only happens if you his a small vain. I was on them for 2 months. No history of MC but also after fertiility issues.
If you don't want to do them yourself the nurses at your docs clinic should be able to do it for you at no costs - at least thats what happenned with my doctor.
 
CanadaKate said:
...Is this doctor being overly cautious? Did other women have daily shots for 2 months?
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Perhaps the more important question is why does your doctor have you on this treatment plan. If you don't have a history of miscarriages and or have any signs that indicate your pregnancy is being threatened, then it's a ligitimate question that you should raise to your doctor. If you're not satisfied with the response, then perhaps you should seek another doctor.
 
Hi Jayjay -- Thanks for the tip! I asked and he reacted defensively. He gave us horror stories of women who had lost their babies and implied we'd be irresponsible not to do as he said.
I'm no specialist, but I think I'm healthy. (We had male issues). I've never had gyn problems, my scans and HcG levels are good, I'm not very old, and there's no sign of bleeding. He seemed annoyed when I asked, and told me I was "high risk" and had "many hurdles to cross."
I don't mind a cautious doctor. But I know even the most careful women have MC sometimes, and it's not anyone's fault. I feel like this doctor would blame me personally. We've been lectured twice in 3 days about everything from ectopic pregnancy to fetal death. I don't want doom and gloom for 7-8 months.
I tried to book another specialist last week, but it's tough over the holidays. I'll keep doing the shots till I get a second opinion.
My husband and I talked last night. We're supposed to feel happy, but mostly we just feel nervous now.
 
CanadaKate said:
...I asked and he reacted defensively...
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Perhaps there's more to this story. Sorry if this sounds insensitive, but as it stands now, it seems to me that the doctor is just after your cash.
You should ask him the following:
"Why is my pregnancy classified as high risk?"
"Compared with a typical normal pregnancy, what extra hurdles do I have to cross?"

FYI, here's my story. My wife had a truely high risk pregnancy. She was in her mid-20s and healthy but she was carrying monozygotic (ie, identical) twins, had several episodes of slight bleeding during the 1st month and experienced one instance of massive bleeding in the 3rd month. Needless to say, our doctor put her on progesterone treatment.
But it was much less than what you're getting. She also had to take the twice-a-day pills like you do. He also supplemented with shots, but not daily for 8 weeks! Just daily for 3 days at a time. He would then re-assess after 2 or 3 weeks to see if the shots are still necessary. And, there's no reason (other than money) that your doctor should insist on doing it himself, especially if you live far away. Our doctor allowed us to get the shots from another doctor who's clinic is much closer to home.
 
CanadaKate said:
Jayjay -- Thanks again for your help! I hope your wife is OK now? :) Happy new year.
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You're welcome! My wife is alright. Our baby boys were actually born early this month. They're premature and should be in the NICU for a while. It's a rough ride but we're cautiously optimistic..

Happy New Year to you too!
 
Not much staying with a doctor you don't trust or you feel he is pushing you into things you dont want.

Has he checked your progesterone levels? If not then I can't see much need. Don't stop taking them until you can see someone else but go for a second opinion. YOu want your pregnancy to be a happy event not a constant stress.
I had a high risk pregnancy but at all times my doctor kept me informed and always discussed the pros and cons of the treatment.
 
Hi Alfa, Thank you everyone for being so kind.
It's right what you say about having a doctor who matches the patient.
I asked for a progesterone test and he said it was useless. He didn't give me one. Then he went into technical mumble jumble (at least to me) and said I couldn't possibly understand all the details.
The injections are expensive. His nurse had me buy a week's worth in advance, for more than HK $1,000, not covered by insurance. Over 2 months, that would be more than HK $8,000.
If I felt it was necessary to keep my baby safe, I would do it. But I'm not sure, since I'm already taking two 400 mg progesterone pessaries a day. On top of that, he wants two capsules (100 mg) injected at a clinic a day.
On the bright side, I've booked another doctor next week. Gotta love Hong Kong -- they even answer the phone on NY Eve! And I'm still happy to be pregnant. I just hope it turns out OK.

Jayjay -- Good luck to you, your wife and your two boys. What a lovely Christmas present!
 
For all the expectant mothers (and fathers) out there:
I found out that my doctor's statement that progesterone has "no side effects" is not true. The FDA's list of side effects is as long as my arm. Nothing serious, but stomach upset (which I have) and other unpleasantries. I don't mind, but I mind that my doctor was not entirely upfront.
Another study, citing the FDA, said prog. shots should be used for women with a history of MC (3 or more in the past) or current MC symptoms.
According to Wikipedia, citing a medical study, in normal healthy pregnant women, "no study has shown that general first-trimester progesterone supplements reduce the risk of miscarriage."
Hmmmm.
 
I'm suddenly reminded of the first time our doctor prescribed my wife with progesterone shots. We communicated in Cantonese and the phonetic term he used for "progesterone shot" was "b-oh toy jum" which literally translates to "protect womb shot". My first reaction was skepticism because it just sounded too good to be true. There's no way that there exists a drug that protects the womb with zero side effects (as the Chinese name suggests). So I asked him exactly what this "b-oh toy jum" consists of and that's when I found out that it was progesterone.

I guess the lesson here is to just be aware of all the medical stuff. I'm not saying don't trust your doctors, but just be involved and try to understand what you are being prescribed. If you communicate in Chinese, be extra careful because a lot of the medical terms sound more magical in Chinese than they really are.
 
Thanks, JayJay. I wouldn't be fooled by all that fancy talk because I barely speak one word of Chinese! :)
I hope your twins are well.
 
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