Hormone blood tests after m/c - questions & need advice!

Hi all! So after an early miscarriage @ 5 weeks, my doctor has decided to run blood tests during my next cycle to check my hormones. I assume this will include FSH, LH, estrogen, & progesterone? He wants to do a blood draw at CD3, CD7, and a week after ovulation. He's doing this mainly because I have a LP of about 10 days and just had the miscarriage. My cycles are usually 24 days (very consistent). He said if my progesterone is low he'd give me prog supplements, but he also said I may need a medication that would "just make you ovulate better." I didn't ask but assume that meant Clomid. I'm swaying girl, so Clomid would be very welcome and I've thought for awhile now that I might actually need it because of my LP.

The doctor seemed to make it clear that he will base any meds/treatment off of these blood tests. My question is then will the two pre-O blood tests of FSH, LH, etc. tell him if I do in fact need Clomid? If the levels are normal then does it mean I probably don't need Clomid? Just wondering what I should expect from the results. I know Atomic has told me that I shouldn't expect the docs to really have a lot of answers about what exactly is going on, but I'm just wondering how the blood draws would determine treatment. I'm guessing if the pre-O blood tests are fine but my progesterone post-O is low, he'll go the progesterone supplement route. And if everything is normal - than I just go back to ttc as normal I guess? I should say that my cycles were about the same length and my LP was the same length when I conceived my two boys - they were conceived easily on the first try and I didn't have a miscarriage before getting pregnant with either of them, so this wasn't a problem for me in conceiving in the past and may not be this time either (given that the m/c likely was a fluke/ chromosome issue anyways).

One more Q.... I have almost gone a full cycle now since the m/c started at the end of August (period should start next week & I ovulated 2 weeks after the m/c), and I've been swaying for almost 6 months now.... Really over it - the diet, etc - and really ready to be pregnant!! But with these tests I guess I may have to wait another cycle before we even start trying again. If you were me, and the first two blood draws pre-O come back normal & it looks like Clomid is a no-go, would you go ahead and attempt at O, knowing that you still had to do the progesterone test to see if progesterone is low? My doc said I can try again next cycle while he's doing the tests but he cautioned that if I have low progesterone I may miscarry again before he can get me on the supplements. If the pre-O tests are not normal and it looks like I need Clomid I will definitely wait until the next cycle, but if they are normal I'm wondering whether we should go ahead and try anyways at my next O.

Thanks!!

ABC - honestly, if it looks like you will no get the Clomid, I would ttc this cycle. You have carried 2 pregnancies with your short LP already, so it could have just been a fluke for the m/c and not related to the prog. Being so close to a m/c also sways pink and it sounds like you would rather be pg than postpone any longer.

Abc he may prescribe the clomid even if your bloods come back normal to try extend your lp (even though 10 days is acceptable he may prescribe it so as to be trying something to be helpful?) Personally I would wait and see simply because clomid sways so strongly pink. I would then go with more than one attempt to up my chances of conception while taking clomid as I would think clomid would sway more strongly than number of attempts (wait for Atomics view on this though) By that I mean e3or4d with extra attempt at pos opk it falls on a non bd day. The fact your cycles are so short means you'd only have a short delay in ttc, so even if your not given clomid you haven't lost much time. I just honestly think possibility of getting clomid would be such a big gain for your sway for so little wait/time sacrifice..... Maybe ask yourself the question if you get pregnant this cycle and turns out your doc was going to prescibe clomid would you second guess your decision to go ahead this cycle?

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Ok. I'm gonna rephrase the question to make sure I'm giving you the answer I think you're looking for here.

You're asking me if they are going to see something on the blood tests that will tell them to either give you Clomid or NOT give you Clomid and the answer is no to both. What will happen, what always seems to happen, is that they make you jump through the hoops and give you the Clomid anyway. I don't know why it is exactly, but they have a way that they do things and the way that they do them is that they do the blood tests. But then even if you're ovulating on your own, they give you the Clomid anyway!! It's all very weird.

The conventional wisdom is that Clomid makes for a better ovulation even in women who are already ovulating. Better ovulation = better corpus luteum and higher progesterone. I very, very strongly suspect that he will give you Clomid along with the prog supps. They don't usually do bloodwork for prog supps, just give them to you. The blood tests are typically done before a Clomid scrip. Clomid is the gold standard for short LP because it doesn't just mask the symptoms like the prog supps do, Clomid actually makes it better. so no matter what I think you're headed towards the Clomid.

I know I've already gone over the prog stuff probably more than you wanted me to but he's wrong that you'd risk a miscarriage due to "low progesterone" since low progesterone is the result of the pregnancy not working out and not the other way around so if you want to try, please don't let that put you off.

But, that having been said, personally in this type of situation I have people hold off for the Clomid whenever they can stand it. If you prefer to try, totally cool, your call to make, it's just what I generally recommend. :heart:

Thanks, Shannshaff, Pbn, Atomic for your thoughts!!

Eeeek now I feel excited at the prospect that I may actually get Clomid!! I'm still a little nervous about it - side effects, risk, etc. - but I would feel even better about my girl sway if I got it!! And yea - I do actually agree, Atomic, that it does seem very reasonable that for medical reasons I SHOULD have it anyways, w/ my history of short LPs, and now a recent miscarriage. I'm pretty sure I could still get pregnant & stay pregnant without treatment if I had to, but I don't think my cycles are working in the most optimal way. So, I guess we'll probably just hold out then. I'm hoping AF comes early next week so I can go in for the first blood draw!!

AF arrived today so I get my first blood draw on Friday. Nurse said the doc will want me to do an ultrasound around ovulation - didn't realize that they would be doing that. Is that just to confirm ovulation occurred??

Thanks! I'm new to this fertility testing stuff! :)

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Yes I would think so Abc which is great news! Cant wait to hear hiw these tests pan out and if you are given clomid! You should know in less than 3 weeks [emoji3]

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They can also see ~sometimes~ if it was a "good" one with a big CL forming or not (although to be completely honest with you, I am exceedingly skeptical they can see anything on them at all) and possibly how many follicles had developed (that did not ovulate)

It will be transvag, just to warn you.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by atomic sagebrush

They can also see ~sometimes~ if it was a "good" one with a big CL forming or not (although to be completely honest with you, I am exceedingly skeptical they can see anything on them at all) and possibly how many follicles had developed (that did not ovulate)

It will be transvag, just to warn you.

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Ok - thanks for heads up, Atomic. I had extra transvag u/s with my boys to check my cervix so unfortunately I'm used to them :)

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Most of us by the time we get to kid #3/4 have had them but a couple gals walked into the appointment and had the shock of their lives. The things we do for our kiddos. :)