Progesterone Test Result - A Little Worried

[Ladynic]

So yesterday I had my blood taken for my progesterone levels. Last week I triggered on a Thursday evening, and according to Fertility Friend (and I would agree), I ovulated that Saturday (2/17). The progesterone draw was supposed to be done 7 dpo, but the RE's office already filled in the date for the lab order for 2/23/18 (which was yesterday, 6 dpo). I am assuming that they thought I would ovulate the next day after the trigger shot (which would've been Friday last week), and / or they just did Friday because of it being the last day before the weekend so they were thinking I needed to get the test done before then. So basically it was actually 6 dpo when the blood draw was done.

The lab I had it drawn has an online portal you can sign up on and access your labs anytime. Well anyway I went on this evening, and saw that my progesterone level was 11.3. This concerns me because I've read that on a medicated cycle, they want progesterone to be over 15 (I took 50 mg Clomid and an Ovidrel shot this cycle). I am worried this is too low and indicates a somewhat poor ovulation / unfavorable environment for a pregnancy to occur. I also know that when your thyroid levels are too low, it can make progesterone levels low too, and my TSH was 2.6 at the beginning of this cycle. I have been taking the higher dose of levothyroxine for a little over a week now but I'm not sure if that's long enough to make much of a difference.

Could having this done on 6 dpo instead of 7 dpo have caused the level to be a bit lower? Is 11.3 enough to support healthy implantation? If anyone has any experience with progesterone levels under 15, I'd love to hear about what happened. Trying not to worry too much about it, but we all know that's easier said than done when ttc.

Thanks!

[atomic sagebrush]

All it means for now is that you ovulated. Please don't read anything more into it than that. People get pregnant with progesterone 10 and up on CD 7. 15 is great but I think it causes more harm than good since now millions of women worry who are going to go on to have viable pregnancies.

Plus, for all you know your prog would have been 15 or even more that day. Progesterone will peak CD 7. So yes, it would have been higher on CD 7 than it was on CD 6.

[ABC.2606]

I'm no help here but just to say when I had an early m/c in December (I was 5 weeks), my 21 day progesterone test, which I also think took place on 6 dpo, was 17. I was also on 50 mg of Clomid, so 17 was considered a good number & I was excited about it. However one week later - after getting a BFP - I was tested again and that number had dropped to 8.4. It turned out it was just a non-viable pregnancy. When we conceived my two boys, I had a short LP (9-10 days) and while I never had progesterone tested during that I time, I really suspect that I had low - or at least lower - progesterone. But I conceived them easily with no m/c before or between them. So like atomic said, I don't think your progesterone number at this point can tell you much other than that you ovulated.. I've freaked out about progesterone and asked atomic lots of questions about it, on more than one occasion - and she's convinced me not to put too much stock in the numbers

Hoping all turns out well for you & that you get a BFP soon!!!

[Ladynic]

Thank you Atomic and ABC2606. Your responses are very comforting. Since I am under the care of an RE I am assuming they would retest P levels anyway if I end up testing positive this month. So you're right, no need to worry yet! It helps so much to hear that other women have had lower progesterone and went on to have successful pregnancies.

For now I'm just going to try to relax and stop worrying about it. Thanks!

[Throwaway_panther]

Adding on to atomic -- progesterone even varies during the time of day it's tested!