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kirastarr76

CD1-Progesterone-Fueled Rant about Progesterone

So I'm sitting here clearly not pregnant and feeling nauseous as hell, so I decide to do another stroll around the web looking for more insight on progesterone. I've been taking it for the last few months to help end my periods in a reasonable amount of time. Because of my fibroids, AF has been starting but not stopping on its own.

I've been taking 2 tablets a day (10 mg) for the first 5 days of my period. I've done this now since November of 2011. Turns out progesterone can mimic ep symptoms. So between the progesterone I've been taking in the early part of my cycle and the natural progesterone created by my body during the ovulation process, I've been overrun with progesterone. So the big, tender breasts, the nausea, the vivid dreams, the strange cramps I was hoping was implantation, were all progesterone- and not pregnancy-related.

In trying to get pregnant while suffering from fibroids, I knew to expect some difficulty, and maybe even such difficulty that I'd be forced to have surgery first. So I'm not angry that I'm not pregnant after only two TTC attempts, but what I am pissed about is the fact that my doc didn't take the time to mention this to me. I don't know....Something like "Be careful. The progesterone can mimic pregnancy symptoms, so keep this in mind while you're trying to get pregnant" would have sufficed, I'm sure.

And I know I'm feeling so disgusted with her because I had to discover and correct another item she overlooked a few weeks back. In preparing for my first TTC cycle, I asked her specifically if the progesteone would affect my fertile days. This is crucially important for me, as I do not live with or even near my conception partner. I have to travel some ways to reach him, make lodging arrangements, and sometimes even take off work. My doc told me several times that my fertile days would be completely unaffected, so I went with my normal 28-day cycle in planning things out. WRONG....

The progesterone adds a full 5 days to my cycle, so I should have been calculating things using a 33-day cycle, not a 28-day one. That first trip was nearly a total waste of time and money. Although it was awesome to see my conception partner and spend time with him, I rather fault the doc for things being such a bust that time around.

This time, however, I picked up on the 5-day difference and shifted things accordingly. I felt so good about everything. From changes in my body, I knew that we were on the right track. And all the symptoms in the two weeks afterwards only compounded my hope and excitement.

To find out now that they were all the result of a synthetic hormone is deflating and frustrating and frankly a little embarrassing. I feel a little like the party guest who makes a complete drunken ass of herself only to discover later that none of the drinks she was tossing back like a wildwoman were alcoholic.

On May 4th, I'm going to see an actual fertility specialist. I'm hoping he is a bit more careful and a lot more thorough than my gyno has been thus far. Depending upon his professional opinion, I'll decide how I should proceed: surgery or TTC Round #3. We'll see.....

KS76