Menu

After 3 miscarriages I found a method that would help!

by Jessica
(Lansing, MI)

I am a 30 year old female who lives in Lansing, Michigan. I have been suffering from miscarriages for 3 years… After 3 miscarriages, I found a method that would help. My story is long but full of helpful information…

July of 2006, I went into the emergency room with severe cramps. I was due for my period but had never experienced cramps this bad. I feared something was wrong so I went into the emergency room. Doctors ran many expensive test but they all came back inconclusive.

January 2007, I was 12 weeks along with my “first” pregnancy. I started bleeding, I was told to come into my OB/GYN’s office for an ultrasound, no heartbeat, baby was not viable. Later that day my body miscarried. I did not need a D & C. Doctor later told me the ultrasound measured the baby at 5 weeks gestation.

November 2007, I was 8 weeks along with my “second” pregnancy. I started bleeding again and went to my OB/GYN for an ultrasound… strong heartbeat. I was sent home on bed rest for the next couple of days… I was 12 weeks along when I started bleeding again… No heartbeat this time. Baby was not viable. Ultrasound measured baby at 10 weeks gestation. I had a D & C with this miscarriage, because my body did not pass everything. The Doctor was able to send tissue in for genetic testing and rule out Downs and other genetic impurities they also verified that this was a female baby. I did not ask for this information… I was used to the insensitivity of the doctors I had dealt with so far. It was basically a slap on the back and a better luck next time. I hate that answer! Which is why I was determined to take my health into my own hands.

August 2008, my husband and I were able to visit an infertility doctor. She ordered a panel of very expensive tests that all came back normal. After doing research of my own, I asked her to test my progesterone levels. She said she couldn’t test progesterone levels because there is no way to determine exactly when the Luteal Phase begins. Not every woman ovulates on day 14.

With my research I came across articles disproving the theory that there isn’t a way to determine exactly when the Luteal Phase begins. “Traditional Doctors” are not educated in determining when a woman ovulates… why?! This question still baffles me!

There are ways of charting your cycle and knowing exactly where a woman is in her cycle. One way is called Natural Family Planning or NFP. NFP is popular with Catholics because it does not interfere with Gods plan of sex in marriage. It also avoids other methods that may feel “violating” to a woman and to men. My husband is Catholic but I was not. We hadn’t used the NFP method to avoid or conceive pregnancies in the past. We where skeptical I guess because we have heard of others who used the method and it failed in preventing pregnancies. But we where curious about the new information we had learned and figured we had too much to loose to not check this out further.

October 2008, I saw in the church bulletin a special section about Natural Family Planning classes that can help prevent miscarriages called the Creighton Model of NFP using NaPro Technology (www.creightonmodel.com).

We met with the NFP instructor to talk about the Creighton Model. My instrutor was a woman in her early 30’s who had just given birth to her second child using the method. She had an older child and had had two other miscarriages before she started using the Creighton Method. She was living in St. Louis Missouri at the time she had learned about this method through her church. In St. Louis, hospitals have specialty doctors trained to use this method in there practice. In Michigan I know of only one doctor who is certified. St. Louis also has a higher Catholic population than Lansing, Michigan. We started charting and was then recommended to a doctor trained in reading the NFP charts, this doctor told me that according to what my chart showed, I was low in progesterone because of the “tail end brown bleeding” I had at the end of my periods. He also ordered blood tests to determine my progesterone levels during my Luteal Phase. When he got the test results back, he confirmed that I was very low in progesterone and prescribed me Progesterone Therapy.

I have now been using Progesterone Therapy for one whole cycle. I have notice that I have more concentration, less cramping during my period, no breast tenderness and no “tail end brown bleeding”. No PMS. The side effects… nothing yet. I now have the green flag to start trying for another pregnancy again so pray for my baby and for me and my husband. I’m scarred but I know at the very least, I finally have a team of people with my best interests at heart. There is hope!

Comments for After 3 miscarriages I found a method that would help!

Click here to add your own comments

Feb 13, 2009
 After 3 miscarriages I found a method that would help!
by: Wray

Hi Jessica. Thanks for sharing this story, I'm relieved you found a doctor who understands the benefits of progesterone. Amazing the previous doctor said you couldn't test for progesterone levels, it's done all the time! Incidentally saliva tests are more accurate than blood tests. So keep up with the progesterone! Take care Wray
Jun 28, 2009
 Are you pregnant now with progesterone therapy?
by: Kate

Jessica, I enjoyed your story. Could you give us an update? Are you now pregnant?
May 08, 2010
 Details please
by: Anonymous

Jessica, I too have suffered two miscarriages. My doc gave me a script for Promterium 100mg... but there is no indication of when to use it or when to start using it. What was the progesterone therapy your doctor put you on? When do you take yours and when do you start? Please respond to this. Thank you.

Click here to add your own comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to Miscarriage.

Share this page:
Find this page helpful? Please tell others. Here's how...

Would you prefer to share this page with others by linking to it?

  1. Click on the HTML link code below.
  2. Copy and paste it, adding a note of your own, into your blog, a Web page, forums, a blog comment, your Facebook account, or anywhere that someone would find this page valuable.

Search over 8,400 pages on this site...