Low progesterone?/Day 21 progesterone test

[andreag]

Hi
I have been TTC for a while and also being seeing the doctor about unexplained weight gain, despite good diet and tons of exercise. She has just redone my thyroid test which was fine, and a day 21 progesterone test.
They have just called to say she wants to see me about the progesterone test. I have an appointment for Friday but am now going nuts wondering what the problem is. I am assuming it is low, as I can't find any reference to high progesterone. I was charting and noticed that my temps are generally low (36 before ovulation, 36.5 after), but there was a rise which I thought confirmed I was ovulating.
has anyone else had this test?
Most of the info on the net refers to post-menopausal symptons, so now I'm paranoid I've gone through the menopause (although still regular AF!) which I know is unlikley (I'm 30).
Please help - I'm winding myself into spring!

Thanks

AG

 

[andreag]

Test results were not dramatic but indicate low progesterone. she is going to retest next month so will have to wait. Was really upset about this for a couple of days, but starting to feel better now. Everything seems to take such a long time though. I can't believe I spent 12 years trying not to get pregnant, as if it were the easiest thing in the world.

 

[Emma22]

glad results came back ok, stay positive

 

[*saulino*]

Hi

Sorry your having a rough time hun, hope everything works out for you
Katrina

 

[margaret]

I had the test and the low-progesterone result too. I had to re-test at Day 28 and then at Day 35 (and possibly 42 too). From what I understand, on a regular cycle, progesterone levels should be high after OV. So they retested me a week later to see if my level increased, to see if I simply had a late ovulation (i.e. between Day 21 and Day 28), and then tested again the following week to see if I'd ovulated...and so on. My period came I think after Day 42 that time (very annoying), which was just an anovulatory period. Likely no OV occurred, because all the tests came out low.

You say you have regular periods--do you mean that they come pretty much to the day every cycle, or do you mean that you do have a period regularly as opposed to a woman who has menopause? What I'm getting at is that if you have long cycles, and irregular in that they could be one cycle 37 days, another one 42 days, another 41, another 49, another 32, that you might not be ovulating each cycle. The long and irregular ones (especially coupled with low progesterone) mean no ovulation.

I hope this makes sense, and helps you figure out what's going on.

 

[andreag]

Hi Margaret

My periods are pretty regular - 30-32 day cycle, but based on the temp charting results I ovulate around day 18. We are going to test on day 25 this month the take account of this and see if the results are any better.
A month just seems to be such a long time to wait at the moment.

did you get any treatment for low progesterone?
I have started taking B6 (I seem to remeber seeing somewhere thihs can help) and also evening primrose in the follicualr phase, which seems to increase my temperature.

What I don't understand is that my temperature does rise quite significantly (from 36.0 to 36.5) when I presume I am ovulating. Would it rise if it was anovulatory?

Thanks for all your help.
cheers
Andrea