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Are you getting any testing of the fetus done to rule out chromosomal causes? I had testing on each of my losses (even the 1st) and was glad I did. All you can really do from here on out is take the progesterone as a precaution in your next pregnancy. Starting 3 days after ovulation is preferrable, but starting at bfp would be fine too I'm sure. The way this was explained to me recently by a fertility specialist and someone who researches progesterone, etc.: He said that testing for luteal phase defect of progesterone deficiency is very hard to do. You can blood test or endometrial biopsy. He said the endo biopsy is not very reliable and the blood test is far LESS reliable. Basically progesterone levels fluctuate drastically in early pregnancy (and I'm a__suming they do so as well int he luteal phase from what he said) and if you take a blood test you are only getting a snapshot of the whole issue. It's like trying to decipher a movie's plot from one still frame of a 2 hour movie. It is impossible to do that! The only way to get a good picture of what the progesterone is doing in your body is to test every hour for days or weeks. They can only do this in research settings, so he just puts all of his miscarriage patients and fertility patients on it because it is of no harm if it is not needed. Make sense? He said you need to do at least 200mg per day to be effective and it is better to split the doses if possible to have a continuous flow of the meds into the body. I did 300mg per day this last time and it has been successful so far (20 weeks yesterday). I never made it past 6-8 weeks before. I don't KNOW that the progesterone helped me because I did other things too (blood thinners, baby aspirin, extra folic, Bvitamins, Omega 3). You can have more testing done but basically what I listed above are all of the treatments you can get for literally hundreds of issues. Unless you find you have something going on where the body is attacking the fetus, sometimes steroids like prednisone are given but that is getting into riskier treatments. You should have the general miscarriage panel done that checks for clotting disorders, autoimmune issues, etc. You can also take a baby aspirin on your own daily starting before getting pregnant as it is of no harm to you or baby and could only help. (BABY aspirin only, not regular aspirin...it is 75 to 81mg per pill and take only one each day). The only thing you need scripts for are the progesterone and blood thinners (if you were found to need those). Good luck to you!!!

Thanks so much for the info. I'm not getting any testing done on the fetus. The option wasn't brought up when I went in for the ultrasound. I was so upset when I found out there wasn't a heartbeat and I just wanted to get out of the office so I could fall apart. I miscarried without a d&c so I haven't talked to a doctor about it since. It's all been so surreal. People in my family have babies so easily, I just didn't think I had to worry. I'm so worried now that this will be a recurring thing.... and I can't imagine holding it together if it happened again, although I guess I'd have to. It makes me afraid to even try. So taking progesterone is only necessary when trying to get pregnant or once you're already pregnant? I don't need to worry about doing that if I'm not trying at the moment? I'm so cautious about taking any type of meds. I do mostly herbal remedies for everything, but this is a new experience. I think I'd put pretty much anything into my body if it meant having a healthy baby in my arms. Thanks again for your response.

Beckett, I think is is probably not going to be a recurring thing for you as having multiple losses in a row is quite rare. I know it doesn't seem like it on this board, but it's where those few converge I guess! You won't need to take progesterone all the time. It is only if your doc will prescribe and it is normally taking only when trying to conceive or as soon as you get a positive. I suggest the prometrium strongly because it is the most like our bodies natural progesterone. You can also start taking vitamin B6 daily as that helps progesterone and your luteal phase--that is natural and healthy to do!

Thanks Stefkay. That's rea__suring to hear. I guess I'll just have to wait and see :)

I'm sorry about your loss. My two children are now 16 and 12 but prior to and between these pregnancies, I miscarried 10 times. I was determined to have children and did everything I possibly could including seeking specialists who would work with me and find the reasons behind the miscarriages. I was fortunate to have found a specialist who determined that I had a luteal phase corpus "defect". Although my chances of carrying until full term were good, there was never a guarantee. I took Clomid for approximately the first week of my cycle and on day 15 & 17 of my cycle, I was injected with human chorionic gonadotropin. I was then on the weekly injections until 15 weeks. I did miscarry the first time using this method but on the second attempt I carried my son to full term. Between my son and daughter's birth (4 years), I miscarried another three times. When I had almost given up hope, a specialist learned of a new drug that could be taken daily. Although it was a struggle, I gave birth to my daughter four years after my son. You need to seek out a specialist who is able to accurately determine if this is the issue. I had a biopsy done after having EVERY test imaginable. I wish they had started with the biopsy first! Be hopeful and use your energy to find the answers. All the best.

Sorry...I also forgot to mention that I had blood tests done twice a week for the first few weeks of pregnancy and then weekly to monitor the HCG levels. This didn't change the medications but it kept both the specialist and myself aware of the progression.