no ovulation/no progesterone?

(8 Posts)
cattastic Mon 12-Nov-12 10:24:47

Bit confused. And worried. Hoping someone can advise.

I'm 35, DP 38. Have been TTC for 16 months. Day 5 and Day 21 bloods showed progesterone of <3 (which i presume is undetectable).... GP is referring me but seemed to have a flaky knowledge of reproductive biology himself!

Anyway I have gleaned from the interaction that it suggests no ovulation, but what really freaked me was the way he explained the results: like he was telling me i was dying....

I'm upset if there is a problem, but am i not understanding the extent of the issue? Could it be just a problem that month? Or is it likely to be much bigger and i'm in for a lot of heartache?

sorry I'm so confused.... and cant really talk to friends as i dont really know what i'm telling them!

please help!

lozster Mon 12-Nov-12 17:48:20

I had the same happen to me. It was all a bit hard to take in as I'm generally healthy and have fretted over nothing over other issues. So when I was told that my progesterone was so low I was not ovulating I couldn't quite grasp it!! Daft, particularly as I had gone to the gp as I couldn't get a positive on an ovulation stick.

Don't be afraid of your gp's reaction - on the positive side he is taking you seriously and not fobbing you off.

I had many of the same questions as you. I was assured that low progesterone is a symptom of not ovulating not a cause. I was also told that it was likely for me that each cycle would be the same. However I also read on here of women who have longer or shorter cycles than the norm meaning that day 21 isn't the right day to test for progesterone. Sorry I don't know too much more about this aspect.

At least you are now referred so action is happening. If its any comfort I didn't wait too long for an appointment so hopefully you won't either. Good luck.

KnackeredCow Mon 12-Nov-12 20:25:56

The "day 21" progesterone test is only accurate if you ovulate on day 14!

The aim is to catch progesterone when it peaks, which is roughly 7 days after you ovulate. As this is often unknown, for the purpose of the test it's assumed that the luteal phase (number of days between ov and AF) is 14. This is an average and it's 10 - 16 in most women. However, they should aim to do the test 7 days before your period is due, and it's impossible to tell whether this has been done at the right time until you period arrives. Really a low result shouldn't be assumed to mean that you're not ovulating. Ideally the test should be repeated every few days.

If your cycles are regular and between 21 and 35 days in length then that's a good indication that it's highly likely you are ovulating. Don't worry too much yet. My fertility clinic repeated most of the tests anyway!

Good luck.

cattastic Tue 13-Nov-12 14:47:00

thanks for the replies!

I'm trying not to stress about it. And now know that I should have asked loads more questions - or found another doctor to speak to.
I'm now thinking that day 21 was too early, but even so it would be unusual to be THAT low....

Oh i just have to wait for the referral don't i !

KnackeredCow Tue 13-Nov-12 19:26:54

Not unusual. Progesterone is secreted by the corpus luteum, which is the part of the follicle left after ovulation. Progesterone levels should be very, very low before ov. Its secretion after ovulation helps maintain a pregnancy in the very early stages. If you don't get pregnant in a cycle then progesterone levels fall and that triggers the start of your period and the next cycle. Progesterone suppresses ovulation which is why it's used as a contraceptive. You certainly don't want high levels until after you ovulate!

Most likely the timing of your test was wrong if you have regular cycles.


Glad to read that you have now been referred; you should be referred on now as a matter of course particularly as you have been ttc for over a year now without success.

BTW with regards to the day 5 test this should have been done on day 2 and to detect the levels of both LH and FSH (not progesterone). LH and FSH are very important as they kickstart the ovulation process; if these levels are awry then ovulation will be affected.

I always had my day 21 tests done on or around that day. They were accurate in my case and showed levels of less than 30 consistently.

Number of days between ovulation and AF is rarely if ever 14. Ovulation is not an exact science and it can occur earlier, later or not at all in any given cycle.

Lavenderhoney Tue 13-Nov-12 19:47:59

My gyny told me in lowered tones my prgn was vv low. I waited a beat and asked if was a problem. Apparently not, but it should be higher. She has given me tablets to take 10 days after the end of my af for 10 days for 3 months to raise it.

This probably isn't helpful, but the prgn thing struck a cord.

Mandy21 Fri 16-Nov-12 10:38:33

No real (medical) advice other than to say, as I understand it, your progesterone levels can vary quite considerably from cycle to cycle even if you have quite a regular cycle - my GP also told me that its not unusual for women not to ovulate every cycle.

When I had a low initial result from a Day 21 test, my GP arranged to repeat the Day 21 tests for 6 months to get a better picture of whether there was an issue or not (it was low every month). At least you've been referred straight away and not having to wait another 6 months.

Just to give you some confidence, I got pregnant naturally with non-identical twins, so not only did I ovulate, I must have released 2 eggs :-)

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