“Chemical pregnancy caused by breastfeeding? ”
Hi, I’m currently breastfeeding and I got pregnant in feb and had a miscarriage at 6 weeks the dr. called it a chemical pregnancy. I thought it was due to not being on progesterone. My last 2 kids I was on progesterone after ovulation. I got pregnant again this month and I took 50mg of progesterone after ovulation I got a positive pregnancy test 4 days before My period was due. The test line starts to get a little darker but never as dark as the control line then starts fading. I started bleeding 4 days after my period was due the test was negative. I already have low progesterone so could breastfeeding be making it lower. Is 50 mg even high enough progesterone? I see woman taking a lot higher dosages. I was on forums and saw lots of women breastfeeding having chemical pregnancies. I think I need a higher dose of progesterone.
Female | 41 years old
Medications: None
Conditions: None
2 Answers
You can do blood test to see if how high your progesterone is. Ovulation may not happen while breast feeding depending on if you breast feed full time. Ovulation can certainly be irregular if ovulating. That in itself may affect your breast desires feeding. Also, at 41yo, your risk for miscarriage is generally higher. How long will you be breast feeding? You need to be on prenatal vitamins firing this time also. I encourage breast feeding, but cycles may be more predictable if you were not & maybe could have a better plan for the progesterone.
When you are breastfeeding your baby, the hormone that causes you to make milk, prolactin, also stops you from ovulating and having your period. If you are breastfeeding every 2-3 hours, it can be up to a year before your period returns. But some women do ovulate when breastfeeding, that increases your chances of pregnancy. Coming to progesterone, progesterone can be used as contraception (mini pill) during breastfeeding, but it is effective only if it is taken every 24 hours religiously. It is not necessary to take high doses of progesterone. Mini pill has “0.35 mg” of progesterone. Plan B used for emergency contraception has 1.5 mg of progesterone. It is really stressful to worry about pregnancy when breastfeeding. I would advise you to try long-term contraception like an IUD or subdermal implant, which have low doses of progesterone to prevent pregnancy. Talk to your OBGyn more about these.
Take care and stay safe!!
“You are not a body that inhabits this soul, you are a soul that inhabits this body”
Take care and stay safe!!
“You are not a body that inhabits this soul, you are a soul that inhabits this body”
