Progesterone for bleeding in first trimester

Posted by gennna7 @gennna7, Oct 30 12:44pm

I have had a couple incidents of bleeding for a few hours in 8th week. The gynocologist says there's no worrysome cause and everything in the pregnancy is fine, but after I went to get it checked she prescribed me progesteron. I have no history of miscarriages and conceived naturally. Is this normal as treatment for bleeding and if so when is the normal time to stop taking it again? Are there risks associated with taking it?

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Lisa Lucier, Moderator | @lisalucier | Oct 30 3:04pm

Hi, @gennna7 - welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. I'm a mom of two children, and I had some spotting during my first pregnancy. Being new to pregnancy, I had no idea if this was normal or worrisome, and I asked a nurse by phone about this. She assured me what I was experiencing was within normal bounds.

Here are a few resources that might be useful for you:
- A Randomized Trial of Progesterone in Women with Bleeding in Early Pregnancy
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1813730
- Progesterone (oral route)
https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/progesterone-oral-route/description/drg-20075298
- Bleeding during pregnancy
https://www.mayoclinic.org/symptoms/bleeding-during-pregnancy/basics/definition/sym-20050636
It would be great if your doctor could tell you a bit more about why she prescribed progesterone in your particular case during your early pregnancy. What were your doctor's comments about why she prescribed progesterone?

gennna7 | @gennna7 | Nov 1 4:24am

Thank you! When I asked more about it, she said she prescribed it because not having enough could be a possible cause of bleeding at this stage, although she didn't see any specific indications of that in my case. I guess she sees it as an option and was less concerned about possible side effects than I was.