Should Medroxyprogestrone (Provera) Be Taken When TTC?
QUESTION
Dear Midwife,
Hello. I was wondering if you have ever heard of taking Medroxyprogestrone or Provera for an irregular period while trying to conceive. I would be taking it for 10 days then start a period within 3-4 days. Start the first day of my period as day 1, 10 days later I start testing for ovululation. Then after ovulation occurs, we are to have sex every other day for a week. If no positive for pregnancy then I start the pills again on the 1st of each month.
My question is that I have read NOTHING but do not take this medication if you are trying to conceive or are pregnant. What do you know about this medication and the implications on conception?
Thanks.
ANSWER
First, you do not want to have intercourse *after* ovulation, you need to do it *before* ovulation for a week. If you have irregular cycles, what you describe will not necessarily guarantee that you will ovulate during the week in question. It does make sense to take the progesterone to create a bleed so you will have a place to start from. But normally, the next step would be to start Clomid on day 5 to induce ovulation in a timely way. I can't say whether this would be appropriate in your individual case, as I don't know your whole history.
It doesn't sound like you got all the instructions right from your provider, so I would double-check what you are supposed to do. Good luck!
-- Cynthia, CNM
Cynthia Flynn
Cynthia Flynn, CNM. PhD, is the General Director of the Family Health and Birth Center which provides prenatal, birth, postnatal, gynecological and primary health care to underserved women and their families in Washington, D.C. Recently Cynthia served as Associate Professor of Nursing at Seattle University. There she not only taught, but remained in full scope clinical midwifery practice at Valley Medical Center where she cared for pregnant and birthing women, and practices well-woman gynecology, family planning, and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases.
Cynthia founded Columbia Women's Clinic and Birth Center, where she took care of pregnant women and infants up to two weeks of age and attended both birth center and hospital births. Before Cynthia earned her CNM, she worked as a registered nurse in labor and delivery and postpartum and is a certified Doula and Doula trainer.
