Trying for a baby: low hormone levels & dischargeQ."We've been trying for a baby for almost two years. I have had initial blood tests and my husband a sperm test, both of which proved normal. My friend, in the same situation, has been receiving hormone injections each month because she is lacking in the hormone that holds the fertilised egg in the womb. This hormone imbalance was not picked up in her blood test, but had something to do with the fact that during the first couple of days of her period she had a discharge of brown blood. I have the same most months. Do you think something similar applies to me?"A.Sometimes the hormone level after ovulation falls more quickly than it ought to and bleeding or a blood-stained discharge starts too soon. This is known as a ‘deficient luteal phase’. It is not all that easy to be sure that this is happening, but if a specialist is convinced that it is, he or she will usually advise stimulating ovulation (even in those women who are already ovulating). Your friend is having injections, which are a very powerful type of therapy and need to be used very carefully in order to avoid twin or multiple pregnancies. Tablets such as clomiphene are safer but do not work for everyone.More aggressive treatments such as IVF are usually resorted to for women over 35 or for couples who have been trying for more than three years. Steve Killick, Babyworld Fertility Expert - Question answered 24.08.00 |
