Clomid & Pregnancy: Understanding Symptoms & Progesterone Levels

Question
THIS WILL BE MY SECOND MONTH ON CLOMID MY DOSAGE IS 50MG.LAST SATURDAY I WENT FOR MY PROGESTERONE LEVEL TEST AND IT CAME BACK WITH A LEVEL OF 16. FOR ABOUT A WEEK AND A HALF MY NIPPLES HAVE BEEN VERY SORE. MY PERIOD IS SUPPOSE TO COME ON TUESDAY DO YOU THINK I COULD BE PREGNANT NOW, I ASKED MY NURSE AND SHE SAID IT IS POSSIBLE I JUST NEED TO KNOW. THANKS

Answer
Dear Jacqueline,

Unfortunately, I really can't give you any better answer than the nurse did at the office - it is possible.

Progesterone levels vary quite a bit from cycle to cycle and woman to woman, both when not pregnant and when pregnant. So the levels can only be averages and they change with the timing of the cycle. In general, the midluteal (middle of the second half of the cycle) progesterone in a non-pregnant patient is 8 to 10 ng/ml, but it can be as high as 20 ng/ml. During pregnancy, it should be at least 10 to 12 ng/ml to have a better chance of a good pregnancy outcome, but we like to see 16 ng/ml or higher.

So - the fact that yours is at 16 ng/ml is encouraging, but you will need a pregnancy test, which tests for the pregnancy hormone hCG, to confirm that a pregnancy exists. You will need to test for pregnancy after you miss your period. Make sure that you use first morning urine to get a concentrated sample for the most accurate results. My personal advice is to wait as long as you possibly can stand it to test past the first day of a missed period. I usually recommend waiting until the week after a missed or spotty period in order to minimize the incidence of false negative results.

I hope this has helped you and answered your question. I wish you well and the result you are hoping for!

Brenda