Hydroxy-Progesterone injections during pregnancy

I received my first alpha hydroxyprogesterone injection (17p) today, which I am told by my Dr.'s office is routine for women carrying twins. I am currently 16 weeks 2 days pregnant with twins. I have searched and searched the internet for information on this injection, and basically all I find is that there is nothing to prove this does anything for mothers with more than one fetus. I am just trying to see how many women actually get this for their twin pregnancy. I do not have history of pre term labor with my other two children, which was also a main reason for starting these injections. I would love to hear from others who have taken these shots and what the reasoning was from your doctor.. Also, I wanted to know if it is routine to see a perinatologist?!?! I have read this but my OB has made no mention of it!!! Any information would be greatly appreciated!!! Thanks!!

 

I have never heard that is routine with twins and never had one, nor do I know anyone else IRL that had twins and had those.

My neighbor, however, did have them with her third (singleton) throughout her pregnancy because of previous PTL with both her first two children.


Welcome to Twinstuff and congrats on your twins!

 

My doctor has not mentioned injections for me nor am I seeing a peri....She mentioned that if problems would arise I would be referred but knock on wood everything is going great!

 

Hey. I am getting those injections right now too. I started at 16 weeks. Get them once a week. I had alot of pre term labor with my DD. Starting at 30 weeks. So my OB wanted me to start those as soon a I could. They suck. They make me very edgy. Good Luck!!!

 

I don't think that you're getting those injections just because you're carrying twins as I don't have to take them.

If you don't have a history of preterm labor, why is your doctor making you get these injections? You really should talk to your doctor to get further clarification on his reasoning behind the shots.

 

Hmm, I did have a history of pre-term labor with my first, but did not get those shots. I didn't really have PTL wiht the twins.
As for seeing the peri, I think it's typical if they discover somehting they want to watch out for/keep an eye on. As these issues are more likely in a multiple pregnancy, I guess the chances of seeing a peri are higher with twins.

In any case, good luck and welcome to TS! We're glad you found us.

 

I have been getting the shots as well, due to PTL with my first. I have not had any side effects at all and figured I was better safe than sorry. One thing I noticed was that if I didn't have my leg bent when I got the shots, the injection point got very itchy and a little red.

I am not seeing a peri, but my feeling is that there's probably no harm in having extra experts monitoring your pregnancy. Good luck!

 

I am 17wks with b/b twins. Due to my history of IC/PTL, I asked my peri about the shots. He cited the studies show effectiveness in singleton pregnancies, but said there is nothing to support the use of 17P with multiple gestation pregnancies. That is the same info that I came across when researching, but was hoping that since I have read of other twin mamas who have had the shots, maybe I could too...my theory is can't hurt, might help! Anyway, I was pretty bummed and inquired with my OB as well...she agreed with the peri. I do know of several people who had the shots in pregnancies after preemies who have gone to term. Hopefully you will too!

Julie
mom to Halle 1/4/05 @ 23w5d
b/b twins due 8/23/08 - on bedrest since Feb 1st due to cervical issues and contractions

 

I never even heard of the shots! I have never had PTL.

 

I did not have these shots and frankly had never heard of them. I had a compromised cervix and my risk for pre-term labor was high. I carried them to 37 weeks without PTL though! So much for a compromised cervix.

As for seeing a PERI it is very common as twins are considered hight risk. I saw a PERI throughout my entire pregnancy and only saw my OB the very first time and then they discovered it was twins!

 

QUOTE(macey @ Mar 20 2008, 04:26 PM) [snapback]678968[/snapback]
I am 17wks with b/b twins. Due to my history of IC/PTL, I asked my peri about the shots. He cited the studies show effectiveness in singleton pregnancies, but said there is nothing to support the use of 17P with multiple gestation pregnancies. That is the same info that I came across when researching, but was hoping that since I have read of other twin mamas who have had the shots, maybe I could too...my theory is can't hurt, might help! Anyway, I was pretty bummed and inquired with my OB as well...she agreed with the peri. I do know of several people who had the shots in pregnancies after preemies who have gone to term. Hopefully you will too!


I took the shots as part of a study that my peri was conducting. The shots have been proven to help in singleton pregnancies, and the study that I participated in was to help prove that it was effective in multiple pregnancies as well. That is probably why you can't find anything that will say that it does (or doesn't) help. There hasn't been enough testing to prove it yet. So technically there isn't the research yet to prove it does or doesn't help, but if it has been proven as safe, and might help in other pregnancies, especially for those that have had previous PTL issues, then I don't see the reason for not taking them.

The study I participated in was a double blind study, so neither myself nor the Dr. knew if I was taking the progesterone or just sesame oil, but I carried the twins to my scheduled c sect at 38 weeks with zero signs of labor or complications. Then again that was my first and only pregancy so who knows if I would have had PTL or not.

As far as the peri goes, I think that as long as your OB is comfortable with monitoring you, but that there is a backup plan just in case, then it would be alright to not see a peri. Personally I liked going to both, I had lots of u/s, so I got to get lots of peeks at the little ones that way!