P17 - Progesterone Injections

[BlsdMama]

Any controversy over the safety of them? Everything I can read has just said they are being found very effective in helping women who tend to have serious pre-term labor. We're trying to avoid the hospital "vacation" this time and my doctor is hopeful the P17 will help.

 

I can't find much for side effects (except moodiness & sleepiness.) I have had some very crazy crying jags lately (SO unlike me) which has only come on in the last week or so. I just had my second shot. I'm not one of those people who experiences a lot of mood changes throughout the month so it's caught me VERY off guard.

 

I am *starving* to death lately and I wonder if that could be related? I didn't find anything online.

 

But I was just wondering if anyone was aware of any health related controversies involving the P17.

[TheReader]

I'm not aware of anything. I had those with my last pregnancy (~8 yrs ago now) and had no problems with side effects. I talked with 2 different OBs about the shots and neither had concerns about the safety.

 

My then-former OB (we moved mid pregnancy and I trusted him still, he was just too far) did say he wasn't sure it would work. They didn't, but then I might have helped that along by mistake so I can't lay the whole blame on "the shots didn't work."

[AnnaM]

I took them with my last pregnancy and had no issues. I am a researcher and I don't recall finding anything controversial about them. The only thing I remember is that it will only help if the PTL is being caused by hormones. Mine was being caused by a uterine abnormality so I stopped taking them after I found that out.

[Susan in TX]

They can create problems with blood sugar regulation, leading to gestational diabetes and there is an increased risk of pre-eclampsia. I had 9 complication free pregnancies. I had the shots for the 10th because my 9th child was born 4 weeks early. The shots helped a ton with all the uterine irritability: Braxton Hicks contractions started around 16 weeks and stopped when I started the shots. BUT I developed gestational diabetes at 20 weeks and then was hospitalised with pre-eclampsia at the end of the pregnancy. Baby was induced a month before my due date because of the pre-eclampsia. Fortunately he was fine and didn't need to be in the NICU.

"The amount of progesterone produced during a normal pregnancy, mainly by the placenta, is greater than the pharmacologic doses employed in 17P treatments. Reported side effects in the mother have included swelling, itching and other local reactions at the site of the injection, hypersensitivity reactions, cough, dyspnea, and an increased risk of developing gestational diabetes."

http://http://www.chiff.com/health/pregnancy/17P.htm

 

And

"Certain pregnancy-related fetal and maternal complications or events were numerically increased in Makena-treated subjects as compared to placebo subjects, including miscarriage (2.4% vs. 0%) and stillbirth (2% vs. 1.3%), admission for preterm labor (16% vs. 13.8%), preeclampsia or gestational hypertension (8.8% vs. 4.6%), gestational diabetes (5.6% vs. 4.6%), and oligohydramnios (3.6% vs. 1.3%) " http://http://www.kvph.com/Makena/17p-alpha-hydroxyprogesterone-caproate.aspx

 

Susan in TX

Edited November 11, 2012 by Susan in TX

[hsbeth]

I had them during my last pregnancy about 6 years ago. The only complication I was aware of was possible nerve damage from the repeated injections. My doc was very careful about rotating injection sites. I took them only until week 32 and they were not effective in treating my pre-term labor issues though.

[BlsdMama]

They can create problems with blood sugar regulation, leading to gestational diabetes and there is an increased risk of pre-eclampsia. I had 9 complication free pregnancies. I had the shots for the 10th because my 9th child was born 4 weeks early. The shots helped a ton with all the uterine irritability: Braxton Hicks contractions started around 16 weeks and stopped when I started the shots. BUT I developed gestational diabetes at 20 weeks and then was hospitalised with pre-eclampsia at the end of the pregnancy. Baby was induced a month before my due date because of the pre-eclampsia. Fortunately he was fine and didn't need to be in the NICU.

"The amount of progesterone produced during a normal pregnancy, mainly by the placenta, is greater than the pharmacologic doses employed in 17P treatments. Reported side effects in the mother have included swelling, itching and other local reactions at the site of the injection, hypersensitivity reactions, cough, dyspnea, and an increased risk of developing gestational diabetes."

http://http://www.chiff.com/health/pregnancy/17P.htm

 

And

"Certain pregnancy-related fetal and maternal complications or events were numerically increased in Makena-treated subjects as compared to placebo subjects, including miscarriage (2.4% vs. 0%) and stillbirth (2% vs. 1.3%), admission for preterm labor (16% vs. 13.8%), preeclampsia or gestational hypertension (8.8% vs. 4.6%), gestational diabetes (5.6% vs. 4.6%), and oligohydramnios (3.6% vs. 1.3%) " http://http://www.kvph.com/Makena/17p-alpha-hydroxyprogesterone-caproate.aspx

 

Susan in TX

 

 

Thank you everyone for posting. Susan, thank you especially for relating your experience.

 

Can I ask if you had any other risk factors? I've never had GD, but after looking around, more people and doctors linked the P17 with GD.

 

I am a little alarmed by that. I'm one of those people who have PTL, but I've been able to keep almost all of them in 'til almost 36-37 weeks, though last time I ended up in the hospital for a little over a week waiting to hit 36.

 

I would be *FAR* more concerned about GD and pre-eclampsia than I would ever be about PTL, because usually my cervical stitch holds. Last time it ripped through.

 

 

We have a tendency to have big babies anyway and I've seen an additional risk of increased fetal death, but I'm wondering if that is just women who took the shot, went into PTL anyway, and lost their babies?