Attitudes, satisfaction and experience with administration of progesterone for assisted reproductive treatment

Progesterone as luteal phase support is challenging as there is no consensus on whether and how it should be used in different types of fertility treatments, the timing of initiation, dosage, duration of use and form of administration. This study aimed to explore women's attitudes, level of satisfaction and experiences with subcutaneous injection of progesterone (25 mg/day for two weeks) after prior vaginal administration of progesterone in assisted reproductive technology treatments.

This was a cross-sectional study recruiting women planned for a treatment with progesterone from two public fertility clinics in Denmark. Only women with at least one previous blastocyst transfer using vaginal progesterone were recruited. Questionnaires covered side effects, medication, daily activities, and sex and intimacy.

The study had a response rate of 80%, with 100 women participating. Among these, 82% (95% CI: 73-89%) were satisfied (to either a very high or high degree) with the subcutaneous form of their progesterone medication in their current treatment compared with vaginal progesterone in earlier treatments. Furthermore, 84% (95% CI: 75-91%) would choose subcutaneous over vaginal progesterone in future treatments if given the option, whereas 8% (95% CI: 4-15%) preferred the vaginal form.

When comparing experiences with subcutaneous to vaginal administration, our findings showed that subcutaneous progesterone is a suitable alternative for women who are dissatisfied with vaginal administration. If given the opportunity to decide, many would choose the subcutaneous form in future ART treatments.

IBSA Nordic.

None.