Aliza Sherman has had two miscarriages. She's hoping to avoid a third by taking progesterone the next time she conceives. To do so, however, she's had to take charge of her reproductive health. Her experience perfectly illustrates the confusion surrounding the use of progesterone during pregnancy.

Sherman, 39, of Laramie, Wyo., first heard about progesterone suppositories from the certified nurse midwife she was seeing. Another midwife told her about natural progesterone cream. Sherman also started hearing anecdotal information about progesterone, including another woman whose daughter was getting injections and finally carried a pregnancy to term.

Unfortunately, all this information didn't do Sherman any good. The nurse working in her doctor's office gave her incorrect information: to start taking the progesterone before she got pregnant. "The reality is that it could prevent you from becoming pregnant, so the best time to start is one to two days after conception," says Sherman, who learned the hard way. "If you aren't tracking your cycle very well, you might miss your window of opportunity to prevent miscarriage."

Sherman only found this out by checking out a book by Dr. Stefan Semchyshyn – otherwise known as Dr. Sem – titled How to Prevent Miscarriage and Other Crises of Pregnancy (MacMillan Publishing Company, 1989). She found him online and e-mailed him. She sent him notes from conversations she'd been having with her medical practitioners, and he has been clearing things up for her ever since.

Content on this site is not a substitute for professional medical or healthcare advice, diagnosis or treatment, and may not be used for such purposes. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical question or condition. Reliance on information presented on this site is at your own risk. This site contains the opinions and views of other users. Given the interactive nature of this site, we cannot endorse, guarantee, or be responsible for the accuracy, efficacy, or veracity of any content generated by our users.