Questions about 17P shots.

Welcome.

I am going to try to answer your questions as best I can. I did have 17P shots with my third pregnancy, and I do believe they helped me get further.

I had my first child at 25 weeks, and he did not survive. My daughter was born at 30 weeks - and I did not have 17P shots with that pregnancy. I was encouraged to have them with my 3rd pregnancy (by my perinatologist) - and started them at 24 weeks gestation.

The shots were administered weekly by my Dr. 17P shots have been shown to decrease the risk of preterm delivery in women who have had a previous preterm birth. I am not sure if they make a difference if you have an incompetent cervix - I did not have that. But I do know that they made a difference for me, given I went into pre-term labor at 16 weeks...and yet still made it to 33 weeks with my 3rd pregnancy.

I would suggest that you talk to your Dr. about these shots. I don't have enough good things to say about them!

Take care -
Denise

I had my daughter at 32 weeks and 3 days. I was petrified to find out I was pregnant again. I went into labor with her at 30 weeks and they held me off with strict bed rest and magnesium sulphate...
My OB suggested the Progestrone shots. I have heard that some women do them at home. I have an appointment every Friday for the shot. It is high risk so they watch me for other things too. I did not have IC either just PTL as far as they can tell. My shot is administed in the rump. It is really thick so it takes a little bit of time to administer it. I can't remember when I started getting them though. Either 13 or 18 weeks. It's all a blurr. It never hurt me until last week. I got it on a Wednesday though and hadn't had time to apply body lotion to soften the skin.
I understand that it is still pretty new. I have even heard it called experimental... All of the health care professionals I have spoken with have great things to say about it. I wish I could tell you more. I don't know if it will be an option for IC. I have heard it does not work for multiples.
I was already in the hospital on bed rest by this time with my first baby. Although I have not reached 32 weeks 3 days yet I have faith that I will. I will get the shot for 3 or 4 more weeks. After that if I go into labor than I have a baby...
Philena

My first was born at 34 weeks. I had a text book pregnancy and then one morning I went into labor and had her later that day! So when we got pregnant with our 2nd I was really scared. My doctor recommened the 17p shots. So starting at week 16 I started the shots. They gave them to me at my appointments but if I didn't have an appt scheduled that week I made a appt at my clinic w/ the float nurse. I think they helped but since I don't have IC I am can't answer that question for you. I had one preterm labor experience but they were able to stop it and then I carried to full term. Something I never expected! I didn't think they hurt most of the time really just like a pinch. A normal shot takes about 5 seconds, these take about 30-45 seconds to give. The serum is very thick so they administer it slowly. They alternated my hips every other week. One week I am not sure what happened but it swelled up and was red and hot and itched like no other! I had to put ice packs on it for a week! But it was only that one time. I ended my shots at 36 weeks. I had to pay for it out of pocket because my insurance said it wasn't covered. They were $40 a month of the serum. I was not charged an injection fee but at the end they tried to make me pay and I went round and round with the clinic and then finally they waived the fees, but said next time there is an injection fee for each week, which was $35 but my copay was $20 so I would have to pay $20 a week for the shots and $40 a month for the meds. I would check with your insurance company and your clinic for details prior to getting the shots. They are relatively new shots but have read nothing bad and had no "bad" experiences during or after with them. To the best of my knowledge I was told the shots are progesterone and it helps "calm" the uterus to help avoid contractions.

I hope some of this helps!!
PS I had a beautiful baby girl, Clare, on her due date!! 6lb 14oz 19.5" (delivered her breech but still healthy!!).

Congratulations Philena on making it to 31 weeks, good luck with the next couple of weeks! Congratulations to 34wkLucy on making it full term! It's so good to hear that all of you have had good luck with the shots if that becomes one of my options. I'm still hoping to hear from someone with IC and if they used it or not. It gives me hope to hear from all three of you that they have been helpful. Thanks also for letting me know how you had them done. I am not good with needles and these sound like they can be painful or at least take longer than a normal shot would. Obviously, I will bear with it if it will help my baby.

Thanks for the info on the insurance. I will have to look into that. Maybe that is why my OB has not mentioned it yet. You guys were able to answer quite a few of my questions and I appreciate it!
Lina

Ok this is going to sound silly but... what are 17p shots? I had twins at 24wks and we are trying again. I know my doctor said I would have a blood test done to see if I have a blood clotting disorder but she never mentioned these shots. I would like to research it some more but I'm not sure of the technical name. Thanks ladies

Allison

Hi Allison,

This is Lindsay and I work at the March of Dimes.

Women who have given birth to a premature baby are at increased risk of having another early birth. In 2003, two research studies found that a form of the hormone progesterone (17P) reduced the rate of premature birth for some of the women in this group. It generally is recommended for women who had a singleton premature birth, not twins, but there is a difference of opinions among doctors about this. Here is a link to a little information:
http://www.marchofdimes.com/prematurity/21236_19093.asp

17P also is referred to as 17P Alpha Hydroxyprogesterone Caproate. I'm sure you'll get lots of feedback from women on this site about it. Hope this helps a bit,

Lindsay
Pregnancy & Newborn Health Education Center

Hi Allison,
I had twin girls at 22 1/2 weeks. I had been taking the 17P shots, but studies have now shown that they do not help in multiple pregnancies. I am now 36 weeks pregnant with a singleton baby and we did the 17P shots through week 28 and then switched to the progesterone pills. I will continue to take them until I get my cerclage out next week. I cannot say if the progesterone is what has helped get me this far, but I know that I like having every precaution possible to get this baby to term!

Good luck!
Becca

Just wondering if anyone knows if these shots are available in Canada?

I am not sure about Canada, but mine were mailed to me from a pharmacy up north. They may be able to mail them to you. Just an idea. They worked for me after having a 34 weeker for unknown reasons. I delivered a healthy 36 week 3 day baby back in September and he is as healthy as can be.

Katie

Thanks Becca and Lindsay. My twins were born at 24 wks in Oct. We are currently trying again with the help of Clomid. If we become pregs this month I would like to talk to my doctor about the shots. But I wanted to research it before hand. Thanks again and I will look into it. The shot seems to help many women who are on SHARE.

Allison

The progesterone shot is given once a week. It is given on your side on your upper buttocks. The shot is suppose to thicken your cervix so it would make it harder for the baby to come out. You can get the shot at home a nurse will come out every week or you can go into the clinic once a week to get it done. The shot didnt work for me I had my son dec26,2007 and now he is passing away Iam just so upset and scared and angry at the doctors because they were suppose to stitch my cervix but they thought the shot would help. Make sure you ask the doctor about the cerclage because you can get the cerlage and the shot and you will have better chances. Thats what I plan to do If I ever have another child.

HI There,

I got 17P shots for IC and for premature labor my daughter was 34 weeks and my cervix effaced suddenly. I was really hesitant to get the 17P shots with #2 and did lots of research. My doctor assigned a nursing service they are called MATRIA. Very large organization and their Pharmacists are experts on 17P shots. I had in lenght discussions with their pharmacists then decided to go for it. I'm 35 week pregnant, go the shots starting 18weeks and I'm due for the last shot. They helped me stop cramping, I would feel crampy right before the weekly shot was due and then the cramps would stop after the shots. All the shots contain are progestrone hormone. The nurse that would give me the shots said it helps lenghten pregnancy by at least 2 weeks. I"m in the hospital on bedrest and magnesium sulphate. I don't know how soon my contractions with this pregnancy would have started had I not had the shots. It's just another precaution. The shots are thick and contained in castor oil. They don't really hurt but they are itchy. It takes a while for your body to absorb so you have to massage the area a bit. Ask your doctor if he works with MATRIA, that's who managed my home monitoring for contractions and they would send out a nurse to come out weekly to monitor the baby and give me the shots at home. You can also call them on your own and ask to talk to their pharmacy about 17P.

Just an update....I"m still pregnant...37.5 weeks now. I'm amazed because I spent a month on bedrest in the hospital on magnesium sulphate and throughout pregnancy I got 17P shots. When I was admitted, at 32 weeks I was 1cm dialated and 80% effaced. They checked me on the day they discharged me and It was exactly the same... It's been a week since my being discharged and I'm still pregnant. I have an appointment tomorrow but no labor signs yet.
I suppose something worked.....the 17P shots or the magnesium, maybe a combinaton of both. Whatever it was, the side effects outweigh the risks of having a preemie again. THe shots are just very itchy and thick....

I had my first daughter at 30 weeks after having PTL at 26 weeks. I spent 4 weeks in the hospital before she was born. I am now 18 weeks into my second pregnancy. My peri recommended the p17 shots as they do not really know the cause of my PTL. They felt it was probably an abruption, but they have also mentioned IC, as my cervix with shortened and thinned when I was hospitalized. I actually chose not to have the cerclage, which my peri agreed with, but went with the shots. Doctor's have very varying beliefs about the effectiveness of the cerclage.

So far, this pregnancy is going much better. I had a lot of trouble maintaining a safe weight during my first pregnancy, as I was so sick/nauseous throughout. I also bled throughout. This time, thanks to Zofran (meds for nausea), I have already gained more than I did the entire last pregnancy, AND there hasn't been any bleeding. I am feeling confident.

I started the p17 shots 3 weeks ago (16 weeks). They are not as bad as people say. It's a thick shot, so it takes time to go in. The worst part is really the next day, as it can be pretty sore for a few days afterward. But not every time. I go in the the doctor's office once a week. They would not let me do it at home. The p17 gets mailed to me, and I bring it with me to the doctor's office.

I was told yesterday that they are thinking of pulling me out of work at 24 weeks (two weeks before I went into labor last pregnancy), even though there has been no sign of PTL. It was a bit of a shock to me, because they had told me all along that I would be fine working unless they saw something go wrong. I am a teacher and spend much of my day on my feet. But I am not going to argue. Whatever is going to make my chances of keeping this baby in full term I'm willing to do!

I wish all the rest of you luck as well. It is certainly a scary road we travel. I still panic with every ache and pain, unsure of what is normal or not. I'm sure as I get closer to when I had PTL last time it will get even harder. I just have to take it one day/week/month at a time!

Jen

In the beginning I would hurt for a couple of days and after a few times of getting the shot it was only a couple of hours. I dont remember when it was, I started massaging the area before I got the shot and now I am painfree with the shots. It also helps that a nurse from Matria comes to my house to give them. I am able to lay down and keep my muscles relaxed then after the shot I walk around for a minute.