Ignorant question about progesterone in early first trimester

[Anonymous]

I'm posting here instead of the Expectant mothers's forum, because people on this forum have a lot of experience.
I am pregnant with an unplanned pregnancy. I do not recall my LMP, and my cycles are irregular anyway, but I thought I *might* be 8-9 weeks pregnant. The embryo measured 6 weeks, 1 day at last week's ultrasound but there was no heartbeat, otherwise all measurements (gestational sac, yolk sac, CRL) seemed proportional to each other. hCG started to decrease last week. And last night I started bleeding a little bit (streaks). No cramps.

My husband read online that progesterone is given to women in the first trimester to prevent miscarriages. Is this true? Would it change the outcome? Is it certain that I am miscarrying? Would the OB agree to this?

Please educate us!
Thank you.

[Anonymous]

Unfortunately hcg decreasing is a pretty definitive sign that a miscarriage is occurring and giving progesterone now will not help. The only reason hcg would decrease and still result in a viable pregnancy is vanishing twin (there were two fetuses and now there is just one). So there is a tiny chance that’s what’s going on, but very unlikely. I’m sorry.