Hi Diamonds and Pearls
Here is the information from the SPC (summary of product characteristics) for utrogestan 200 mg and 100 mg:
http://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/medicine/19896/spc
The recommended dose is 200 mg daily at bedtime, for twelve days in the last half of each therapeutic cycle (beginning on day 15 of the cycle and ending on day 26). Withdrawal bleeding may occur in the following week. Alternatively 100 mg can be given at bedtime from day 1 to day 25 of each therapeutic cycle, withdrawal bleeding being less with this treatment schedule.
If you look at the information on this site (ie MM) you will see the same information - with the 200 mg given days 15-26 ( or 12 days per month ) if you are peri-meno, and 100 mg for 25 days out of 28 if you are post-meno (ie half the dose for a longer time period)
http://www.menopausematters.co.uk/to_progestogens.php
In practice as I think I've said elsewhere, many women are prescribed it daily when post-meno without the 3 days break. It would probably be best to take as prescribed, and if it suits you after a few months to check whether you have any bleeding on this regime, you could try taking it continuously - but perhaps mention to you doc if you do.
RE ellie's point - I am the same, as are others on here. Post-menopausal but choose to continue with a cycle even though I am 60. In fact as I went onto HRT before I was post-meno but was almost 54 the doc never changed my prescription and I didn't know (by age 57) that I didn't need to have a cycle, as I hadn't bothered to read up on it until the regime I was on caused me problems!
Hopefully you won't get any bleeding but sometimes this does happen initially on conti HRT and especially changing to a new type!
Hurdity x
Hi Hurdity
You actually covered some questions I was about to ask.... you must have been reading my mind...lol...
I'm currently following the same routine that (I think) you are still following which is 200mg x 12 days x vaginally every 2 months, but frankly I'm getting tired of having a period even if it's only every 2 months. My period isn't that dramatic. It's heavy-ish maybe on day 2, but it's then pretty light for maybe a total of about 4-5 days.
As you may remember, I am also tapering my diazepam dose (now down to about 0.6mg, but still got a few months to go. It's a slow process....), and I now find that I'm less frightened of taking the Utrogestan because it doesn't seem to be giving me any problems, even taking the 200mg. Prog can be a benzo agonist (or vice versa), so I think that is why I had trouble with it when my diazepam dose was higher.
My problem is that Utrogestan STILL isn't available on prescription in Australia, so I have to obtain my supplies by other means (shhhhh). So, even though my doctor knows I'm using it, I can't ask her any questions because she's not experienced with it at all. So I need to rely on you (and the other ladies here) to give me the latest thinking on Utro dosing.
I have been toying with the idea of taking Utro continuously (to avoid a period), but I wasn't really certain what would happen during those 3 days when you stop taking the 100mg. So two questions..
1. Would it be acceptable, do you think, to just keep taking 100mg everyday without taking a break at all? (You did mention that above, but I just wanted your expert opinion).
2. Doing the vaginal thing isn't too much of a drama, but when it's everyday I'm wondering if I would get pretty fed up with that too. I've never taken Utrogestan orally, but I'm wondering how successful others have been taking it this way.