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[da66]

My GP has referred me to the specialist meno clinic (12 week wait but hurrah!) and in meantime while waiting has decided (after disastrous first attempt at elleste duet Conti) to prescribe me evorel 25 patch and utrogestan 100mg and says I need to take this every day. I am 2 years post my last period. Most of you seem to be taking utrogestan in a different way to this so am wondering is it common to take it continuously? I think I have scared willies out of myself reading up on all this and seeing all the horrendous mood effects people can have even with utrogestan. I had awful depressed feelings on the elleste after only 3 days. Any thoughts?

Incidentally my GP has been fab about saying 'thank god you came and talked to me about bioidentical hormones otherwise I wouldn't have had a clue' and has really tried to read up. Hurrah for that.   

[Tinkerbell]

I was prescribed continuous Utrogestan by meno specialist.
Unfortunately I couldn't tolerate it and went down the Mirena route.

[Dancinggirl]

It's trial and error with any HRt regime - give it a go and see whether it suits you.  You have been given a very low dose of oestrogen though!!!!!  Look under TREATMENTS above to find out more about your regime - it shodulbe under PROGESTERONES.  DG x

[Mary G]

da66, sorry to be a party pooper but I don't think that a 25mcg patch will be anything like enough oestrogen, particularly if suppressed by 100mg of Utrogestan everyday.  If you want to do a continuous combined (no bleed) regime, you need to up your dose of patch or better still (in my opinion) switch to Oestrogel to get maximum flexibility i.e. you can very easily adjust the dose to suit your needs.   If you do a cyclical regime, you can get away with a lower dose of oestrogen and of course a few days of progesterone every month. 

Hope that helps.

[flutterby]

Hi da66 I changed from Evorel Sequi 50 to exactly the same regime you are on in February. I was worried as I always thought that progesterone made me more moody and down. It didn't, felt sleepy on morning but not for long. I found on the Evorel 25 patches I had feeling warm episodes which to be honest was better than the bad night sweats that used to appear before the bleed on Sequi. I think I am probably starting to have  mild VA symptoms so off to doctors as I stopped HRT at weekend, which was planned ( I'm 64). Flutterbyx

[da66]

Thank you all - that's really helpful. GP is suggesting v low dose because I reacted badly to the elleste duet. She is new to the utrogestan though and TBH it feels like we are both groping around in the dark.  Am starting to feel as though I may as well just wait till I see the meno specialist and have done with it.

[Hurdity]

Hi da66

So pleased to hear that your GP is sympathetic and has shown willingness to learn more even though she didn't know enough about it to start with - it's great to hear some good news.

Having looked back at your posts and from what you said about reaction to Elleste Duet conti I can see she was very sensible is prescribing you a low dose to start with and if you are post-menopausal and have been without oestrogen for a while -  well sometimes it takes the body a while to acclimatise to getting extra oestrogen.

Please don't be put off by "party poopers" ( ) and all you read on here about problems with HRT!!!

Yes it is a low dose of oestrogen - but this is deliberate to get you used to it gradually so that's absolutely fine! Please do not expect lots of problems - many women do not have any! As flutterby says she is fine with the same regime, and as Dancinggirl says it is trial and error to get the right one for you!

You haven't said how old you are though? if you are under the avergae age of menopause you will need to move up to an medium dose fairly soon if you can - and possibly higher, but if you are over 51/52 you may be OK with 50 mcg - I started on this dose in late peri at just uinder 54 and have been absolutely fine (now 63).

One thing though - ideally you would start on oestrogen only - especially as you had problems with the conti tablet, and you don't know whether it was the high dose of tablet oestrogen all of a sudden, or the continuous progestogen (Norethisterone) that gave you the bad side effects. You would then have to have a withdrawal bleed though so you might not like that idea. However it's the only way of getting used to the oestrogen first  and then introducing the progesterone to see how different you feel. However you may well be like flutterby and be OK!

You don't really need to wait for the meno clinic as you have a good prescription - but perhaps think about the cycle idea before taking the plunge? You have nothing to lose by starting the prescription (especially the oestrogen) - I mean you are unlikely to have a terrible reaction to the utrogestan at that dose - but maybe a bit sleepy or foggy headed if you take it all the time. It is so important not to expect bad things and to be tempted to attribute any negative reaction or symptom to HRT!

Hurdity x

[da66]

Hurdity you are a mind reader and I love you! I AM being put off by all the side effects I read other people have and was feeling quite hopeless because having discovered utrogestan through this forum and thinking I had struck gold to then read people still have issues with it just finished me off really. I need to absolutely give it a chance and not assume I will be in same boat. I had also had same thought about trying the oestrogen on its own - GP would have a dicky fit I think because she seems quite nervous about the whole thing but I think it would be a good way to start. I am 49, soon to be 50, had my last period 22 months ago and have been having milder symptoms for about 3 years but they have really ramped up in last few months.     

[da66]

And I would gladly take a withdrawal bleed to be rid of all my other problems!

[Hurdity]

Go for it girl!

Hurdity x

[Rhiner]

I too was on a conti tablet and started to get awful headaches after 8 weeks.  My gynae switched me to an oestrogen patch and utrogestan 100mg daily.  I took oestrogen only for 8 weeks to get the right dose and ensure no side effects from this,  before introducing the utrogestan.  You can go up to 3 months on oestrogen alone if absolutely necessary, so the specialist informed me. I am only taking the utrogestan every other day, rather than daily.  I started this at the beginning of sept, as I have had no blood/spotting thus far. I will have a scan in March to ensure alls well (or before if any spotting occurs). My gynae, who is a meno specialist is entirely happy with this.  This may be something to discuss when you see the specialist.

Good Luck, Rhiner

[Nina]

I love love love continuous utro 

[Hurdity]

Haha Nina - how odd?!!!! Each to their own!!! Glad you are happy!

Hurdity  x

[Belladonna]

Rhiner, don't you feel "unbalanced" and like being on a hormonal rollercoaster when taking utro every other day?
Really interesting thing about being able to stay on estrogen only for as long as 3 months without ill effects!

[Rhiner]

Hi Belladonna,

It felt a little odd initially, as the day after taking the prog the night before I felt a little odd (Dizzy and a little faint) and then the prog free day felt better, but things seem to be sorting themselves out now.  I must admit that with oestrogen alone I still felt a little flat, mood wise, but the addition of prog seems to have lifted this.  We will see how it progresses, I guess as prog builds up in the system anyway over time, maybe its not so bad. I guess you get the spike taking it orally either daily or every 2 days.

I was very reluctant to do daily Ultro after the horror stories I had seen (as people on this post have stated, you never really hear about the positive aspects - thanks to Donna for some positivity on Ultro), I had read about the trials in Switzerland and France? using alternate day, or 3 day a week Ultro, I thought it worth a try and fortunately the meno specialist agreed and did state that it may take time to settle.

It was really good to be able to get the oestrogen settled over the 8 week period too before starting the prog element which I was dreading.
Rhiner