Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[2cats]

Hi all,

Any thoughts on which progesterones are better tolerated?  I've tried Evorel Sequi, Cyclogest and Utrogestan.  Each have made my physical aches and pains disappear and improved my sleep, yet turned me into an irritable, unbearable, wound up mess.
I'm going to try Utrogestan vaginally next cycle but just in case I still get the same symptoms, I thought I'd try and find out about other progesterones which any ladies on here might have found worked better for them than the others I have mentioned.

Thanks in advance,
 

[Mary G]

I hate them all!!  That said, in my particular case, the lesser of several evils is Utrogestan used vaginally because (a) it hits the spot meaning it works better and you can use less of it and (b) it has fewer side effects (digestive and breast pain) when used in this way.  I take very little Utrogestan every 5 weeks and I can just about tolerate it, at a push.  Any more than that is competely out of the question for me. 

Apparently there are women who thrive on all types of progesterone and can't get enough of it but it you are not one of them and have tolerance problems, it is very difficult and the only way to deal with it is to take less of it and have regular scans because chances are, you don't need anything like the stated dose. 

Hope that helps.

[2cats]

Hi Mary G,

That's really helpful so thank you.  When you say you take very little, how much and for how many days do you take it for?  Did your GP agree to this method or did you just take this matter into your own hands to save your sanity?  How often do you get scanned?
One last question - what are your side effects from progesterone?

Thanks

[Hurdity]

Hi 2cats

The only one that is bio-identcial to our own progesterone is - wait for it - progesterone! This is available as Cyclogest - which you've tried, and utrogestan which you've also tried. It is also available as a vaginal gel (Crinone) but doesn't seem to be licensed for use in UK as part of HRT - and there has hardly ever been anyone on it.

The main problem with progesterone ie utrogestan is taking it orally, as it has more side effects this way due to the metabolites produced from metabolism through the liver, Taking it vaginally as you plan to do - and which Mary G does and I do - minimises many of these side effects - although quite a lot of it gets into the system as less is lost through digestion.

Because it is very unstable (progesterone) it has to be given in large enough doses to do its job of keeping the lining thin - as it can't really replicate what the ovary does by pumping it out continuously during the menstrual cycle or pregnancy. There is one progestogen which is very close to our own but is more stable but is only available as part of combi HRT - this is dydrogesterone in Femoston. Some women who live abroad get it as Duphaston but is no longer available in this country (maybe online?). This is often better tolerated orally than utrogestan because it is taken in lower doses but being more stable it stays around in the system a bit longer than utrogestan which is eliminated very quickly.

If you are taking cyclical HRT then you will expect to get irritability during the changeover back to oestrogen only - as normal pms, but you don't want to have to suffer severe symptoms while taking the progestogen itself.

The licensed dose as you probably know is 200 mg x 12 days per cycle but if used vaginally it should be possilbe to take less than this - from limited research which shows it can be effective at lower doses. I would not take it for less than 10 days though and any variation from the licensed dose should be done under supervision of your doctor and a regular scan of the uterus. It also depends how much oestrogen you are using since the Utrogestan is given as one size fits all - but in reality the amount needed is dependent on how much oestrogen you are taking (as well as where you are in menopause, whether you have fibroids etc).

I used Cyclogest for several years but as time went on I got bad migraines with it - sometimes while taking it and almost always at the withdrawal stage. Utrogestan suits me much better - and I have only ever had this vaginally.

Some women swear by Levonorgestrel (in the Mirena and Femseven) and others by Provera - so it really is a question of suck it and see!!!

Hope this helps

Hurdity x

[2cats]

Thanks Hurdity - re Femseven - yes I think I remember getting on ok with this one but the bloody patches were useless at staying on!  However, I did have the Mirena Coil fitted quite a few years back and my body just did not like having it inside me.  It felt like it was trying to reject a foreign body and I couldn't wait to get it taken out.  And that hurt!

How is the Provera taken?

Stellajane - yes i understand thanks.  Unfortunately my irritability becomes irrational and shouty which doesn't make for a very nice homelife. 

[Hurdity]

Provera is a tablet so will produce metabolic by-products. Some find it fine though - Dana takes it

Hurdity x

[Mary G]

2cats, I was prescribed this regime by Professor Studd but I am very severely intolerant to all forms of synthetic progesterone and Utrogestan in large doses to the point of really needing a hysterectomy.  So I am in the last chance saloon now and only take 100mg Utrogestan vaginally every 5 weeks or so but I have to ditch out early if I get a migraine.  The only side effects for me if I use it vaginally are silent migraines but only if I take too much of it.  I had breast pain and digestive problems when taking it orally and migraines of course.  I am managing to keep the migraines at bay at the moment and have been able to tolerate the Utrogestan much better since starting DHEA tablets (25mg everyday).  I am now producing my own hormones again and for some reason, this seems to protect me from the ill-effects of the Utrogestan.  My periods have become lighter too. 

I usually have a scan at least once a year (three times last year while I was working all this out with the gynaecologist!) and even though I take much less Utrogestan than I should, I regularly have a post bleed lining measurement of 2mm.  Obviously I can't guarantee that everyone will be the same and other women may need to take significantly more than me to get the same results but if it's a toss up between taking less progesterone and having regular scans or not taking HRT at all and having to suffer, it's a no brainer really.  At least this method means you can find your level and won't be lumbered with taking too much progesterone for years on end.

Unfortunately, I don't have a choice, it's either this regime or a hysterectomy. 

[Dana]

Yes I use Provera. I take 5mg x 10-12 days every 2 months and that works well for me.

I don't bother about the supposed issues with progestins. At such a low dose every two months, I think I have more to worry about from my mobile phone.