Print

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

[becca]

Hi everyone,
It's been about a year since I posted on here.  Long journey of trying to get HRT dose right.  46 years old, peri/early meno. Started off on Prof Studd's regime - 3x pumps Estro gel daily, Utro 100mg and a daily blob of Testin.  After some adverse symptoms and methodical dosage tweaking got to a reasonably good place by reducing Estro to 2 pumps per day but no bleed each month.  Found out that Utro dosage was way lower than recommended dosage and so asked GP to refer me to Nick Panay's clinic having read about him on this forum.  While waiting for apptmnt I increased Utro to 100mg 12 days per month (having discussed with GP) about six months ago and have had three bleeds, but not every month.  Manageable PMS type symptoms returned with this.  Meanwhile alongside all of this not sleeping well and not feeling great - but put this down to the stress of launching a new career and business this year.  But a few weeks ago I noticed that the sleepness nights were accompanied by night sweats and mild hot flushes during the day.  Then the penny dropped - oh no the symptoms are returning    Now I advanced into the previous state of hellish sleeplessness and emotional wreakage that I had before HRT.  Intially thought maybe I need to increase Estro gel , but having read some older threads on here am wondering if the problem is the increased Utro?  Can it build up over time or would you only get the hot flushes and sleeplessness on the days you are taking the Utro?  Meanwhile have been seen at Panay's NHS clinic and they want me to increase Utro to the full monty 200mg for 12 days but worried about doing this now.  Wish I had realised what was happening with my symptoms before I went to the clinic! Arghh - any advise gratefully received

[peri]

Utrogestan certainly causes me to wake in the night with hot sweats becca and also early morning bursting for the loo, so it makes my bladder sensitive too.  Increasing the dose is my idea of a nightmare and I don't think I could tolerate it. I'm always glad of the break from it once I've finished taking it. So in answer to your question yes I feel the increased utro may be the problem.

Also, not sure I followed but why are you only taking 1 pump of oestrogen?  That's a low dose, 2 is the average and may balance your symptoms x

[becca]

Thanks Peri - do you get the increase in symptoms all the time with progesterone or is it just while you are taking it?  I'm not due to start taking it again until next week, but the last four weeks have been hell with night sweats and no sleep.
Must have been a typo with my dosage I'm on 2 pumps per day of gel.

[peri]

Hi beca my mistake I think rereading your post.  Utro builds up in your system the longer you take it.  For example, I'm ok for the first few days (about 4), in fact if anything feel a bit sedated, but after that I (personally) don't feel well and hit a wall with it.  Mary G has posted on this a lot, it's known as progesterone intolerance and affects about 15% of women (I believe) and I'm one of them.  Added to that I also get progesterone withdrawal as it leaves my system, it only lasts a couple of days but is the worst part.  The rest of the month I'm fine (which is most of it) but stuck in this pattern until something new hits the market.  There's quite a few of us on here in this position as we don't want to take continuous progesterone because of the side effects x

[becca]

Ok, thanks so much. I will search out the earlier posts to see what I can learn and I notice there is a general thread still active which I hadn't seen before.  I think I will pay for a scan so I'm not freaking out with worry about thickening womb lining with no bleeds and then revert to the low dose of Utro for three months to see what happens, I think that's probably the easiest way to check what is the culpit.  If still having flushes and no sleep after that then I guess maybe I will need to look at more Estrogel, but I'd rather avoid that.  Prof Studd said I was proges intolerant BTW, but for various reasons I decided not to agree with that initially

[peri]

Did he that's interesting.  I never get hot flushes when I'm on the oestrogen only part, hopefully you'll be ok too.  Let us know how you get on x

[Dancinggirl]

beca - I didn't get on with Utro at all well - I got more side effects with Utro than with any other progesterone - I definitely got night sweats with Utro and felt very hot through the morning - quite sedated as well.   Maybe try a different one. e.g. Provera?  DG x

[becca]

Thanks DG - appreciate the support as I head into crazy land!!  have also posted this query on the correct utro/estro thread sorry for the double posting.  It's difficult to know what to do because I guess it's also possible that my meno is progressing and I do need to look at Estro dosage?  So frustrating - feel like I am constantly on some kind of three month trial period and by the time you get to the end of it you have to start again as something else has changed. Desperately I hope I can come off all of this completely when I get to 50/51. 

[Hurdity]

Hi becca - I did read on here that some women increase their dosage on the prog part of their cycle so I did try this for this cycle - but I think in my case the amount I increased by was probably negligible ie from one 50 mcg + quarter patch, to one 50 mcg + a third patch!! This particular utrogestan cycle it wasn't too bad though -  felt wiped out and tired every morning ( more so than usual) and more tired in the day, and only one day of foggy-head which I thought would become a migraine but didn't. Also loo visit - usually only once per night. It does seem to vary each cycle eg sometimes I feel rough for a few days then OK for a few then progressively more foggy. Sometimes I feel fine for a few days then get worse - there is no knowing! It's all copable with though - as long as I psych myself up for it! Just have to grin and bear it....If you are early peri-meno then it is surprising that you didn't get a bleed every month? it will be interesting to see what sort of bleed you get on 200 mg x 12 days - the full amount, and also what your scan shows?

Ooh I wouldn't wish yourself off it - I'm mid 60's, have been taking for 10 + years and no intention to stop if health permits. Heavens you may live until 90 and beyond.....when you become post-meno - with suitable medical supervision you might be able to gonto a longer cycle if you can find the lowest oestrogen dose you can get away with so that you can minimise the prog!

Hurdity x

[becca]

Thanks Hurdity.  I have decided to try the NHS recommended dose for three months - no way I will get an agreed lower dose through an NHS clinic without having tried that anyway, so might as well do it now. I am preping myself mentally to be scientific about this and to try to observe what happens rather than get affected by it.  Find it hard to think about being on medication for the rest of my life - but probably that's just my personal hang up.  Thanks to everyone here for supporting me even though I dip in and out of the forum xx

[peri]

Becca the way I see hrt is it's not a medication/drug like for instance anti-antidepressants are, it's simply replacing what your body isn't making anymore.  (Especially If your taking the patches or gel which are made from soy or yam anyway).   Looking at it this way it's a way of looking after yourself for the future x

[becca]

Yes maybe I just need to get over it and get on with it Peri!  Things could definitely be worse than a bit of HRT 

[becca]

HI again,
Everyone so I'm on my fifth day of increasing utrogestan from 100mg to 200mg.  I had increased my estrogel to three pumps per day prior to starting due to hot flushes and night sweats and those symptoms did reduce quite quickly on the additional pumps.  On the increased dose of utrogestan I feel very hyped up and wired - I can't sleep very well, but feeling in the mornings that I am a bit buzzy.  So it feels like a bit of a high even though I am still not sleeping through the night - but am wondering if this normally corresponds a low mood swing later in the month??  Has anyone else had these symptoms with increasing utro dose?  I know it's early days but I was very much looking forward to the knock me out and get some sleep effect that others here have experienced.
x