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[Scampidoodle]

Hi ladies,

I can’t work this out and wondered if anyone has had the same or knowledge of this pattern.

I feel bad in my cycle from about day 2 of my cycle (as in a couple of days into my period) very depressed and anxious. As my period ends anxiety leaps even higher.

This last to about days 8-10 when I have a few good days. Positively content and happy.

I also feel pretty good at the end of my cycle when the hormones are low. I have a 24 day cycle and days 18ish to 23 are always good.

I feel clinically depressed when I have bad days. But from recording I know I don’t feel like this all the time but when it hits I’m pretty non functioning. I almost feel better with progesterone in me.

I am 41 and had my blood hormones checked. I have the Mirena coil. On day 3 of my cycle my oestrogen was 79pmol and day 23 was 102pmol. My cycle has changed from 29 to 24 days in last few years.

Help! Cant go on like this 

[CLKD]

Does the depression ease eventually?

[Scampidoodle]

It does after a few days. So I know I’m not depressed as I can feel positively content and happy at other times in my cycle and zero anxiety when I have progesterone in the second half.

I just want to try a treatment that could help but I’m not sure if that’s the progesterone pill to stop my cycle or oestrogen if the issue is perimenopause. But would have thought my FSH would be higher if I was, it was around 8 I think.

[CLKD]

I hate that sudden drop in mood, my depression is on the whole, well controlled since the 1980s with medication.  But it can still hit. 

[Scampidoodle]

It’s a killer. I also know it’s related to my hormones but I can’t work out what causes it and if I’m deficient in oestrogen  or perimenopausal or I actually need more progesterone.

A consultant recently suggested I take utrogestan daily on its own as I had good times in the second half of cycle. But not even sure if this is a thing?!?

The thing at the start of my cycle feels like either a progesterone withdrawal or a reaction to suddenly getting some oestrogen.

[CLKD]

Was the Consultant a menopause specialist or a Gynae.?

[Scampidoodle]

She is a doctor in a women’s health/menopause clinic. The Menopause consultancy run by Tina Peers. She said worth a try. But I’m not 100% as don’t know anyone who does this. (Not that I know a lot about all this!)

[Alicess]

Hi Scampidoodle, I have the same thing happening to me. When estrogen should rise, after a periode, I feell worse and on approx. day 9 and 10 I feel better. Then suddely worse and when hormones are lower I feel better again. My cycle is about 30 days. I have many memo symptoms including hot flashes and I'm definitly estrogen deficiënt.

I've tried progesterone alone but it made my symptoms much worse and  adding new symptoms on top. The only thing I can think of is supply and demand.  If estrogen needs to rise but there isn't enough your body will respond accordingly. I don't t think serum estrogen levels are reliable as the are influenced by so many processes in our system and they will go up and down during the day and from day to day.

With Mirena coil you already have additional progesterone. Maybe you need estrogen to counteract progesterone?

[Scampidoodle]

That’s interesting thanks for replying.

I’m wondering the same, if I need further oestrogen. My periods are regular and no other meno type symptoms just god awful mental health issues on certain days in the month and can’t go on feeling like this.

The most recent month day 24 (last day of before period) to day 4 I felt absolutely clinically depressed and anxious. Today I’ve woken and something has lifted just a bit jittery as oestrogen continues to rise.

Just want my cycle to stop ideally.

[Scampidoodle]

Alicess are you trying anything else now?

[Alicess]

Have you tried estrogen patches, gel of pills alongside Mirena? If you don't use any estrogen with the Mirena it's possible that the coil makes everything worse as progestins/ progesterone are anti-estrogenic.

I don't know how old you are but if you want to surpress your cycle then ethinylestradiol in birth control pills is potent enough, estradiol in HRT isn't.
From what I understand menopause clinics advise birth control if you are still in peri-menopause.

I was on birth control and it did surpress  my cycle for the most part.

[Alicess]

I' m sorry, you've already mentioned you age. Then you can try birth control, I think it's a better option then HRT. 

[Scampidoodle]

Thanks Alicess - I was on the combined pill in my 20s and always caused low level depression. But I’m willing to try something.

Interesting you say that about the Mirena. I didn’t know it could cause bad effects systemically.

Do you think if it was the Mirena it would make me feel bad all the time rather than just at certain times though? X

[Alicess]

I don't know for sure if the Mirena makes you feel bad but it doesn't help. I think it also depends how long you've had it. Progesterone and progestins downregulate estrogen receptors, it should be in balance with estrogen.

I don't know if you need a contraceptive? Otherwise you could remove the coil and see what happens?

When you were on the combined pill did you have a pill free week for your periode ( I don't know exactly how it's called in English)?
If so, that could be a reason why you felt more depressed. It would cause more hormonal imbalances and it's not neccesary. You can take it back to back. Some women even wait for a breakthrough bleeding and then take a 7 day break.

Or maybe you need another birth control pill, it can take time before you find the one that suits you. Regardless, if you do decide to take BCP give it 3 months to settle before you try another one. From my own experience; I switch from a higher dose BCP which surpressed my cycle completly to a low dose because my GP told me it was saver. It didn't work out well so I went back to the higher dose pill but it never surpressed my cycle as it did before and gave more side-effects.