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[lilbebel]

Hello,

I am extremely sensitive to progesterone. I am fully menopausal and was taking continuous 100mg Utrogestan progesterone vaginally every other day and 2 pumps estrogel. I tolerated this but the new guidelines are to take 100mg daily and no less when using vaginal route. My mood is getting alarmingly depressive. I can’t tolerate synthetic progesterone at all and was non functioning before HRt. I’m very scared. Can’t talk to my Gynae as she is uninformed, unsympathetic and doesn’t even believe in progesterone sensitivity. I can’t get another doc either due to broken health care system. I’m either numb or crying the last couple of weeks and nobody believes me that it could be progesterone. I know my body and am well informed. Did any of you get used to the full dose of vaginal Utrogestan? If not, what did you do? Thank you. Losing all hope here and don’t think I will survive this much longer. Don’t want to be alive anymore as I feel so low.

[Furyan]

Hello,

I am extremely sensitive to progesterone. I am fully menopausal and was taking continuous 100mg Utrogestan progesterone vaginally every other day and 2 pumps estrogel. I tolerated this but the new guidelines are to take 100mg daily and no less when using vaginal route. My mood is getting alarmingly depressive. I can’t tolerate synthetic progesterone at all and was non functioning before HRt. I’m very scared. Can’t talk to my Gynae as she is uninformed, unsympathetic and doesn’t even believe in progesterone sensitivity. I can’t get another doc either due to broken health care system. I’m either numb or crying the last couple of weeks and nobody believes me that it could be progesterone. I know my body and am well informed. Did any of you get used to the full dose of vaginal Utrogestan? If not, what did you do? Thank you. Losing all hope here and don’t think I will survive this much longer. Don’t want to be alive anymore as I feel so low.

Hi Lilbebel - sounds awful and very frightening what you’re going through. I hope others join in with saying that this can get better with the right support! Have you anyone you can turn to just to get you through (emotionally) whilst you find the information you need? I’m sorry, I can’t help with the question directly as it’s news to me about taking 100mg EVERY night vaginally - only a week ago I switched from oral to vaginal every 2 days so your post is making me think about what to do until my next review (August)! Like you, I’m not sure I can take that dose every day.
Please take care and reach out to whomever you need to stay sane and safe, keep coming here to see what other ladies say about your question, someone must have experience of this xx

[Flossieteacake]

Hello and welcome. I am so very sorry to hear of how low you are feeling and that you are not getting the support you need.

It is really hard when we do not have access to medical support. I do not know if you are in the UK but if you are you may not realise you can be referred to an NHS menopause clinic. In my experience gynae do not understand menopause and HRT.

Ultrogestan can cause depression and anxiety and many members on this forum report that so it is ignorant of your gynae to dismiss that. I do not see why you cannot continue with the ultrogestan every other day like you were if this was tolerable because you could always get scans done to monitor your womb lining.

I understand how lonely meno can feel. Apart from this forum I do not have anybody who understands it. Please know you are no longer alone. You will always find somebody to talk to on here. You feeling you do not wish to be alive is very concerning. Although things are so hard now, with the right support things can improve. It can take time to get our hormones a bit more stable.

Have you told anybody how low you are feeling? It is vital you do not keep this to yourself. You are so brave to join this forum and post about how you are feeling.

[discogirl]

Hi Lilebel

i completely agree with what Flossieteacake has said.

Utro causes me chronic anxiety and i have just started taking it rectally with little issues so far. i would rather do this than the way it was affecting me.

for me personally if it was better for you taking it vaginally every other day than do that. Utro for me gave me the very worst depression and anxiety and as Flossieteacake has said you could always ask your gp to arrange scans of your womb lining.

as has already been said you are so brave to mention this. please keep reaching out. i know its easily said but you really are not alone in this as many people can relate to what you're going through with the utro.

take care xxx

[Perinowpost]

Hi Lilibel

As the others have said I would go back to taking it the way it suited you. You can always have regular scans to check it is working for peace of mind. This is what I did and it was always fine x

[sheila99]

The manufacturer and the BMS have always said you need 100mg daily by whichever route, it's only Newson who thinks you can halve it. You can take less than is recommended but please have regular scans as you put yourself at greater risk of cancer if the lining builds up. How much oestrogen are you on? If it's a low/medium dose it's obviously safer than a high dose. Have you tried cyclogest or provera? Sometimes they suit people who are intolerant to utro. The other possibility would be long cycle (6 week) sequi so you have more utro free days, it's what I do.

[lilbebel]

Thank you everyone for your kindness and support. I’m sorry some of you are also struggling with progesterone sensitivity. I also tried Provera and had an extremely bad reaction. Progestins are a no for me. I had PMDD during my menstruating years so truely do have bad reactions to progestins and progesterone. I will try to find a different doctor who I can at least talk to and have a reasonable adult conversation with. I like the suggestion of uterine scans to check the lining even if I pay out of pocket. Unfortunately, I’m in Canada and we don’t have dedicated menopausal clinics here. The system is very poorly structured for helping menopausal women and experts are impossible for me to find. I have tried. I’m so happy to have found a place where I can be me and express what I’m experiencing without being dismissed, judged and talked down to. It’s so important for us to be treated like a human being and the one size fits all approach to HRT doesn’t work for many of us.
I felt it was time for me to speak the truth as I believe many women suffer in silence or play down the severity of their struggles.

[Flossieteacake]

I understand it can be harder to get HRT in Canada.

Have you spoken to anybody about how low you are feeling?

You are so right that it is not a one size fits all. It is sad when medical professionals cannot understand that.

[lilbebel]

I did tell doctors how bad I was feeling and told them it was hormonal. They didn’t believe me and I was told “I’m treatment resistant”, that “depression isn’t a symptom of menopause”, that “they don’t know anything about menopause nor do they know any other professionals who do”, that “progesterone isn’t the devil”, that “there aren’t any options for me” and to “just get on with things and enjoy my life and some nice hobbies”, and so on. You get the picture. I have zero faith in the medical establishment here. Very sad situation for women struggling so badly.

[Flossieteacake]

I did tell doctors how bad I was feeling and told them it was hormonal. They didn’t believe me and I was told “I’m treatment resistant”, that “depression isn’t a symptom of menopause”, that “they don’t know anything about menopause nor do they know any other professionals who do”, that “progesterone isn’t the devil”, that “there aren’t any options for me” and to “just get on with things and enjoy my life and some nice hobbies”, and so on. You get the picture. I have zero faith in the medical establishment here. Very sad situation for women struggling so badly.

What an outdated way of thinking! I really am so very sorry you have had this terrible experience.

I wonder if there are any support groups there for women going through this?

[Ermin2trude]

Hello lilbebel, how are you doing today?

I just wanted to tell you about another side/opinion of utrogestan and progesterone in general.

Like you I have always had terrible PMDD and thought I couldn’t tolerate progesterone. However there is a new way of thinking about progesterone and it isn’t the ‘bad’ hormone it’s made out to be. Some women’s bodies, crave oestrogen, some testosterone and some crave progesterone. There are trials going on where they are giving women with severe PMDD high doses of utrogestan (up to 1200mg per day) to relieve PMDD.

For me, I feel suicidal on 100mg per day. The lowest of the low. Life is very black. My dose has been doubled to 200mg per day (I take it orally) and feel calm, happy, motivated. My body craves progesterone, which makes sense because I have always had symptoms of too much oestrogen which I thought was ‘normal’ PMT.

Don’t give up, you will find the right dosage and toleration level. I almost gave up.

Best wishes,
ermin

[Mary G]

lilbebel, sorry to come into this late on but your HRT regime wasn't broke and it didn't need fixing so I would go back to 100mg Utrogestan every other day.   That is more than enough progesterone for most women and you can have a uterine scan to make sure.

Progesterone @50mg every day seems to be the magic number and well tolerated.

[lilbebel]

That’s so interesting Ermin. I’m going to look into that research. I’m sure my body craved estrogen as I felt measurable relief the first day I applied it. Progesterone also makes me so tired I can’t get out of bed or function. I’m happy you found your happy balance and sorry you experienced such darkness on the lower dose. It’s truly frightening.
I’m hoping a doctor will support my getting a yearly scan as I will have to tell them why and they may refuse to prescribe to me at all then. I have to do it on the quiet (vaginally) as it’s not recognised as an acceptable method here. I have to sneak around like a criminal and not even be honest with my doc as she’s so unreceptive and rigid.

[Ruralrach]

Hi,i ve just started Provera  5mg as i couldnt take Utrogestan as it had too many side effects.Im thinking this is a lower dose so mighr work .Im on second week sleep  and mood not great and keeping Oestrogel dose the same at 4 pumps.Im 57 and post meno 18 mths tried about 4 types of hrt if this doesnt work i havnt many options.Good luck ladies.

[lilbebel]

Best of luck to you. I hope the Provera works out well for you.