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[SeekingCalm]

Hi
I'm 48, perimenpausal and started Utrogestan continuously and 0.25mg Estradot patches. I started on HRT because of brain fog, significant loss of confidence and mood swings. I just didn't feel like me anymore.
Once I started HRT I felt ok, no significant improvement but better sleep and more confidence. Then I got really severe rage just as my period hit, like I haven't experienced for years (i've always got really moody around my periods, probably PMDD, but that has lessened in my forties). I was a bit better during the week and just this weekend I've been so irritable, like all the time my skin is crawling with rage looking for a provocation. I'm shouting at my kids too much. So last night I didn't take my progesterone to see if it's that I'm progesterone intolerant (had to come off microgynon years ago as it made me so moody), and today I feel tearful and have no confidence. And still pretty irritable.
I don't understand why I felt fine for 4 weeks and why do I keep getting days of rage now. If I was progesterone intolerant wouldn't that have showed up straight away, wouldn't i feel like that all the time? Could it be the oestrogen I don't like and actually i need the progesterone? The days when I've been really irritable has been the days when it's been really hot too. Is that effecting the absorption? I'm getting really stressed about this and angry and upset that HRT doesn't seem to be working for me. Which is no doubt exacerbating my irritability. Do I choose the misery off HRT or the misery on it.
My specialist has offered to change me on to Slynd, but isn't that a synthetic progesterone? And I've read it can make people moody and has a higher risk of beat cancer.
I know HRT takes time to get right, but I can't put my young kids through mummy trying different options if they make me worse than when I'm on no HRT, after all they don't care about my brain fog and loss of confidenxe, they care whether I'm grumpy or calm 😃.
Can anyone help me understand what might be happening, or who has had a similar experience and what helped them? I'm getting desperate.

[Gnatty]

I thought rage was typically low oestrogen...

[Gnatty]

Isn't it why we don't stand for crap anymore once we get a bit older!?!

[sheila99]

If you're peri why have you been prescribed continuous Utrogestan? You're usually on a sequi regime in peri so 200mg for 12 days, days 15-26. This way you might be off it again before things get bad. It's usually the progestogen that causes problems and if you're on a sequi regime regime you'll know if this is the case. In the days before your period you have more progesterone as you're producing your own as well.

[CLKD]

   sheila99

I was OK in the days leading up to a period, the 48 hours B4 I would rage at any little thing. Issues that were fine suddenly became targets  DH knew when to duck  . I wasn't aware of the hormonal input until more recent years, it was simply usual for my cycle.

Which symptom were you hoping to ease with HRT and do sit your children down and explain that a) the heat and b) Mummy's hormones are causing my outbursts.

[Aubrey]

Hi SeekingCalm,

I found the rage was linked to the oral administration of Utrogestan (progesterone), days 15 - 27. It was overwhelming and nasty and I didn't feel I could control it at all. It completely negated any benefit from Estrogen. So after taking proff' advice, I began taking 100mg vaginally days 15 - 27, and the rage stopped.

[SeekingCalm]

My specialist put me on 100mg utrogestan continuously to help with sleep and minimise the risk of side effects from the progesterone.
I've been off the progesterone for 48 hours and still feel just as irritable. Which feels like maybe it's not the progesterone causing it. I also lost all my confidence which is why I was taking HRT in the first place. I thought low oestrogen caused the lack of confidence not low progesterone. So I'll try taking the utrogestan again tonight and see what happens.
I've had endometriosis and heavy periods for years, so maybe oestrogen dominance and low oestrogen is the problem for me.

[KatyVic]

Just wanted to say that the Utrogestan caused me to have mood swings and rage so I suspect it's probably that rather than low oestrogen. It didn't come on for a few weeks. Maybe you could try the utrogestan vaginally and increase the patch? Good luck!

[SeekingCalm]

You might be right. I had cyclogest during IVF and was a bit irritable on that but not too bad. I'm speaking to my specialist later today about alternatives. She'd like to put me on Slynd but there are lots of horror stories about rage on that too.