Print

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

[JS79]

Hey, ive been on utrogestan 200mg day 14-28 for 15months along with 3 pumps oestrogel daily. Before this my period was 28days but very light for only 2 or 3 days.
When I first started utrogestan my period would come a couple of days after I finished tablets but then I started back doing shift work and I was all over the place with taking meds so my periods were sometimes a couple of days early or late.
Last month I went away for a weekend just after I started my utrogestan and forgot to take it with me so I went 3 nights without any but was advised to start them again when I got back and stick to the usual routine. My period came the day after I got back. This month I only started utrogestan last week my period started today, which is 30days since last period.
My periods are not syncing anymore with utrogestan so should I stop them and start 14days from now? Do I need to speak to GP?
Any advice helpful

[sheila99]

Medical advice is that you carry on with the utro can cle regardless but I found it better to get it in sync with my own cycle which was always stronger. I would start counting again from today.

[Clovie]

Just to say, I sympathise - I could never get Utrogestan to sync with my own cycle no matter how I tried.  I always started bleeding before I'd finished the 12 days on the Utrogestan.


Even now that I am on continuous Utrogestan my own periods still carry on doing their own thing. I don't think that this progesterone is strong enough to stop my own ovarian activity. I think others on this forum have said similar.

Hope you get sorted soon.

[bombsh3ll]

This is a perennial problem with sequential HRT and I wish providers would not give women the impression that this treatment always or even usually results in a regular predictable 28 day cycle.

This is a myth, most women especially in perimenopause don't have a regular 28 day cycle to begin with, and micronised progesterone at standard doses is not strong enough to override your own cycle, however it can precipitate withdrawal bleeding in its own right.

The result of this is often chaotic bleeding, and more days spent bleeding overall than untreated women.

If you are under 50 I would always suggest considering a combined oral contraceptive, which if taken continuously can eradicate your cycle, keeping you bleed free and hormonally stable, and typically contains a more robust dose of estrogen than MHT.

If this is unsuitable I would consider an alternative progestin such as IUS, or continuous oral desogestrel at 150mcg or Slynd, which are likely to achieve amenorrhoea.

If you are really keen on micronised progesterone, you could try either taking it every day and stopping for say 5 days when you get your period, so the withdrawal bleeds match your own bleeds. This can work if you still have a fairly regular cycle.

Otherwise you can continue to take the progesterone 2 weeks on, 2 weeks off, or the first 12-14 days of each calendar month if easier, and accept the bleeding, which is a nuisance but not harmful in any way.

[Clovie]

This is a perennial problem with sequential HRT and I wish providers would not give women the impression that this treatment always or even usually results in a regular predictable 28 day cycle.

This is a myth, most women especially in perimenopause don't have a regular 28 day cycle to begin with, and micronised progesterone at standard doses is not strong enough to override your own cycle, however it can precipitate withdrawal bleeding in its own right.

The result of this is often chaotic bleeding, and more days spent bleeding overall than untreated women.

If you are under 50 I would always suggest considering a combined oral contraceptive, which if taken continuously can eradicate your cycle, keeping you bleed free and hormonally stable, and typically contains a more robust dose of estrogen than MHT.

If this is unsuitable I would consider an alternative progestin such as IUS, or continuous oral desogestrel at 150mcg or Slynd, which are likely to achieve amenorrhoea.

If you are really keen on micronised progesterone, you could try either taking it every day and stopping for say 5 days when you get your period, so the withdrawal bleeds match your own bleeds. This can work if you still have a fairly regular cycle.

Otherwise you can continue to take the progesterone 2 weeks on, 2 weeks off, or the first 12-14 days of each calendar month if easier, and accept the bleeding, which is a nuisance but not harmful in any way.

Bombshell, you are SOO right in your post.
I was made to feel a bit useless because I could not sync my own periods with the sequential Utrogestan and estrogel regime!

The chaotic bleeding is exactly what happened to me, I ended up having two cycles a lot of months - my OWN cycles and then the withdrawal bleeds that I was badgered and scared into having, as I was told it was SOOOO important! 
When I asked if I needed to do a withdrawal bleed every month because I was shedding my lining by myself, I never got an answer.
So I decided to do the withdrawal thing every other month - nonetheless I ended up severely anaemic, which was discovered only when I got a urine infection and they took bloods for that.
I had felt a bit lightheaded when I got up but nothing major, yet I was borderline for a transfusion apparently.
If I'd have done it every month as instructed god knows what state I would have been in!!
I was made to feel like I was somehow really reckless and incompetent when this was discovered - and I was switched to continuous (Which did not and has not stopped my own cycle, but at least I'm only having ONE lot of bleeds now. I was told it WOULD stop my cycle so have been worried ever since - it's been a nightmare!)

Moral of story - keep an eye on your iron levels if you end up bleeding more than scheduled.

[bombsh3ll]

That's such a shame.

I think a big problem is most providers don't understand the difference between micronised progesterone and a synthetic progestin.

Micronised progesterone at the doses typically prescribed for hormone therapy will not usually shut down a natural menstrual cycle.

Progestins (such as in birth control for example) are modified so that they are often hundreds of times more potent than natural progesterone, and therefore can override the menstrual cycle at commonly used doses.

[Clovie]

Thanks.
Yes I do feel I am up against.
Being switched to conti even though it was clear I was still having regular periods, and no explanation when I queried it. It must have been I'm over 54 therefore I MUST be postmenopausal...ah, it wears me out.