Menopause Matters Forum

Menopause Discussion => All things menopause => Topic started by: Nellie Noo on March 20, 2018, 02:52:41 PM

Title: Love oestrogel ! Hate utrogestan !
Post by: Nellie Noo on March 20, 2018, 02:52:41 PM
After two months on gel and utrogestan .. am sadly going back to patches ! Found the gel amazing ! Felt really good, but the utrogestan.. thats another story !! I tried it orally for the first month .. bad reflux , sore throat , bad cough and upset tum ! So this month i tried vaginally .. oh my ! My bladder has gone into overdrive, i feel like all the good that i have achieved with vagifem has been undone ! Im sore and feel the constant need to wee. My bladder aches so much !   So its back to patches for me ! Am so disappointed as my gp actually suggested this regime willingly and i didnt have a battle to get the gel. But i cant cope with the side effects ! X
Title: Re: Love oestrogel ! Hate utrogestan !
Post by: CLKD on March 20, 2018, 03:59:22 PM
It's the Trial and Error that can be SO tiring  >:(
Title: Re: Love oestrogel ! Hate utrogestan !
Post by: Lanzalover on March 20, 2018, 04:03:01 PM
Hi Nellie Noo

Sorry to hear that you are having trouble with Utrogestan I also had problems with it both orally and vaginaly but like you really liked the gel so I switched to Provera and for me it is great so it may be something you might like to consider.

Lanzalover
Title: Re: Love oestrogel ! Hate utrogestan !
Post by: Nellie Noo on March 20, 2018, 05:38:14 PM
Thank goodness for this site ... thank you ladies . Yes CLKD .. so tiring !
And thank you Lanzalover ... I've never heard of provera .. and as i love the gel this has given me another option ! Thank you x
Title: Re: Love oestrogel ! Hate utrogestan !
Post by: Tinkerbell on March 20, 2018, 05:47:14 PM
I hated the Utrogeston too, only tolerated it for five days, I opted for a Mirena instead.
Title: Re: Love oestrogel ! Hate utrogestan !
Post by: Nellie Noo on March 20, 2018, 06:00:45 PM
Thank you Tinkerbell. I was offered this by my gp a few years ago for heavy bleeding. I didnt take her up on it,  I sometimes wish I had now. X
Title: Re: Love oestrogel ! Hate utrogestan !
Post by: Mary G on March 20, 2018, 07:49:46 PM
Nellie Noo, as others have said, you don't have to go back to patches because the Utrogestan hasn't worked out, there are other types of progesterone you can use with the gel. 
Title: Re: Love oestrogel ! Hate utrogestan !
Post by: Nellie Noo on March 20, 2018, 08:49:20 PM
Are there any more  other than this provera tablet , mirena or utrogestan ? Tia x
Title: Re: Love oestrogel ! Hate utrogestan !
Post by: Lanzalover on March 21, 2018, 05:21:22 AM
Hi Nellie Noo

If you look under the green banner at the top of the page and go into treatments it brings up all the various options. I have had a quick look and can only see the three you have mentioned.
It might be worth checking which progesterone the patch you were using contained and ask your GP if it is possible to be prescribed this separately I have no idea if you can or cann't but if you don't ask you don't get  ;D .


Good luck let do us know how you get on.


Lanzalover x
Title: Re: Love oestrogel ! Hate utrogestan !
Post by: Nellie Noo on March 21, 2018, 07:57:55 AM
I will ! Thank you x
Title: Re: Love oestrogel ! Hate utrogestan !
Post by: Dancinggirl on March 21, 2018, 08:08:02 AM
Nellie moo
I didn't get on with Utro either.
Can I suggest you keep to the Oestrogel and first try Provera as many women find Provera better to tolerate and if this gives too many side effects perhaps then try the Mirena. I found the Mirena the least problematic Progesterone delivery and I didn't get any bleeding after the first few weeks which was great. Many women find progesterone problematic so it's about the one that gives the least side effects. I wouldn't go back to combined patches if I were you. DG x
Title: Re: Love oestrogel ! Hate utrogestan !
Post by: Hurdity on March 21, 2018, 08:08:49 PM
Nellie Noo - to add to what Lanzalover said - the combi patches contain either norethisterone (Evorel sequi/conti) or levonorgestrel (Femseven sequi/conti). Norethisterone is not licensed to be used separately for HRT although many docs prescribe it for heavy bleeding or to thin the endometrium when it has overthickened and it is easy to work out the dosage from the combi tablets which contain it - a doctor should have no problem prescribing a suitable dose based on this. Levonorgestrel is the progestogen found in the Mirena so this would be ideal if you were happy on Femseven.

Hurdity x
Title: Re: Love oestrogel ! Hate utrogestan !
Post by: Nellie Noo on March 21, 2018, 08:24:08 PM
Sorry hurdity .. excuse my ignorance but do you mean I still could use the gel and get my gp to prescribe levonorgestrel  as a tablet ?
Title: Re: Love oestrogel ! Hate utrogestan !
Post by: Dancinggirl on March 21, 2018, 10:29:33 PM
You would get Levonorgestrel from the Mirena or Femseven combined patches.  You should be able to get Norethisterone in pill form separately but Provera as pills may be a good alternate to Utrogestan for you. 

Here is the link for the progesterone options on this site: https://www.menopausematters.co.uk/to_progestogens.php

DG x
Title: Re: Love oestrogel ! Hate utrogestan !
Post by: Nellie Noo on March 22, 2018, 07:58:26 AM
Thank you ! X
Title: Re: Love oestrogel ! Hate utrogestan !
Post by: Hurdity on March 22, 2018, 05:42:04 PM
Hi Nellie Noo - no problem - I probably wasn't clear enough in explaining! I was trying to elaborate on Lanzalover's point ie if you tolerated the progestogen in the patches it might be worth seeing if this can be prescribed separately. In addition to the licensed progestogen types that Lanzalover and Dancinggirl told you about I was trying to explaining that norethisterone - which is the progestogen in Evorel sequi - is not licensed as a separate progestogen for HRT, but is present in the combi tabs. Therefore if this was the patch that you had and liked it then a doctor should be able to prescribe you the appropriate dose of norethisterone to go with the oestrogen you are using.

Levonorgestrel (that is used for the Mirena and is also in the Femseven patch as I said earlier) is not available in tablet form as part of HRT although some of the mini pills and BCPs contain it. I'm not sure how easy it would be for a doc to prescribe this one separately at the correct dose to go with your choice of oestrgoen (the mini pills do not usually contain enough progestogen for endometrial protection)  but a menopause specialist may be able to.

Does that explain better?

Hurdity x
Title: Re: Love oestrogel ! Hate utrogestan !
Post by: Nellie Noo on March 22, 2018, 08:47:12 PM
Thank you for taking the time to reply . It really is very much appreciated !  And now armed with this advice, I can go back to the gps and sort out where I go from here. Thank you Hurdity and all you lovely ladies .x 
Title: Re: Love oestrogel ! Hate utrogestan !
Post by: Loubylou on March 23, 2018, 04:36:15 PM
Hi Nellie Noo

Sorry to hear that you are having trouble with Utrogestan I also had problems with it both orally and vaginaly but like you really liked the gel so I switched to Provera and for me it is great so it may be something you might like to consider.

Lanzalover

Hi Lanzalover. I'm in the same boat. I was having probs with utrogestan orally (it made me sick) and vaginally. It also gave me insomnia.  How are you on provera? I asked for this. Am I correct that you take the first pill on the first day of your period?
Title: Re: Love oestrogel ! Hate utrogestan !
Post by: Nellie Noo on May 09, 2018, 10:32:13 AM
Well ... thank you dancing girl ! I went-back  to the gps and got provera ... and fingers crossed ... day 5 and all good ! Feel great apart from on going VA problems .. but think finally i have found a progesterone that suits ! Thank you for the advice ! Xx
Title: Re: Love oestrogel ! Hate utrogestan !
Post by: Dancinggirl on May 09, 2018, 01:53:02 PM
Nellie Not

I had awful problems with Utrogestan but I am often shouted down by others on this forum who absolutely love Utro. Just because it is bio identical doesn't mean it will give fewer problems.
I have read several posts from ladies who do better on Provera, so you are not the first. So pleased you have finally found a combo that works for you.
If you are not using Vagifem yet, then that's the next thing you need.  Do try some SYLK or the YES products to moisturise your ‘lady bits'  - daily moisturising of our intimate area can make quite a difference. DG x
Title: Re: Love oestrogel ! Hate utrogestan !
Post by: Nellie Noo on May 09, 2018, 06:28:30 PM
Thank you DG x