Menopause Matters Forum
Menopause Discussion => Personal Experiences => Topic started by: Gerij on September 17, 2014, 06:23:33 PM
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Help
I take 200 mg for 12 days every cycle. On this I haven't had a bled for three months and my lining is currently 4mm. I feel better on the progesterone days than the oestrogen only. I think I have read somewhere that you can take 100 mg every day. my GP wants to change my progesterone bit this is the third one I have tried
has anyone experienced this??
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Yes I used 100 mg every day as part of a conti regime.
I was using vaginally and eventually had to stop as it irritated my bladder.
I'm now on Evorel conti and doing fine.
Honeyb
x
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I'm not sure what you are asking what others have experienced?
However when I was using a different progesterone (Cyclogest) in the past, for 11 days monthly as part of my HRT cycle, I stopped getting a bleed - I think when I became post-meno - and the progesterone was clearly doing its job.
When you say you feel better on the progesterone days I presume you are experiencing the common progesterone withdrawal symptoms whebn you change back to oestrogen only, which is one of the main causes of pmt - but you are not getting the bleed. I can see why this must feel strange and you will attribute it to feeling better on the progesterone.
Do you feel OK once the progesterone has cleared from the system - say for the last week before starting the progesterone? You should do - as this is normally when women feel at their best during the natural menstrual cycle - although trying to artificially replicate it with HRT doesn't always produce the same results for lots of reasons!
If you do feel good during this last week (of oestrogen only) and your lining is thin then you could try reducing the time that you take the progesterone for eg to 10 days and see if you get a bleed that way.
Personally I wouldn't want to take progesterone all the time because of its depressive, sedative effect (after about 5 days it gives me a fuzzy head and sometimes a migraine) but if in your case, it doesn't appear to interefere with the beneficial effects of oestrogen, then why not give 100 mg a try? This is usually only prescribed when you are post-menopausal though. If not then taking 100 mg every day may well cause breakthrough bleeding or spotting if your cycle breaks through. However from what you say your cycle may well have stopped anyway - at least for the moment.
That's a bit of a wordy reply!
Hurdity x
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hi I seem to feel better on day 5 to the day after I stop the progesterone. I then get worse until I start to take the progesterone again. I have thought it may be due to me having too much oestrogen so I am starting to decrease that
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Hi Gerij
Do you mean you feel better from Day 5 of your cycle onwards? I am a bit confused.
If you are progesterone intolerant then you will feel bad for some or all of the second part of the cycle, - which is some or all of the time you are taking progesterone, together with the few days after you stop (ie when you are on oestrogen only). If you fell OK on the progesterone then you may just feel bad for the few days after changing to the oestrogen only ie just before the bleed.
Unless your oestrogen dose is really very high you should not feel bad on the rest of the oestrogen only part - although if you are taking tablets then you may well react to some of the metabolic by-products eg from going through the liver?
What dose of oestrogen are you on? I wouldn't reduce it necessarily.
Hurdity x
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Hi I was on three pumps one at night and two in the morning I have cut it down to two pumps as I started to think as its to do with a balance of the two hormones maybe I had to much oestrogen in relation to progesterone. I am hoping as I have been on these for a year my body is starting to adjust. it has not been easy - no one warns you what menopause is.
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Hi Gerij
I think it would be really helpful if you told us a bit more about yourself e.g. your age, when you periods stopped etc. so we have a better idea of where you are in your menopause. If you are post meno ( either over 54 or haven't had a period for 2 years) then you should be able to try taking Utrogestan every day.
2 pumps per day is quite a medium dose and I personally never used more than this - everyone is different and if you are in your 40s or early 50s then a slightly higher dose can be necessary. I would stick with 2 pumps per day and if that is keeping most of the flushes etc under control, then don't use more.
Dg x
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hi I am 53 just in July. I went to the doctors in June 2013 as I had a one period in the previous year and started to suffer really bad panic attacks and hot flushes. so I have been on hrt for just over a year. My break through bleed has got lighter and lighter and in the last 3 months there has been nothing.
My GP has said I have got to have a bleed but as my lining was only 4 mm after having not bled for 3 months surely that has to be good. I really don't want to change my progesterone.
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Hi Gerij
As you are 53 your doctor could prescribe a no-bleed regime and I can see why in your case it will probably be OK as your own cycle is obviously much diminished, and your lining is thin.
I started HRT at just under 54 but because it was only 5 months since my previous period I was prescribed cyclical HRT - and as I hadn't read much about it did not question and stayed on this for 4 years, before the doc suggested conti HRT. The latter end of this time (on cyclical HRT) I had no bleed either. (I went back to having a cycle but that's not the point of this post!).
The reason it is recommended to wait until you are thought to be post-menopausal ( ie 12 months without a natural period) is that otherwise you can get sporadic unpredictable spotting or bleeding while your own cycle does its thing. As long as you are prepared that this could happen then there should be no problem and you could always go back to a cycle if this did happen.
Having a cycle does mean that your progesterone goes up and down quite dramatically, especially with the 200 mg dose, and the withdrawal is associated with normal pmt symptoms which vary amongst individual women. If you eliminate the cycle then you will eliminate the pmt, and if you can tolerate the progesterone without the side effects that some of us experience then I agree why not give it a try - I've just looked below at the thread and I said this earlier too!
You might find long term the progesterone has a sedative effect but I have never used the 100 mg dose so it may well be quite mild!
Why does the doc want you to change the progesterone? You really don't need to and your lining confirms it. This is the best ( ie most natural) that you can use!
Hurdity x
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Hi she wants to change it as I haven't had a bleed for 5 months now. I am on day 6 of oestrogen only and the panic attacks are back in the mornings again. I am going to calls gp tomorrow dee what she says :)
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Very strange that you havent had even a slight bleed and you are using a fair amount of oestrogen...but your lining is still nice and thin so it doesnt sound like much to worry about.
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Hi again
One alternative - rather than change the progesterone - is to do what my doc advised me, and that is to take norethisterone once a year instead of the utrogestan to give a "clear-out" of the womb lining.
She suggested this in my case because I am on a long cycle and also did show a thickened lining on the scan last year (although this is expected depending on what stage of the cycle you are in). I have never taken oral HRT but this was just one course of 12 tabs - not sure if I noticed the difference in my bleed though....
However in your case as you say your lining is thin so it doesn't matter that you are not bleeding.
Do try to resist changing unnecessarily especially as it suits you.
Hurdity x
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have you had an ultrasound since the tabs Hurdity? Would be interesting, to see if they reduced the lining, significantly...
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I told my gynae thats what I want and he agreed :) Cannot handle the 200mgs way to strong. Was only taking Utro 100 mg for 7 days but was getting breakthrough bleeds so he upped it to 100mg x 12 days per month but I do have an annual scan am due one next mth again.
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Hi Cassie
No I haven't had an utlrasound as these are not offered on NHS unless there are problems!
Is your 100 mg vaginal or oral? If vaginal then more gets absorbed anyway than with oral - although there is no actual licensed dose for this. That's how I manage to be OK on 200 mg vaginal every 6-8 weeks even though this is the dose for monthly HRT
Hurdity x
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Just found this on Professor Studd's site:
The best method of taking bioidentical hormones would in my view be Oestrogel 2-3 measures daily with the possible addition of transdermal testosterone gel and then Utrogestan 100 mgs daily for the first 7 days of each calendar month. This would bring about a regular scanty bleed on about the 10th day of each calendar month. You will find more details of this treatment for menopausal symptoms, hormone responsive depression and osteoporosis in this web site but please remember that it is not a recent American discovery. That would be too much to bear!
There is a lady posting on this site who is currently seeing Prof Studd and is on this regime.
He clearly feels that 100mgs of Utrogestan for just 7 days per month is enough to keep the uterus lining thin!!
DG x
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I guess we are all different, so what works for one, may not do the trick for the other....sadly 7 days was not working for me. I do take it vaginally for 12 days and hope that it is keeping the lining thin enough, will see what next scan says. Do try it this way and let us know how you get on.
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It's often trial and error. DG x
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Studd does say that ( about the 7 days) several times on his website, but he says elsewhere that on this regime there needs to be a lower tolerance of any abnormalities and closer monitoring of the uterus. His own research showed that 10 days progestogen a month was required to ensure that no endometrial hyperplasia occurred so there is definitely a higher risk of this in a small percentage of women if taken for only 7 days a month. He can say this because those who seem him are paying and no doubt will pay for the regular scans I imagine he recommends. I think this is probably the minimum amount required and would be advised for women who are progesterone intolerant, but not safe if universally followed.
Stellajane - hope it works for you! Perhaps I should try 2 x 100 but as I use it vaginally the morning one would fall out! ;D
Hurdity x
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just an update. I spoke to my GP yesterday and we have agreed that I will try mirena. I am happy with this as I explained that although I feel better on the progesterone, it does make me sluggish and with this happening for 12 days a month its not good to have ups and downs.
it is worth a try. :)
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Although I felt better on the utrogestan it was because I was very flat in emotion and felt used to feel numb. I didn't get panic attacks but I didn't feel joy either. I am going to give a good try. Gynaecologist suggested it as I have a fibroid.
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That's normal with progesterone Gerij - it is a sedative, which some women feel calming but others find it depressing and causing fatigue. It is definitely a dampener of emotions - it generally makes me feel foggy-headed (at best) which although not ideal I can cope with!
Hope you find the Mirena suits you - at least it will deliver constant progestogen and if you are also taking constant oestrogen the only fluctuations you will get are in your own hormones from your existing cycle - but because of the background levels of added progestogen (possibly) and oestrogen - will be dampened. As Stellajane says very little of the progestogen in the Mirena is absorbed systemically.
Hopefully you will feel some joy again!
Hurdity x