Menopause Matters Forum
Menopause Discussion => All things menopause => Topic started by: Blue Kingfisher on April 29, 2022, 03:58:21 PM
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I have major issues with progesterone withdrawal and wanted to consider a six week cycle. What Utro would be sufficient for this? 14 days 100mg? I use 200mg vaginally and would want to stick with those so if it’s 14 days on 100mg I am presuming 7 days on 200mg for example.
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I use the same 200mg x 12 days but every 6 weeks instead of 4. If you're increasing the length of the cycle it probably isn't a good idea to reduce the dose as well. Do you still have a cycle of your own? If you do you may bleed at 4 weeks anyway.
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Hi Sheila,
I don’t know if I still have a cycle….I’m 53 stopped Utro on the 9th April and haven’t had a bleed yet. However, I have been stuffing myself with progesterone so it might take a while for levels to come down….? I used 200mg for 21 days continuously and prior to that was using it every other day (or as much as I could manage).
I felt totally shocking but was under a doctor who used a saliva test leading them to declare I had too much oestrogen and not enough progesterone. It’s been a very painful experience but let’s not go there as not the purpose of this thread.
Previously, before I was under this doctor, I was using 200mg Utro 7 days a month so using it 7 days every six weeks would not be a drop in Utro compared to that routine. I appreciate this may not be enough if I extend the cycle to six weeks but wondering how many days someone using 100mg Utro on a six week cycle would be recommended to use it.
I, probably rather stupidly, assumed I could possibly use Utro for half the amount of that recommended time as 200mg is double the 100mg dose…..? Or does it just not work like that? :sigh:
Also, if you don’t mind me asking, why are you using 200mg rather than 100mg? I feel totally dreadful (very bad reaction on just one dose of 100mg) but can tolerate the 200mg for around 5 days but struggled on to 7 days when on the previous routine. I’ve never understood why this is but most definitely not in my head. One day I might make a video that show my reaction when I take 100mg (vaginally) Vs 200mg (vaginally). The 100mg is a total horror show for me!
Anyway, if anyone has any guidance on how many days they use 100mg on a six week Utro that would be very interesting. It’s quite a specific question but hopefully someone might be on that regime.
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Hi KF,
I will be doing the long cycle once I’ve had a scan, I had to postpone it due to getting Covid. I will be using 200mg vaginally for 12 days every 6 weeks. I don’t know why but I didn’t get any side effects when I increased from 100mg to 200mg for 12 days last month. I think I’m on quite a high dose of estrogen so feel safer using 200mg for the 12 days.
I’ve had months where I didn’t bleed after a utro 12 day stint too, my GP said it’s nothing to worry about.
Hope this helps.
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I use 200mg x 12 days because this is the dose stated by the manufacturer (whether oral or vaginal). I'm OK til day 8 then get fatigue for the next 5 so can cope with it. I did try 100mg for 1 cycle, I felt just the same but didn't bleed. As my own cycle has just about given up I rarely bleed so I'm concerned the lining may be building up (4 pumps gel) and don't want to make things worse by using too little. I have a scan in a fortnight to check. How much oestrogen are you on? Obviously the higher the dose the more risky it is to use less prog. I'm sure you know Newson thinks you can halve the dose if using vaginally but I don't know what her position is re long cycle. I don't know how much testing she's done with high oestrogen doses though I expect the manufacturer to have done more. You might consider a reduced dose but have regular scans to ensure your lining is OK. What's OK for one person may not be OK for you. Would provera or a mirena be an option instead?
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I use 100mg for 12 days ever other month and have done for many years, seems to give a reasonable withdrawal bleed.
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I agree with Sheila regarding the progesterone dosage and am having a scan just to feel safer. My GP didn’t like the sound of 100mg vaginally and took advice from a gynaecologist about me trying a long cycle before agreeing to it. I’m not sure what gel equivalent I’m on as I got switched to Premarin due to shortages but I’m assuming it’s 4 pumps so I feel safer taking 200mg Utrogestan.
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Thank you all, I definitely want to stick with 200mg vaginally as it’s the only progesterone I can tolerate. I think I should try the 12 days as a start point and take it from there. Do you get your scans done privately & what is the scan called?
I’m on 4 pumps oestrogel currently.