Menopause Matters Forum
Menopause Discussion => All things menopause => Topic started by: Queensland22 on November 05, 2024, 01:53:17 PM
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Hi all,
I'm currently on day 12 of my utrogestan. I was prescribed utrogestran alongside oestrogel. The GP prescribed the utrogestan days 1-25. As I'm peri and only just starting HRT I wanted to try the utrogestan sequentially, the GP said it makes no different days 1 to 25 or for 10 to 14 days in the cycle. I'm on day 12 so wondered how many days are best, 10, 12 or 14? Thanks!
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Hi, I think the reason they suggest 14 days is to make it easier to remember the regime of 14 days on and 14 days off. On here some people find the less time the better on progesterone so take 10-12 days. I take it for 14 days because I find it helps me sleep. After a few cycles you will know how your body/mind react to the utrogestan.
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10 days minimum for endometrial safety (unless under a specialist/being monitored with scans)
12 days to be sure
14 for convenience
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If you are still peri, you might get out of sync with continuous utrogestan unless you figure out a way to best use it.
I think a great compromise is to take it from day 5 until your period or until day 26 (whatever happens first).
For eg, I'm currently having 20-23 day cycles (they have become shorter). So if I ignored that and kept taking until day 26, I would soon get out of sync and end up bleeding everywhere.
So I start it on day 5 and then continue until I get my period. I stop for 5 days when I get my period - and then start again. This way I am taking it almost continuously with just 5 days off, but I am allowing a bleed and working with my body. If I don't get my period I will continue until day 26 and then stop for 5 days to trigger a bleed.
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Thanks all, the brain fog is making this all so confusing for me sorry! So I'm around 28 day cycles at the moment so I'm thinking of taking utrogestan days 15 to 26 of my cycle that I'm tracking on an app, is that right? If my cycles change (get shorter or longer) can I still stick to days 15-26 for utrogestan?
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Yes, if you have 28 day cycles you can take P from day 15 (or 16) to day 26 inclusive and then stop and that should trigger a bleed. If you bleed early, you have to make a call as to whether it is breakthrough bleeding and you should ignore it and just keep taking the P through it, or whether it is your period come early - and you should stop the P and allow it to happen.
It can take some experimentation. I used to continue the P but if the bleeding continued or got heavier after a day or two, I would stop the P and log it as day 1 of my next cycle.
If your cycles get much shorter, you will need to switch to more of a continuous schedule as I said above. Because you need to get enough P in, each cycle. If you are only taking P from day 16-26 but you are starting to bleed (with a period) on day 20 and you stop the P, you would only be taking it from day 16-20 - for 5 days. Which isn't enough to protect you.
Which is why, if your cycles get a lot shorter, you need to be creative with the P use and switch to taking it almost continuously except for the 5 day break to bleed. Some women can take it continuously without that break but if you are still in peri the risk if you will bleed randomly and worry doctors and get referred for scans etc. So I think the 'almost continuous' thing is a good solution for late peri. You can get enough P in, each short cycle, taking it from day 5 onwards and you also have more of a regular bleeding pattern. Hope that helps.
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Thanks Joziel that's great advice and really helpful, thanks 😀