Menopause Matters Forum
Menopause Discussion => Alternative Therapies => Topic started by: JoannFran on January 02, 2025, 06:15:43 PM
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Hi everyone - happy new year.
I'm after some advice on progesterone cream if anyone can help.
I'm 49 and peri and this is the first month that I've skipped a period (now 2 weeks late). Previously I was on HRT, evorel 100 and utrogestan 200mg for 2 weeks. I was also on beta blockers for anxiety and racing heart. I was on all this for roughly 2 years and I ended up in a very dark place because I was having constant ectopic heat beats, insomnia which led to depression. I literally felt psychotic. My GP advised me to stopped everything I was taking, so the HRT and beta blockers and I quickly felt much better. Ectopics have massively reduced and I now only have a few sporadically throughout the day. However the past few days I've had anxiety, jittery feeling and a fast heart rate. Also waking at night with a thumping racing heart and very hot (not ectopics though, just fast strong heart which is beating in sinus rhythm).
Anyway, I had a blood test done last month (day 21) my estrogen was 107 and progesterone was 0.23. I've used a ratio calculator and it says my ratio is 2.48. I'm now wondering if I would benefit from trying out progesterone first? I've got some cream but haven't used it yet. Didn't get on very well with the utrogestan but to be honest I don't know if it was the fact that I was estrogen dominant because I never really felt good on the HRT and the meno dr just kept telling me to increase. Hard for me to know if the HRT helped at all really because I started the beta blockers at the same time and stopped both at the same time. And one of those (or maybe both combined) cause me to have the horrific constant ectopic beats (every other beat).
Had anyone used the progesterone cream with any success?
Thank you so much
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If you don't want to take HRT you could still reintroduce the beta blocker to control the tachycardia, pounding heart and physical symptoms of anxiety.
There's no harm in trying progesterone cream however as the molecules are too large to be absorbed through the skin in any meaningful concentration I wouldn't expect it to make much difference.
Is there a particular outcome you are hoping for with progesterone?
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Hi bombsh3ll
Thanks so much for replying to me.
I want to get rid of this flight or flight/anxiety feeling that makes me feel like adrenaline is flooding my body constantly. I didn’t have this at all before peri menopause.
I won’t take beta blockers again. Propranolol gave me the most awful PVCS/ectopic beats, depression, insomnia and made me feel like I was losing my mind.
I’m not against taking HRT again but it didn’t really seem to ever help me much but I guess that could’ve been because I hadn’t found the right combo for me.
I just thought that seeing as my progesterone was so low on my last blood test that it might help to add back some. Estrogen was 107. Don’t know if that’s particularly low or ok?
Xx
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Give it a try!
I've used progesterone creams over the last few years - to no avail with my awful symptoms, but they most definitely absorb.
The progesterone is micronised to allow if you pass through. I cannot tolerate utrogestan.
I found different brands absorb differently. And I've used compounded.
It really is worth a try. There is a whole school of thought about estrogen dominance. You won't find it on this forum. But it's big in other parts of Europe and the USA.
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Thanks CrispyChick
I've read a lot about estrogen dominance and it is something that I feel like I suffer with. Not helped by the fact that any meno dr I saw kept telling me to up the estrogen. I couldn't tolerate utro very well either.
I'm confused about compounded and micronised creams so I'll do some research. I have the Ona's cream waiting in my bathroom.
I had a blood test yesterday so will wait for the results of that and if my progesterone is still very low, I'll give it a go.
Thanks for taking the time to reply xx
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I liked onas best.
They are all micronised. Compounded means it was made in a pharmacy (at individual doses), usually through. The bhrt clinics, like Marion Gluck.
Be interested to head how you get on. X
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Ahh ok, that makes sense. Thank you! I'll keep this post updated!
Thanks again x
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Hi, i have used progesterone cream (serenity wellsprings) for a long time and my experience is that firstly they most definately absorb, i had saliva tests for progesterone done before using it and after 6 months and there was a marked improvement. (saliva only shows you the available progesterone whereas blood shows all progesterone in your system, so saliva is more accurate in terms of if a treatment is bioavailable). I was also put on beta blockers and, well, NEVER again. Awful symptoms, much worse than anything they were meant to be treating. I think the cream is well worth a try, but you have to give it time, at least a couple of months. good luck x
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Whenever I look at the Onas website all the progesterone creams seem to be sold out. Is it just they sell out really quickly or is there an issue?
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They sell out really quickly.
They ship them over from the US, but can no longer keep up with demand. There's a huge FB group following on the prog only route in peri.
They do cond back in stock. But immediately sell out within days.
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Thank you Crispy! Will just keep checking the website x
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Gnatty. Just seen this on a FB group...
A wee discount too.
For anyone that uses Onas progesterone cream… it’s finally back in stock in the uk.
If you’re making a one time purchase, the code UK15 at checkout, gives you 15% off.
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Thank you!