Thanks so much Hurdity. To clarify - I'm
seen by a menopause nurse specialist at our local menopause clinic and she has been brilliant with me. She really supports me to experiment but, as you say, she is bound to a degree by NHS and NICe guidelines. I do use the Utrogestan vaginally but it doesn't help that much as it still gets in systemically. I have Ehlers Danlos Syndrome which makes all the connective tissue in my body fat too soft and so I get joint, voice and hearing problems at the best of times but the softening effects of progesterone really crank it up (preganancy was horrid!) increasing oestrogen doesn't, it seems, reduce the effects of the progesterone. The specialist nurse says that, if I use utrogestan less than continuously, I must take 200mg but that is just too much for me and accumulates.
I guess I'm puzzled as to why utrogestan seems to upset many women more than other forms of progesterone and whether I can ask my NHS specialist to prescribe 100mg for a shorter time. Did you get into your regime which suits you via the NHS or did you have to put your hand in your pocket? Is it worth asking my NHS specialist about a 7 day 100mg regime?
My current bugbear is that I'm now not only taking HRT but also ranitidine for heartburn, regular painkillers for my joints, menthol sweets for my hoarse voice and senna for constipation. The painkillers and progesterone are making my tinnitus so bad that I'm being fitted with hearing aid- sound enrichment devices later this week!
I know myself well enough to know that my joints love oestrogen and it also stabilises my small ear bones too which eases my tinnitus.
Thanks so much again. Much appreciated.
As I mentioned in my first reply to you - Utrogestan has greater effects than other progestogens because it is present in the body at higher doses and has to be because it is unstable. Other synthetic progestogens are taken in minute quantities by comparison - but sadly the most useful one in terms of progesterone intolerance is no longer available separately ( dydrogesterone) and I hope the increasing use of separate oestrogen and progesterone as part of HRT will change this, as it is still available in other countries.
In answer to your next question YES I HAVE MY REGIME ON NHS!!! I feel it is very important to emphasise this because it is not just a question of rigid NHS licensed doses vs private individualisation. Yes I did read that your nurse was a menopause specialist but I still think you might benefit from seeing a doctor who is in a better position to prescribe off-licence. You could also maybe ask for a compromise on 10 days - which is the next level down from 12 as 7 days has been shown to be associated with greater risk of endometrial hyperplasia. It seems unnecessary to pay for a private consultation for the sake of a few days! As I said in my other post - you could also try gradually lengthening the cycle with your nurse's (or doctor's consent - she might be more amenable to this than the 7 day regime?
You might also like to see Dr Currie's comment on the Studd regime on this thread as this topic comes up frequently and as Dancinggirl says (and I am always saying too) it is so important that women do not experiment without medical supervision:
Just to confirm, while Professor Studd is very experienced and extremely knowledgeable, his regimens are not always in line with current recommendations, particularly around use of progesterone.
As always with providing menopause advice, this should be individualised and flexibility should be applied, as long as there is a clear understanding of national and international recommendations. Some women are intolerant of progestogen and progesterone and so it is appropriate to adjust the regimens, as long as it has been fully explained and discussed.
Best wishes
Heather
The other thing is that you said you were fine with other forms of progestogen in the past so this does indicate that you may not be progesterone intolerant - but just don't get on with the sedative and other effects of very high doses - just like many of us in pregnancy!
I know it is the ideal regime in terms of how natural it is but have you thought of something like Femoston - a tablet HRT ( by the way Duavive - also tablet HRT - has oestrogen made from horse urine so important to be aware of that)? However if you get heartburn then maybe tablet oestrogen is not the way to go.
Not sure if Mirena has been mentioned? This might also be a good solution if you tolerated other HRT types when younger? You could then have as much oestrogen as you like and need!
It's great to have this discussion on the open forum because reading about other women's experiences and problems is so helpful to others going through the same dilemmas.
All the best and do ask more questions if you need to - and let us know what you decide.
Hurdity x
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Topic: utrogestan/estrogel support group (Read 727639 times)