Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Chi chi]

I know some say it does nothing and others say it does? I just wondered if anyone on here has tried it and what their experience with it was, good or bad!
I'm just trying to explore all avenues and will give almost anything a go 

[dazned]

As I understand it this cream is not strong enough to cause the lining to shed and shouldn't be used as protection for your womb. I think that there are other threads on here discussing this local cream .

[Hurdity]

No no and no again! As dazned says - no go. Forget it - sorry!

Hurdity x

[Chi chi]

I take it that's a no then lol 😩

[countrybumpkin]

I think it depends on what you are using it for. Also there are different creams available over the internet and quite a few of them have no active ingredients in them.  A cream prescribed by a qualified Dr which has assay confirmation of its active ingredient is a different thing.

Personally when I was in the worst of peri menopause with constant bleeding and flooding and a large ovarian cyst I had the option of hysterectomy or mirena coil.  I saw a private Dr who specialises in natural progesterone cream and he agreed to treat me ( he does not take everyone on) and he said that my cyst and constant bleeding could be sorted with the cream because I was so oestrogen dominent ( test results). I really really thought he was talking bunkum but gave it a go.

Within 4 weeks the bleeding had stopped and my next ultrasound scan to moniter the cyst at 12 weeks after treatment started showed no cyst at all which totally suprised the consultant as it had been complex and a good size.

I didn't become post meno for another 2 years but I never again had the months of bleeding and flooding or anymore cysts.

So for me with my symptoms and via a qualified Dr and an assay certificated product it worked.   I still use the cream.

[Mary G]

I looked at taking Serenity but ended up crying off.  I wonder if it might work in conjunction with Utrogestan, perhaps meaning you can take a lower dose?   

There should be an alternative to Utrogestan in the way of a cream or a lower dose vaginal pessary.  It really is time something better came along.

[dangermouse]

You can get micronised progesterone (and Estradiol and Testosterone) in the form of a pumped cream at the London Specialist Pharmacy but it is expensive (£90 for 160 doses) and you need to see a BHRT doc to get the prescription - even more expensive! It's unregulated but the dose is more personal to you and can be mixed with correct ratios of the other hormones into one pump to be more effective. It's a shame they can't do a prog gel on the NHS like the oestrogen one as, although they say it's not as effective a carrier for prog, you really do feel it work - unlike the more spurious OTC creams.

[Chi chi]

Wow I wasn't expecting that 
I just wonder if it's as potent as the tablets? But if used daily would be enough but not too much to cause massive problems? If that makes sense? 

[Mary G]

dangermouse, that sounds very interesting.  This is the type of thing I am talking about when I say that something new needs to come along.  Many women are faced with either having to have a hysterectomy of giving up on HRT altogether because of the inflexibility of the progesterone component and this sounds like a very good option.  It's a pity it's so expensive but it is very much along the right lines.

I will look into this, thanks very much for the information.

[countrybumpkin]

I never knew that you could get synthetic progesterone cream, I thought only natural progesterone cream was available which is what I was posting about.
You live and learn!

[Hurdity]

That's what dangermouse is talking about - it is the same stuff - it's all synthetic or all natural depending on how you look at it. All of it comes from the same raw materials and is made in a lab ie synthethised - but both use progesterone - the compound that is bio-identical to that in our bodies. Utrogestan is the same - it's "natural" ie bio-identical progesterone, but it is synthesised.

The problem with all of these private prescriptions from compounding pharmacies is that they contain different amounts of progesterone and there is no regulation/standardisation so the doses cannot be related to the amount known to keep the lining thin - which is what the other doses are based on.

This isn't new Mary G - but not very widely used in UK because it is private and expensive - and as I said - non-standardised. More widely used in places like Aus where utrogestan is not available - but very expensive!

It still has to be systemically absorbed through the skin is sufficient doses to reach the uterus....

Hurdity x

[Chi chi]

So how do they determine how much of each hormone to put in?

[dogdoc]

Just a little heads up from me too. If you happen to have mood issues with your peri/meno watch the progesterone. I went to a hormone specialist ( in Canada they call them anti-aging specialists which I hate). He advised me that in early peri progesterone drops more quickly than estrogen ( decreased ovulation and crappier eggs = less progesterone) and higher spikes of estrogen= lots of bleeding/anxiety etc.

Prescribed topical micronized progesterone. First few days was OK other than EXTREMELY painful breasts. He reduced dosage to every other day to help with the breast pain, and advised only stopping the cream when actual period started. Mood started to get a little wonky after about 5 days, then started period and stopped progesterone. LOST MY FREAKING MIND for 24-48 hours after stopping the progesterone. Seriously thought I was going to need to be hospitalized for psychological reasons.

I had a LOT of symptoms like this a couple of years ago when I got hit with the perimenopausal 2X4. I now realize that the symptoms then ( which were the exact same as coming off the progesterone this time) were likely a result of my dropping progesterone levels.
So can topical progesterone help- almost certainly with bleeding issues, but use much caution if your mood has been iffy.   I will never mess with it again.

So in perimenopause many of the mood symptoms etc. may partially be explained by progesterone withrdrawal, and not just low estrogen.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22789402

[Chi chi]

Isn't that a reason to use it?

I'm confused 

[Annidav]

This is interesting as I have bought some Serenity cream but have held off using it so far as am nervous about it.