Print

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

[CherryC]

Hi, I have been on Professor Studd's routine for 18 months (started when peri - age 55 now). Started 2 pumps oestrogel and 100mg utrogestan for first 10 days of every month but have upped to 4 pumps at his recommendation over the last few months.   I advised him that unlike predicted, I have never got into the routine of a scanty withdrawal on about day 12 after stopping the utrogestan, but have had a full normal period on about day 21 of each month.  He tells me this is due to the weak progestogen he gave me and has now suggested Provera 2.5mgs for the first 10 days of the month which should produce just the scanty withdrawal bleed.  Bit concerned about switching but going to give it a go.  Anyone had a similar experience and how did they find it?

[Dancinggirl]

CherryC - I am certainly no expert - Studd is the expert in this field  - but I can't understand his logic.
Provera is one of the only things I haven't tried HRT wise.  I'd be interested to know how you get on as you are using a very high dose of oestrogen and Provera 2.5 is a very low dose and I would have thought would still result in poor cycle control!!!??  The heavy bleed would surely be because of the high dose of oestrogen and I would have thought a good bleed was necessary to ensure the lining shed properly - over thickening of the womb lining can bring further problems??!!!  Utro is certainly not as strong as other more synthetic progesterones but to achieve a 'scanty' bleed one would surely have to use less oestrogen??? Provera may well get your cycle into sync but I doubt you will get a 'scanty' bleed on so much oestrogen.  I get a full bleed on just one pump of Oestrogel per day.
I believe many women do find Provera good so it's definitely worth trying.  Dg x

[Cassie]

I dont know many that do get a scanty bleed I take 100mg x 12 days and get a normal 6 day bleed and thats on only one and a half pumps. You are on a very high dosage I would think you would need a proper bleed, I tend to agree with the ladies who have posted, let us know how you get on pls.

[Hurdity]

Yes only low oestrogen or high progesterone will give most women a scanty bleed - but since many women who go to him are progesterone intolerant this is unrealistic!

Hurdity x

[Dana]

I've never understood the "scanty" bleed thing either. 2.5mg of Provera does seem like a very small dose for a cyclical routine (it might be more appropriate for a continuous routine). I'm not sure how 2 pumps compares to patches, but I'm on a 50mcg patch (medium dose Estradot) and I take 5mg Provera for 10-12 days roughly every 6-8 weeks. Even with just the 10 days I get a pretty good bleed for maybe 3-4 days with some additional light bleeding/spotting for 2-3 days. This is pretty much in keeping with what my natural periods were like.

I personally prefer Provera to Utrogestan because it gives me a better bleed. My bleeds on Utro were too light and I was getting a build up. Plus I got more side effects with Utro than with Provera. Of the progestins, Provera seems to be the best tolerated. However, everyone needs to use what works best for them.

[CherryC]

Thanks very much for your replies. I must admit I am very confused by his suggestion. I was not really having any problems with the utrogestan other than a period arriving much later (day 21) than he had said. I also thought the scanty period was what I should be aiming for but reading your comments now, I am wondering if the full period is fine (even though late arriving) and better as it is getting rid of the lining! I could understand it if he had given me a higher dose of the Provera to go with the 4 pumps (he seems to think the 4 pumps is the right dosage for me. My last estradiol reading was 114). He told me not to be too concerned about the estradiol result, more about if I am feeling well.  I do feel good on it other than way too hot at night. I am reluctant to split the doses as I don't really want the faff of applying it twice a day and did try it some time back and felt wired at night.  I was slightly hoping he might suggest the patch instead but didn't.
Hope I'm doing the right thing switching to the Provera! Will report back...thank you.

[Dancinggirl]

CherryC - though Oestrogel can be a faff it does give you the ability to adjust dosage more easily.  I'm still baffled as to why so many women need to use so much Oestrogel to get a decent oestrogen level - though there are 2 different ways of reading the level and 114 may be OK. A lot depends on how old you are and at what stage you are in your meno - also what exactly you are trying to improve by using HRT.
I wouldn't worry about trying the Provera - it could settle your cycle down and it does suit many women very well.
I do wonder if using 4 pumps at one time is perhaps not the best idea - my gynae suggests splitting the doses, so no more than 2 at a time.  DG x

[Dana]

50mcg patch is supposedly equivalent to 2 pumps of gel or a 1mg tablet I think.

I don't think there's really much difference whether you take 10 days or 12 to be honest. Sometimes I just can't manage the 12!

I suppose if you're taking 5mg every other month(ish) Dana it would work out similar to taking the 2.5mg every month that CherryC's been prescribed?

To be honest, my doctor doesn't know I'm not doing it every month. Her prescription was to take the 5mg every month. Even that is actually lower than what the guide on MM says, but my doctor knows I'm a bit dodgy when it comes to progesterone.

MM says to take 10mg for 14 days, but apparently the dose can be quite variable. When I saw that you should actually be taking 10mg if on a cycle I spoke with my pharmacist because I was worried I wasn't taking enough, but she said as long as I'm getting a decent bleed not to worry about it.

Who knows. Maybe I could manage on 2.5mg, but I would definitely do it every month if that was the case. I guess that could be another experiment I could conduct..lol...

[Dana]

TBH Cherry, I think as long as you are getting a decent bleed I wouldn't worry too much about when it arrives. The aim is to take the lowest dose of estro to keep your symptoms under control, and the lowest dose of prog to keep the lining thin. Everything else is unimportant.

[CherryC]

Many thanks for the helpful comments, i will report back and let you know what I experience x