This is the third thread this eve I have posted this same info - think we need a sticky post as it is understandably so confusing!
Stellajane has said all of this already in her post, but in view of your last couple of posts I will say again as you won't have seen them!
Until a year or two ago you could get:
1 100 mg utrogestan capsules (they're not tablets but little round balls of micronised progesterone) - licensed for oral use in UK as part of HRT.
2 200 mg utrogestan capsules - oval shaped, licensed for oral use as part of HRT (normally cyclical use)
3 200 mg utrogestan capsules - exactly the same as the above number 2, but with applicators and a different leaflet, licensed to be used for fertility.
Option 2 was withdrawn a year or two back leaving the 200 mg version as only produced for fertility and the 100 mg only produced for HRT.
The French medicines info gives only these two but they are both described as for oral or vaginal use, and the prescribing info gives how to use them for fertility and for HRT (well it does for the 200 mg ones). Not sure if you would want to insert 3 x 100 mg or more little balls for fertility
!!!
It could be that you are absorbing more systemically from the 100 mg ones although difficult to imgaine that 1 x 100 mg would give you more than 1 x 200mg. The different surface area (say for 2 x 100 mg compared to 1 x 200 mg) and possibly slightly different thickness ( if there is one) of the outer capsule shell - could be one explanation for the difference?
The most important function of the progesterone is to protect the endometrium so you need to use whichever does this best for you. Unfortunately a byproduct of vaginal use is greater systemic absoprtion too giving the side effects. It does mean that a lower vaginal dose can sometimes be used compared to an oral dose but if you are on a high dose of oestrogen then it needs to be adequate to keep the uterus lining thin. However as you say you must be ab le to function and work so a compromise might be needed.
Some women can get their doc to prescribe the 200 mg fertility ones for HRT - because they should know they are exactly the same....
Hope this doesn't sound too garbled BlueKingfisher! As CLKD says you need to give each option some time - for example you might actually settle down with the 100 mg continuous use - sometimes it's worse for me at the start and then I sort of get used to it, and sometimes it just hits me straight away - the prog surge!!
Incidentally there are pessaries/suppositories for fertility not licensed for HRT called Cyclogest and you might want to ask about these although Utrogestan seems to be more favoured. They are taken at twice the utro dose ( although you don't get twice the dose). They are waxy pessaries so the stuff takes longer to ooze up through the cervix. I used these for 4 years before starting Utrogestan.
Hope this helps
Hurdity x
