Hi Dotty
Thanks for your post.
Oestrogen opposes progesterone and vice versa.
I am worried about dosing because of what Sheila said in her last post above, if you apply a blob it absorbs differently to if you apply it thinly.
Just to be clear, the amount of oestrogen you take in from your body will not affect how much progesterone you have in your blood stream. They do not cancel each other out at all, metabolically speaking (from what I've read).
The word "opposes" is only used in the context of protecting the uterus, in that the more oestrogen you take in, then the more progesterone you need to protect the uterus because this is the main reason for taking progesterone as part of HRT. That's all.
This thread has interested me as my doc said to spread it on and let it dry and a friends doc told her to rub it in till it is all gone, I wish they would all give the same info
Re rubbing or spreading. The gel is designed to be spread and that is what the instructions say. Medications that are designed to be rubbed in have different constituents to enable easy absorption after rubbing eg creams. However some gynaes do suggest rubbing the gel in although this isn't quite so easy as it is clear, slippery and not sticky (well if it's anything like Testogel made by the same manufacturer with the same fillers). I think this is because they suggest that more is absorbed if you rub it in but as far as I know the evidence is anecdotal rather than from a study.
By the way it is not supposed to be applied very very thinly so that it doesn't dry too quickly, but again as long as you do roughly the same thing each time you apply you'll be fine and it's not going to change the effects of progesterone.
The main point is, Dandelion, if whatever you are doing you keep approximately consistent you will be absorbing roughly the same amount each day. Small variations are unlikely to have any effect so if you feel well on your dose as has already been said, then that's fine.
So stay with the same area of the body and spread or rub, whichever way you have decided to apply it, at approx the same time of day ( ie morning or eve or both), and by the way exact timing is not crucial, and you should be fine.
Please stop worrying as that is worse than any slight variations in estradiol in your body!
Hope this helps
Hurdity x