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[Dandelion]

Hi
I have a couple of questions please?
I just saw that oestrogel needs to be applied thinly and even though I only use 1 pump per arm I find it difficult to apply thinly.
Also you are not supposed to massage it in, I rub it up and down my arm.
Will this affect the dosage?
Thanks

[Dotty]

Hi new guidance says you should rub it in. I think you put it on thinly to aid absorption . I don't worry about it and just put it on and rub it in. Some days it covers more of my outer arms than others but I don't notice any difference x

[sheila99]

I think the main thing is to do the same thing every day so you get a consistent dose. I tend to run out of skin too so I rub it in until all the thick bits have gone.

[Dandelion]

I think the main thing is to do the same thing every day so you get a consistent dose. I tend to run out of skin too so I rub it in until all the thick bits have gone.

Hi @Dotty and @Sheila99 I do it differently every day simply because I cannot remember where on arms or shoulders I applied it the day before, but I get the same dose because I always use two pumps.
I wonder if you could give me some clarification, as I use two pumps ever day, how would the dose be different?
Thanks

[sheila99]

If you put it on as a blob or if you spread it thinly or if you rub it in what gets through your skin will be different. It isn't what comes out of the bottle that's important, it's how much you absorb. As long as feel OK on the dose you're using I wouldn't get too hung up on it.

[Dandelion]

If you put it on as a blob or if you spread it thinly or if you rub it in what gets through your skin will be different. It isn't what comes out of the bottle that's important, it's how much you absorb. As long as feel OK on the dose you're using I wouldn't get too hung up on it.

Hi I am just worried because I am addicted to valium, which is cross-tolerant to the progesterone I am on, and as oestrogen cancels progesterone out, I am worried that I am getting differing amounts of progesterone, due to the differing applications of oestrogel.
I like the gel but there is no way to tell if I am absorbing the same amount every day. I have started to apply it to my outer upper and lower arms, and I do feel different every day, as in anxiety levels etc.
I don't suppose you could point me towards information online about how it is absorbed depending on how you apply it, and it not being important what comes out of the bottle, as I need a consistent amount, like I had with the patches.
Dont wanna go back to patches as I needed 75mcg patches but only need 50mcg gel 2 pumps but feel uncomfortable getting different amounts each day, as my GABA receptors need to be as stable as possible and they can't be if I am getting differing amounts of oestrogel a day.

[Dotty]

Hi each pump of Oestrogel provides the same amount of oestrogen. The amount you absorb will be the same from each pump.

I'm not sure what you mean by oestrogen cancels progesterone. I don't think it does .

Try not to worry. I've been using Oestrogel now for 2 years and I don't worry about how I run it in or what time I apply it. X

[Dandelion]

Hi each pump of Oestrogel provides the same amount of oestrogen. The amount you absorb will be the same from each pump.

I'm not sure what you mean by oestrogen cancels progesterone. I don't think it does .

Try not to worry. I've been using Oestrogel now for 2 years and I don't worry about how I run it in or what time I apply it. X

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.

[Opal]

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

[Hurdity]

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

[Dandelion]

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

Hi Hurdity
Thanks for clarifying the progesterone thing with me.
I find it hard to spread the blob over one area, I don't 'rub' as such, as I use 2 pumps to equal 50mcg (seem to need lower dose on gel than patches) I squirt the blob in my left hand, clench it to spread the blob around my right arm then 'try to spread it' by using three or four strokes with my hand.
I then do the same with my right hand on my left arm.
I do hope that one pump = 25mcg and I am getting the dose right as It is not prescription it is oestrogel 0.6 gel.