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[Merela]

Hey Ladies!

I have been taking 200mg of compounded Progesterone for about 4 years.  Now that I am in menopause - cycle stopped a year ago - the Progesterone alone was not working like it used to.  It had made me feel very calm when I was perimneopausal but post menopause I was experiencing bloating, constipation, crying fits, depression and brain fog. My doctor suggested that I go off the Progesterone as  He believed my Progesterone levels were too high. My Progesterone blood level was 11.3 ng/ml and my Estradiol was 16 pg/ml.  I have gone off the Progesterone and now feel like I am very jittery.  I don't know if that's Progesterone "withdrawal" or just my body readjusting.  Additionally I haven't been able to tolerate Estradiol.  I am getting a prescription for Estriol vaginal cream to see if that works with a lower dose of Progesterone.  Has anyone else experienced anything like this?

[Mary G]

Merela, I think you need to review your HRT regime.  That sounds like a very high dose of progesterone and not nearly enough oestrogen.

To eradicate menopause symptoms and protect your heart, bones etc you really need your oestrogen levels to be somewhere near 90-100 pg/mL. 

My suggestion would be to lower the progesterone and increase the oestrogen with either gel or a patch.

Are you using progesterone lozenges?  If so, don't be persuaded to combine oestrogen with the lozenge, it works much better if you use the products separately.

I have been using one pump of Oestrogel, testosterone and 50mg progesterone every day for two years and I have to say it's brilliant.  It has literally taken me years to get here after a very long struggle but I am now 59, about 12 years post menopause and completely symptom free with no bleeds. 

I wrongly thought I had suddenly become progesterone intolerant post menopause but the products I was using were wrong with too high a dose in ones hit.   I never thought I would say this but I actually feel very good on continuous progesterone now that the dose is right.

To give you an idea, my oestrogen levels are always about 90 pg/mL and my progesterone is consistently between 4.90 and 5.72 ng/mL.

Have a look at my thread on compounded hormones in the Alternatives Therapies section. 

I hope that helps.

[Julia Dizzy]

Hi MaryG,

Merela, I think you need to review your HRT regime.  That sounds like a very high dose of progesterone and not nearly enough oestrogen.

To eradicate menopause symptoms and protect your heart, bones etc you really need your oestrogen levels to be somewhere near 90-100 pg/mL. 

My suggestion would be to lower the progesterone and increase the oestrogen with either gel or a patch.

Are you using progesterone lozenges?  If so, don't be persuaded to combine oestrogen with the lozenge, it works much better if you use the products separately.

I have been using one pump of Oestrogel, testosterone and 50mg progesterone every day for two years and I have to say it's brilliant.  It has literally taken me years to get here after a very long struggle but I am now 59, about 12 years post menopause and completely symptom free with no bleeds. 

I wrongly thought I had suddenly become progesterone intolerant post menopause but the products I was using were wrong with too high a dose in ones hit.   I never thought I would say this but I actually feel very good on continuous progesterone now that the dose is right.

To give you an idea, my oestrogen levels are always about 90 pg/mL and my progesterone is consistently between 4.90 and 5.72 ng/mL.

Have a look at my thread on compounded hormones in the Alternatives Therapies section. 

I hope that helps.

Would you mind if I asked which progesterone you are on? I am on estradot 50mg patches and 100mg oral Utrogestan daily at the moment. I'm 64 and 10 years post meno. Utrogestan seems to be the gold standard progesterone?
I am hoping to go onto FemSeven patches when they come out and go completely transdermal?
Gps won't test hormone levels, so have no idea what they are.
Thanks. x

[Mary G]

Julia, my progesterone is bespoke and not available on the NHS.  You would have to find a doctor who prescribes compounded hormones and it can be quite expensive.   It might be worth waiting for Femseven to come online again.   Have you tried them in the past?

Utrogestan is a complete no-no for me and bespoke progesterone is a last resort for women like myself who have tried all other progesterone options.

Have a look at my thread on compounded hormones in the Alternatives section on here.   It will give you an idea of what you will be up against if you do decide to take that route.  Doctors will only prescribe compounded hormones if you have stringent annual health checks like transvaginal uterine scans and full hormone blood tests.

I don't understand why GPs are so reluctant to agree to hormone blood tests because it's the only way to find out how well you are absorbing your HRT.   Women are often told it's 'about how you feel'  but that is pretty useless if you need to attain a certain level of oestrogen for bone health etc.  Blood tests may not have much value during perimenopause when hormones are fluctuating all the time but they very definitely are worthwhile when post menopause.   I can only guess their reluctance is due to cost.

I hope that helps.

[Merela]

Merela, I think you need to review your HRT regime.  That sounds like a very high dose of progesterone and not nearly enough oestrogen.

To eradicate menopause symptoms and protect your heart, bones etc you really need your oestrogen levels to be somewhere near 90-100 pg/mL. 

My suggestion would be to lower the progesterone and increase the oestrogen with either gel or a patch.

Are you using progesterone lozenges?  If so, don't be persuaded to combine oestrogen with the lozenge, it works much better if you use the products separately.

I have been using one pump of Oestrogel, testosterone and 50mg progesterone every day for two years and I have to say it's brilliant.  It has literally taken me years to get here after a very long struggle but I am now 59, about 12 years post menopause and completely symptom free with no bleeds. 

I wrongly thought I had suddenly become progesterone intolerant post menopause but the products I was using were wrong with too high a dose in ones hit.   I never thought I would say this but I actually feel very good on continuous progesterone now that the dose is right.

To give you an idea, my oestrogen levels are always about 90 pg/mL and my progesterone is consistently between 4.90 and 5.72 ng/mL.

Have a look at my thread on compounded hormones in the Alternatives Therapies section. 

I hope that helps.

Hi Mary,

Thanks so much for your reply.  You are right, my Progesterone is way to high and I barely have any Estradiol in my system.  The problem is, I cannot tolerate Estradiol.  I have very strange side effects - racing heart, hot flushes, jittery, nausea, headache, generally feeling jacked up.  I have tried using Estradiol in pill form, gel form, patch form, and compounded form, all at low doses.  All of them cause the same reaction.  I recently tried a compounded cream of "Biest" (Estriol/Estradiol) 4mg/4mg/ml cream.  I couldn't tolerate that either.  The Progesterone I use is compounded in pill form. My newest doctor is having an Estriol vaginal cream compounded and separately Progesterone 75mg capsule.  I'm in the US so getting compounded formulas is not a problem. 

What is "bespoke" Progesterone you mentioned?  How much Testosterone do you take?  Do you take the Testosterone for libido or for other symptoms? 

I have been off the Progesterone for several days and feel like a space cadet!  Couldn't figure out how to do a simple task.  My head hurts and I generally feel crummy. 

Thanks God for this site, otherwise I think I'd admit myself to the loony bin!

[Mary G]

Merela, sorry to hear about your oestrogen problems, it sounds like you have tried everything.   Hopefully this latest formula will work.

My bespoke progesterone is the same as compounded progesterone, it is simply the 'right' dose of progesterone for me ie 50mg made at a pharmacy. 

I use just a small bead of testosterone every day but I have never been sure of its value, it is oestrogen that has really helped me and latterly the progesterone now that I am finally taking the right type at the right dose.  Many women on here have found that testosterone has really helped them.

If you are only going to be using oestrogen vaginally, do you need such a high dose of progesterone?  Is your progesterone a vaginal capsule or a lozenge that dissolves between the lip and the gum?   I find the latter works for better for me and without any side effects.

[Ladybird 2]

Hi Ladies,

Femseven has been mentioned a few times on this thread along with a few others. It looks like lots of us are eagerly waiting - December 2020 although it has been postponed before.
How likely is it going to be available, has anyone got any knowledge so we can request from Dr or Pharmacy if available in December?

With many thanks to you lovely very helpful ladies,
Ladybird xx