Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Advanced search  

News:

Menopause Matters magazine ISSUE 76 out now. (Summer issue, June 2024)

media

Author Topic: Warning signs of insufficient progesterone?  (Read 1144 times)

laszla

  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 382
Warning signs of insufficient progesterone?
« on: June 18, 2021, 10:30:58 PM »

Hi all, on estrgel and utrogestan since 2018 (51 at the time) and because I loathe the progesterone phase I only take it for 7 days a month, albeit internally which is said to be better absorbed than oral route. In July I'm having a scan to check uterine lining but in the meantime I have no idea if there are any warning signs that lining is too thick? I have a very regular, light to medium bleed every month, no spotting in between.
Also I read on a couple of posts here that transvaginal scans are no longer considered by some medics to be the best way to determine this and that's the type they're offering me: any thoughts ( am terrified of this type of scan)?
Thanks
Logged

Gilla999

  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 798
Re: Warning signs of insufficient progesterone?
« Reply #1 on: June 19, 2021, 07:16:30 AM »

I can't help I'm afraid, but interesting that you only take it for 7 days a month. I'm on my first cycle of Utrogestan (vaginally) and struggling too. Do you take 100mg or 200mg? Can I ask what makes you loathe it, what do you experience?
Logged

sheila99

  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 5180
Re: Warning signs of insufficient progesterone?
« Reply #2 on: June 19, 2021, 08:02:42 AM »

As you've been having a regular bleed it's likely your thickness is OK. The problem with lining build up is that often you don't know anything about it until it's very thick. Sometimes you will get some breakthrough bleeding and it's found on investigation.
Logged

PeriWhat?!

  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 213
Re: Warning signs of insufficient progesterone?
« Reply #3 on: June 19, 2021, 11:44:39 AM »

Following this thread with interest as I've not had a bleed since switching from Evorel Sequi patches to Evorel 50patches/Utrogestan oral pills about 5-6 wks ago and am wondering if that means the Utrogestan dose isn't right, or if I should wait until I've done three full cycles with this new regime to see if things settle?
Logged

laszla

  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 382
Re: Warning signs of insufficient progesterone?
« Reply #4 on: June 19, 2021, 12:51:46 PM »

Thanks for the reassurance Sheila, I assumed this too but am still nervous. Gilla I loathe the progesterone because of the anxious feelings I experience when taking it, for that reason quite soon after starting my HRT I read up and came across John Studd's regime of taking the progesterone for 7 days only a month which he claimed would be sufficient in most cases. I take 100mg for those 7 days. In August,  a month after my scan I'm seeing a member of Nick Panay's NHS clinic (he's a former pupil of Studd) and will obviously discuss with them. As I'm now 54 I am especially worried about a switch to continuous progesterone and am hoping they will help me tweak a "bare minimum" regime. PeriWhat perhaps give it a bit more time?
Logged

Gilla999

  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 798
Re: Warning signs of insufficient progesterone?
« Reply #5 on: June 19, 2021, 04:51:15 PM »

Thanks laszla that's really interesting. So you take 100mg vaginally for 7 days? Can I also ask (any ladies!) how one would go about organising a scan to check all is ok with the lining? Is it something the NHS will do for you?
Logged

sheila99

  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 5180
Re: Warning signs of insufficient progesterone?
« Reply #6 on: June 19, 2021, 05:30:46 PM »

The NHS are unlikely to scan unless you have unexplained bleeding, they think you should take sufficient progesterone! You can arrange your own scan which obviously you pay for, someone on here said £80 but if anyone can confirm that it would be good.
A word of warning - SOME people are fine on 7 days utro but unless you scan you don't know if you are or not. Louise Newson says you can halve the dose if you use it vaginally (so 100mg every other day for conti, 12 days x 100mg for sequi if you are on low or moderate dose oestrogen. The manufacturer says the full dose whether orally or vaginally and regardless of oestrogen dose. The higher the oestrogen the greater the risk reduced utro doesn't work. The other way to reduce 'bad' days on utrogeston is to use long cycle sequi (6 week cycle) if you're late peri or meno.
  If you have problems with utro it would be worth trying a different form as you may find you are better on something else.
Logged

Gilla999

  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 798
Re: Warning signs of insufficient progesterone?
« Reply #7 on: June 19, 2021, 05:37:01 PM »

Thanks Sheila that's very good advice. This thread has prompted a bit of a lightbulb moment for me where I've realised that I think a bunch of my symptoms pre HRT might actually be being caused by Prog intolerance, even to my own natural Prog.

I definitely don't want to be un-safe but I also can't be spending two weeks out of every four not sleeping, as that's exactly what was happening pre HRT. Extending to a long cycle is definitely an option, it's just still two crap weeks out of every six! I assumed I would have to pay for a scan and I'd be happy to do so regularly if it meant I could do only 7 days. I'll have a look into it a bit more  :)
Logged