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[JenniferB]

Hi - new member but been reading people's very useful posts on here a while.

I have been on cyclical HRT since Feb this year but have had huge problems with progesterone - I am extremely sensitive to it: it affects my mental health as well as making me feel exhausted, groggy etc - all the things I was trying to fix with HRT in the first place!

After finding I couldn't tolerate Utrogestan vaginally or orally, I had a couple of months in which I didn’t take progesterone at all (my Newson GP said this would be OK as a one-off while I got my oestrogen levels right). Then I tried Cyclogest half a pessary on days 15-26, which is bearable. GP said she was happy that half a Cyclogest 12 days a month would be enough.

This month, though, I was battling to complete my Masters Degree and the progesterone part of my cycle started just as I was a few days from the big deadline. I used the Cyclogest the first night and the next day was so groggy I couldn’t work at all. I decided to do a (possibly daft) thing and delay taking more progesterone until I had got my final assignment in. However, a few days later I started bleeding and have basically had a full period that started on day 19 - heavier and longer than I have had for years. I haven’t been able to get hold of my GP yet and am panicking about why this would happen. Could there be an issue with endometrial hyperplasia already after seven months? Or is it what you would expect after taking progesterone one night and then stopping? (My cycles have always been regular and I have never had mid-cycle bleeding before).

What do I do now re the progesterone - complete the HRT cycle regardless? Restart the HRT cycle from the day the bleed started?

There seem to be some people here with a lot of experience and knowledge, so I just wondered if anyone could offer any insight or advice? I haven’t started the Cyclogest again because I wasn’t sure if it would even work during a bleed.

For background, I am 43 and prior to going on HRT I was still having regular periods, they were just shorter and lighter than previously, and my cycle had shortened to 25/6 days. I was given HRT on the basis of my symptoms, which began the year I was 40. Oestrogen has *dramatically* improved the symptoms. Until this month, my cycles on HRT had gone back to pretty much normal 28/9 day cycles.

Thanks so much in advance and apologies for long message!

[sheila99]

I wouldn't worry too much about this bleed, bleeding at odd times in peri isn't unexpected, neither is very heavy or very light bleeds or longer or shorter cycles. I don't know if it's right but I stop utro if I bleed because, as it's the withdrawal from prog that starts the bleed, I think it's done it's job and continuing it may interfere with the bleed. I start counting again at day 1 but my cycles are very variable. I wonder if cyclogest is a bit better at it. I'm very late peri and on utro and find quite often I don't bleed, I do wonder if my lining is building up. Sorry I don't know about the hyperplasia but if you're worried about it perhaps get it checked out.

[JenniferB]

Thanks, that's reassuring!