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[Mary G]

LC1962, your progesterone gel sounds similar to the Darstin progesterone gel that I buy from the pharmacy in Spain. It's very good stuff.

Would you telling telling us more about your gel like the strength etc?

[Gnatty]

And to answer Scampidoodle - apologies again for tardiness - when I took it every day I felt low in energy, a bit down in the dumps and generally too warm, particularly in the middle of the night. I wonder whether the alternate days stops it building up in my system.

[Scampidoodle]

Thanks Gnatty that’s helpful x

[AngelaH]

Hello LC1962, 

Thank you so much for this Topic, the  progesterone question is very important for me because I was on progesterone only treatment for number of years in my peri and I felt great. I don’t know why NHS pay too much attention to oestrogen and leave behind progesterone.  Just like oestrogen,  progesterone has its own preceptors everywhere in the body, but if our body still manage to produce some form of oestrogen after menopause, unfortunately the body stops producing progesterone at all!!! And this may create a problem, oestrogen becomes dominant, weight gain, falling hair, depression, water retention, itchy skin…..

 A was prescribed oestrogen 3 months ago or so, but it made me completely ill, so I am back on progesterone only treatment again, looking for right medication because NHS can’t really offer a big choice of progesterone product. Currently I have to use utrogestan, an awful product, I am struggling with it, but things much have improved for me since I stopped taking oestrogen and continue only with progesterone.

I wish you the best and take care of yourself.

[Mary G]

AngelaH, we have several women on here who suffer with severe oestrogen dominance and feel poisoned by oestrogen but they have a hard time being believed and are told there is no such thing as oestrogen dominance when in fact there is. 

Oestrogen dominance happens at the beginning of peri menopause with progesterone completely tanks and oestrogen remains high and very unstable.  That is fact and it's what they refer to as oestrogen dominance in the US but it is not recognised by the NHS.

Tanking progesterone kicked started my silent migraines and panic attacks and other women have a whole host of symptoms.  At that stage of the menopause we need more progesterone ie the calming, balancing hormonal.

I don't like Utrogestan and I don't think it is a well tolerated form of progesterone and it's the most debated problem on here by far.  God knows what it is but there is something horrible about that stuff and it's worth noting that you don't have to be progesterone intolerant to have problems with it.

My advice is to find something else.  I like the Darstin gel but that is only suitable for women on a low dose of oestrogen post menopause.  There is Cyclogest which is better tolerated or Crinone vaginal gel or you might need to take the compounded route.

[Penguin]

Mary G and AngelaH, there is a good US group on Facebook called Estrogen Dominance Group if you haven't come across it before.  It has a very large following, you will be believed on there. I left a few years ago, but one progesterone product they recommended was a natural one called Onas. I found the group very helpful.

[CrispyChick]

I'd just add to that Penguin. That particular FB group advocate very high doses of Progesterone.

Anyone looking at it, just be careful.

But if is very useful in general terms xx

[ToriiJ]

I am so glad I’ve found this thread. I haven’t posted on here for a while as feeling like I have nothing to add but I’m always reading.

I’ve been on HRT various doses for almost 2 years and just feel like nothing is helping. My main symptom being depression, just feel cloaked in black mist on far too many days. Oh god yes and the morning dread, it usually gets better through the day but sometimes doesn’t.

I’m on 150mg of Sertraline (AD) and have been for ages and I feel like I may as well be taking sugar pills as they have no affect. I’ve given up asking my GP for advice as they have been no help so I research the hell out of everything and try different things. I take so many vitamins and I’ve been on high does of oestrogen and low and nothing is helping. I take 100mg Utrogestan every night. Thinking back to when I first started HRT I was on Evorel Conti patches and I always felt better on the progesterone part in the latter 2 weeks. I couldn’t find anyone else who felt the same so thought I was just imagining things.

I was literally just googling and looking into whether I may need more progesterone and came across this thread and actually feel some hope. It did cross my mind whether I could take 200mg of Utro a night, I am currently on 3 pumps of oestrogel.

Anyway I’m waffling on now, but wondering if I should try this progesterone gel as well as continuing with 100mg utro a night. Any advice would be gratefully received. I’m having such a rough few days and just need some hope xx

[Mary G]

Thanks for the info Penguin.

Toriij, you have nothing to lose by trying the progesterone gel, it certainly won't do you any harm.

I have looked up the French gel that LC1962 mentioned and it would appear to be the same strength as my Spanish Darstin gel.  I can honestly say that I have zero side effects from using it unlike Utrogestan which kicked off my migraines.  It looks like you can buy progesterone gel online.

[CrispyChick]

Great info Mary

What would the dose be that LC1962 is taking that has calmed her anxiety???

I'm retrying compounded P cream, but my anxiety is problematic.

X

[Mary G]

Crispy, from what I can make out, LC1962 is using two measures of gel which is 20mg every day.

[CrispyChick]

Thanks Mary. 

[Penguin]

I'd just add to that Penguin. That particular FB group advocate very high doses of Progesterone.

Anyone looking at it, just be careful.

But if is very useful in general terms xx

Thanks for pointing that out CrispyChick, I wasn't aware of the issue re doses, I'll caveat it if I recommend the group again.

[vintagefiend]

thanks Gnatty- helpful as always 

[katyh75]

I've seen it LC1962.

Yes, the anxiety is hellish. It's not my worst symptom though - I get poisioned from high estrogen. My own. It's awful.

By all means speak to your GP. But just remember you have found something that works. If they offer you alternatives - you'll need to weigh it up. Personally I'd keep buying from France. But then, I've been through 2 years of prog trials and still not sorted. And, as gnatty highlights, she's taking utro in a random fashion.

100mg utro in one hit tends to be too big. Certainly was for me.

And, unfortunately, I've found the NHS, including specialist meno clinic absolutely in the dark about low prog. Instead they just encourage me to take more estrogen 😞. I've had to pay a lot of money to a bhrt clinic to learn about this.

Mary G takes Prog gel as part of her hrt. She might be along with some info. Not sure if it's the same one.

I am so pleased if you. You're story sounds horrific and, if I'm being honest, very similar to my own. Just left to get on with it because conventional hrt (E with P) doesn't fit.

It's definitely more common in parts of Europe and the US to treat with just progesterone. Through all my research, it looks pretty safe. Certainly safer than estrogen.

Keep us updated. X

Hi there - now stick with me because this may seem counter intuitive but I don't do well on 100 mg Utrogestan at all - it makes me insanely anxious and agitated. But! I am ok on 200mg. Apparently there's a bimodal thing with dosage where too little and too much are equally bad. Lara Briden writes about it on her website.

Anyway I just thought I would share