Hello everybody,
I lost the document I'd carefully written to copy on to the forum to explain everything
OK, so at 42, after no issues with periods or PMT my whole life, I suddenly developed what appeared to be atypical PMDD...crazy mood changes, anger and irritability, distorted thinking, anxiety, depression etc every month straight after ovulation and on and off until my next period which brought relief. Then I was always OK until the next ovulation.
When I hit perimenopause ie periods started to become irregular and further apart at around the age of 49-50, these symptoms would happen at any time in my cycle randomly, not just after ovulation up until my period.
By early 2022 when I was 52 years old, I felt like a complete basket case, moods and emotions, thinking, anger, distorted negative thinking etc absolutely all over the map and that culminated in a three week period where the anxiety got so bad I couldn't leave the house. My now retired GP put me on low dose Estraderm 1 1/4 25mcg patches (can't tolerate more) with nightly Utrogestan 100mg. Not sure why she put me onto a continuous regime as I was still having a period every three or four months but I think she thought I wouldn't cope with the ups and downs of going on and coming off Progesterone every month.
Since then no periods so not sure if they have stopped or not.
HRT helped somewhat but not completely with all above crazy mental symptoms but the Progesterone aggravates physical symptoms of an autoimmune condition I have had for many years and is causing me to feel very ill and achy all the time, seems to cause severe pain in legs, diarrhoea every morning and I just generally feel terrible all the time and as if had flu. This happened many years ago also with the period delay pill (also Progesterone?) I used to take for holidays so I know the Prog is causing me these issues.
Questions are: Is it feasible to give up on nightly Utrogestan after 2 years on a continuous regime and go on a three monthly cycle taking Prog for two weeks only every three months instead?
If I did this, would the Oestrogen start causing jittery symptoms if taken alone as it would not be balanced by the so called calming effect of Progesterone?
I tried to come off Prog 6 months ago with the intention of doing the three monthly regime but after 4 days off Prog, I was a basket case and so frightened by that that I reverted to the nightly Utrogestan. Need to get off it though for my physical health and only on 1 1/4 patches 25mcg Estraderm.
How long does Progesterone withdrawal last? Worst case scenario?? I would try again if withdrawal does not last too long as I felt physically much better those few days off. One other problem, those few days off Prog, I couldn't sleep at all - does that correct itself once through the withdrawal?
Thanks x
ETA any shifts/fluctuations in hormones during cycle both before and since going on HRT I seem to be really very sensitive to these changes which cause severe mental disruption so therefore I'm nervous of changing the continuous regime even though the Progesterone is badly affecting my physical health. I'm scared Progesterone withdrawal will be long lasting and hideous and also worried that without Prog, I may not tolerate Estrogen on its own which when tried briefly low dose on its own about 8 years ago (finally went on HRT properly 2 years ago) seemed to make me anxious, sweaty and sleepless after three weeks.