Hi Tempest, just catching up with recent posts on your thread & the link about progesterone post-hysterectomy. When I mentioned earlier that I had found the sedative properties of Utrogestan helpful I didn't specifically have Utrogestan in mind as possibly a good choice for you, though of course Prof Lumsden will be the best to advise on this if it is agreed a prog trial is worthwhile & you yourself feel the natural progesterone may be right.
As you have been so sensitive to fluctuations (as a long, hellish peri would indicate I also seem to be), I was thinking more of a conti-combi patch for the continual, gradual release of a progestin, though I know this would not be bioidentical. I feel a dilemma here as I don't want to say anything alarming, knowing that many other ladies do very well on Utrogestan, but I also want to make sure that what I wrote about Utro was not misleading. I should stress that I had to abandon the Utrogestan-Estradot trial because the side effects were too severe & I certainly would not wish that experience on you.
After 3 1/2 weeks on Utro-Estradot 75, I had 9 days of very bad irregular palpitations (ectopics) in recurrent episodes, each lasting 1-2 hours, day & night & these only stopped when my GP advised me to take a break from Utro. Had I not already experienced (& had thoroughly investigated) very similar palpitations continually for a few years in peri this would have completely freaked me out when they began again 2 weeks ago.
Then, last week, on stopping the Utro for 3 days as advised by GP, I had a horrible reaction - continual, extreme tension/anxiety for no good reason & resurgence of intense, long-duration night sweats with hammering heart & the sudden waking in terror that has always been a feature of night sweats for me. I gritted my teeth & restarted the Utro as advised, but just 3 days later, felt so unwell (really intense night sweats, hammering heart & persistent tension) that I had to abandon the trial at just 5 weeks & revert to Evorel Conti.
Not sure at this stage whether the problems were due to peaks & troughs in Utro blood levels, whether Utro is simply wrong for me, or whether the high dose oestrogen was too much, so that's no help to you, but I felt I had to sound a note of caution. That said, an earlier trial of Utro a year ago, with a lower dose of oestrogen (Evorel 50) was stopped after just 3 days - similar extreme palpitations, so this makes me think the problem for me probably lies with Utro rather than Oestrogen dosage. No such problems with the conti release Norethisterone in Evorel, though I know for some ladies this is the devil incarnate! This is why I favoured a conti release method for you.
I'm sorry to have stressed the unpleasantness of the Utro-Estradot experience, as I realise it may make it more difficult for you to be confident in whatever you decide with Prof Lumsden, but you have suffered so much already, I would hate for you to start Utro without being aware of what has recently happened to me. Big hug & I wish you so much luck with your next step.
Wx
