Low progesterone

[Janel85]

Hello, Just after some advice and peopeles experiences please. After nearly three years of having twelve day long periods coupled with countless symptoms including hair loss, thyroid issues, extreme fatigue, weight gain, and bad headaches, and anxiety I finally gave up trying to get some help from my gp and paid to see a private gynaecologist. After listening to my symptoms he is convinced that I’ve got low progesterone and this is why everything that has been plaguing me health wise has been happening. I’ve got to go back and have a blood test to confirm this on the 21st day of my cycle. I’m 32 and a mother of two, I want to treat this low progesterone for my own health and sanity rather than as a fetility issue, I may want a third child in the future if I can but not right now. Doc said once we’ve confirmed his theory we can talk treatment, I’m just wondering what has worked for other people with low progesterone, I favour taking natural progesterone if I can rather than synthetic. How quickly after you take it do you start to feel better? Another option he mentioned was the mini pill or Mirena, but apparently these can have side affects like acne and weight gain. Thanks in advance.

[PollyPerky]

It sounds rather odd. Progesterone is produced on ovulation. Women who are entering perimenopause often don't ovulate each month so they get the symptoms you described. Most women don't need additional progesterone unless they have spotting in between periods often in the run up to menopause.
I'm not sure why you have had the Mirena suggested. This is for heavy periods (as well as birth control) but it isn't systemic- ie not absorbed- so not sure how he thinks it would help. Any progesterone can give weight gain natural or not.

If you are happy to PM me his name I'll see if I've heard of your dr.

[PollyPerky]

ps Are you not having a full hormone profile including estrogen to check for early meno

[Janel85]

He is a gynaecologist with spire health and also works for the nhs at my local hospital, what I have is 4 days of brown blood (he says this isn’t the start of my period) and then five days of proper period and another three of brown blood. He said the brown blood at the start is caused by low progesterone. I asked about being peri-menopausal and he said he didn’t think so. I had nhs scan of ovaries in June and everything was normal. My periods are regular I just get this brown spotting every month beforehand. What I looked up on line seems to correlate with what he says, including my own symptoms of fatigue and pms etc. I’m only 32, worried about the menopause now

[Janel85]

In terms of minera I think he said the reason was that it would shorten the periods for me or maybe even prevent them, thing is I’m not overly bothered about the length just the underlying reason.

[artiface]

I used to take my temperature and realised I had a short luteal phase, low progesterone. My cycle was short by a few days only and I used a progesterone cream.

[PaintingByNumbers]

Did you sort out your thyroid problems? An endocrinologist might be a good idea if not

[Janel85]

Basically all these symptoms followed the birth of my second child, when I stopped breast feeding my thyroid started attacking itself (this is uncommon at that stage apparently according to my gp) this corrected itself, also had a vit d deficiency and tablets sorted that out. When my periods returned they were much longer and this was initially put down to the thyroid but as I said, that sorted itself out but my periods never did. God I’m panicking about being menopausal now, I’ve looked up and low progesterone can be caused by lack of excercise, poor diet and stress, all this I can attribute to myself. Is it not possible to have low progesterone but not perimenopausal/menopausal I cant seem to find anything online that says either way. Thanks for the replies

[Janel85]

*isnt uncommon

[Janel85]

Artiface- if you don’t mind me asking did your progesterone correct itself in time or do you still use the cream?

[PaintingByNumbers]

Okay, so are you on thyroid meds and do you know what your tsh was? I would wonder if that is still an underlying issue really - those are all classic thyroid symptoms. Do you get tested yearly?

[Janel85]

I’ve had thyroid tested twice since it went back to normal ((asked doc to retest me as still felt awful) and it was normal both times.

[PaintingByNumbers]

Sorry to keep bothering, but by that do you mean tsh was well under 2? Anything over 2 comes up as 'normal' but can still cause symptoms. I feel shit if mine is over 1.5 to be honest. You can always just phone up tocheck. When ttc you need it under 2 anyway so the gynae could always advise I suppose.
Sorry to keep mentioning it

[Janel85]

That’s ok, I’m grateful for any input. I’ve no idea I will investigate!

[PollyPerky]

Progesterone levels are dependent on ovulation. Women who are post meno( not having periods) have no progesterone. Women who spot constantly during peri meno are sometimes given the mini pill because they are not ovulating and their uterine lining is coming away after an incomplete cycle (because they have no progesterone.)

There is a lot of 'guff' on the web about low progesterone; this is usually from US 'health' websites which are linked to a commercial organisation making progesterone creams.

These creams do not work. The type of progesterone in them cannot be converted into a type used by the body. The only way to get progesterone into the body is through a tablet (Utrogestan) or a synthetic type which is in the mini pill.

You need all the blood tests at the right time of your cycle ( day 2-5 for FSH and estrogen) to see how all your hormones are, and as others have said, more investigations into thyroid.

[Janel85]

Thanks for the advice, I’m going to speak to the gynaecologist and see if I can have a full hormone profile done. I’ve also asked my gp to provide me with the exact results of my last thyroid test plus they did test some of my hormones including fsh and I only got told they were normal, not given the actual levels so I’ve asked for those too. I have also been reading that that vitamin c, b6, magnesium and zinc and Maca can all help with hormonal imbalances so I’ve ordered this from Holland and Barrett.

[Valerrie]

I was told many years ago I have "incredibly low progesterone".

I have horrific problems with my hormones. I go months without periods then bleed heavily for a month. I have severe anxiety, aches and pains, fibro and other symptoms.

A gynae said that I could have the coil or the mini pill. I can't have the coil because of my severe health anxiety and the mini pill sent me insane.

I literally don't know what to do. I can't even walk past the Dr surgery let alone go in because of my phobia and anxiety but I've been laid up again with a period after three months of not having one.

Is there anything natural I can do? Could it be menopause? I'm 35 and my mum was 34 when she started the menopause.

[Janel85]

it’s all so complicated, sorry you are feeling like this. I’ve had a host of so many problems health wise for the last few years that I was starting to think I was going mad and imagining it all. I’ve don’t know anything about all this really, I’ve just been googling non-stop so that’s where I picked up the tips about supplements that might help. If I were you I would go back to doctors and ask for more tests or a referral to a gynaecologist again, tell them how awful you are feeling.

[Valerrie]

Thanks, I have the same as you - so many symptoms that were put down to Fibromyalgia but I know deep down it's hormonal.

Unfortunately it's not that easy for me. Because my anxiety has developed so much, I can't leave the house at the moment and it's all health based so I have a severe phobia of anything medical including the doctor. It's extremely hard because I'm pretty much helpless and can't do anything about it.

[Janel85]

That sounds awful, my gp surgeries offer an online consultation facility, is that a route you could explore? Or a phone consultation if not?

[Valerrie]

They don't do either unfortunately. We're rural Wales so not many other options.

[PollyPerky]

Valerrie you need to see your GP. This sounds like peri menopause. Your fears are worse than anything that can happen! Go and get help.

[Janel85]

Just got a print out of results from my gp, I’m really confused, my fsh seems high but as the test was done in April and I just randomly had it done (ie the gp didn’t tell me to get it tested at a certain point of my cycle) I now don’t know if it’s a high reading for whatever point of my cycle I was in. I’m thinking now that I’m definitely perimenopausal which would be very early at 32 wouldn’t it? I’m devastated. I think if he blood test was on the 20th of the month it would have been about 11 days before the start of my next period and it’s an fsh of 12.2, does anyone know what that means? Thanks

[Janel85]

If I was suspected to be perimenopausal should the gp not have told me? When I phoned I was told my results were normal by the receptionist

[usainbolt]

Pollyperk what about cyclogest for progesterone

[PollyPerky]

I think the OP needs to get to the bottom of what is going on before adding in anything. Cyclo is exactly the same as Utrogestan but in a larger amount per capsule.