Pollyperky...are you around ? Ultrogestan Intolerance

[whiteisnotacolour]

Hi
I am on my second month of using Oestrogel and Ultrogestan and I am loving the gel and having good results with it.
However I had a horrible time when I using Ultrogestan and I am really struggling to tolerate it.
I had bad PMS symptoms which I was happy to try and ride out but my bleed on day 7 onwards was not only very painful but heavy as well.
My DH who was delighted with the change in me when taking the gel asked me to stop taking the Ultrogestan as he could see it just wasn't agreeing with me.
I looked at Professor Studds information and he recommended 100mg for 7 days for intolerance.
I know that the NICE guidelines are 200mg so I am guessing that if I go back to my GP he won't advise me to reduce my dosage.
I am due to start the Ultrogestan next week and I am dreading it .
Can you give me any advice ?
Thanks

[PollyPerky]

It can be tricky I know. You may get used to it. Persevere a bit longer.
There are a few things to try- maybe try using it vaginally- just pop it up there last thing at night.

I'd not suggest going down to 100mgs x 7 days because the recommended dose is 200mgs x 12 days. This is the far end of the spectrum and the caveat is always that women being treated by Studd have scans to check the lining if anything seems amiss. If you were to do anything it'd be better to reduce it to 200mgs x 10 days.
Some of us (again, privately in the main) use it on a longer cycle between 6-8 weeks. This is again not normal guidelines but done under supervision of a consultant or a GP who is happy to monitor. You could ask your GP if they were happy for you to do a longer cycle of 5-6 weeks, rather than 4 weeks.
If it really doesn't agree with you then the only other options are other sorts of progestogens, either as patches, pills or the Mirena.

[whiteisnotacolour]

Thanks Polly .
I don't get flushes or night sweats so I thought that I had escaped the menopause 😀
However my mood swings and black moods were horrendous and within a few days of using the gel my DH had a big smile on his face because he had his DW back .
I really want to persevere because I feel so much better.
Can I just clarify that I use the Ultrogestan tablets like a pessary ??
Or do I speak to my GP to get him to prescribe something different ?

[PollyPerky]

I hope you get on okay! I feel quite lethargic on utro after about 6 days but keep going till I get to 10 days. I don't get PMS at all, but do feel tired. Bearably though!
Yes you use them like a pessary. In France, so my dr tells me, all women use it like that but in the UK it's not licensed for vaginal use. Don't know why- weird! So you'd need to use 2 capsules. Until last year they did do a 200mgs capsule.

If you find it's still really bad, maybe try 10 days not 12? Not sure how much you use now. Your GP is unlikely to know.

There was some research a while back- picked this up on Menopause Matters website so don't have a link to hand- where they tried half the amount vaginally and it worked as well as 200mgs orally. A lot is lost in digestion but not vaginally.

[whiteisnotacolour]

Thanks Polly brilliant information as usual 😀😀

[PollyPerky]

Fingers crossed for you. No HRT is perfect. It's finding something that is the best for you out of all the variations.

[Dorje]

I use 100mg utrogestan vaginally for 10 nights every month.

I have a regular withdrawl bleed and no problems with mood, apart from being slightly short tempered by day 10. I am very intolerant of synthetic progesterone... for eg I was suicidal on norgestimate / hated microgynon (felt detached and floaty), but could just about tolerate Cilest (levongesterol)

The utrogestan bio identical progesterone formulation I use is little spherical capsules of 100mg, with the progesterone in an oil, not hard tablets.

Maybe you aren't using the same thing I am?

I have regular private scans and ultrasounds.

My GP is happy with how my protocol works for me.

It's important to keep your GP in the loop if you change anything about your HRT, and get yearly abdominal scan/ ultrasounds. Hth

[PollyPerky]

In the UK no GP will offer NHS pelvic scans as a routine assessment whilst on HRT. I think you've covered that Dorje.

[Dorje]

I don't really understand your comment Polly:
In the UK no GP will offer NHS pelvic scans as a routine assessment whilst on HRT. I think you've covered that Dorje.

My intention by posting a reply on this thread to the OP is to help the OP in her hrt journey by letting her know my protocol.

It isn't my intention to bore the tits off you. But thanks for letting me know you've read a post from me before, on another thread, and I have "covered" my protocol already to your satisfaction!