Progesterone cream

[Peaceonearthplease]

I've been prescribed Progesterone cream + Estrogen gel by my doctor for peri menopause symptoms, details below. I live overseas & HRT patches / pills are barely available here . However, there is a compounding pharmacy which supplies bio identical hormones. Polly Perky, I've read your comments on this forum that Progesterone does not come in cream form. So what have I been prescribed?

*Medication labels:
30ml progesterone 10mg/1ml cream. Apply one pump (1 ml) daily.

10ml BI-EST (70:30) 2mg/1ml gel. Apply 1 ml daily*

I have no idea! :)

Where do you live?

My understanding is that the amount of cream needed to oppose estrogen in respect of the uterine lining thickness, would be unacceptably large and / or is not able to be absorbed through the skin in a large enough dose.

You may have been offered something new or different.

If it was available in cream form in the UK, women would be grabbing it with both hands!

Sorry I can't help further.

Hi Pollyperky, I will ask my doc about the large dose required to oppose estrogen. I used the cream yesterday morning, 1 pump (10 mg/ml) and was totally sedated for the whole day! It was like a strong sleeping tablet but luckily I was off work. Had a great night's sleep & feel calm and rested / a bit groggy. My body needed this deep rest as I've been sleepless with night sweats + anxiety for ages, so this is welcome. I will reduce the dose to 1/2 pump at night time, which comes back to the question of will I be getting enough progesterone to oppose the estrogen gel...? God, isn't the menopause complicated 🙄

I think you should use the cream at night- that's when women taking progesterone as a capsule take it.

I don't think you should reduce the dose.

In the UK, compounded HRT is not licensed because there have been cases (not in the UK) of women not having the right /safest dose.

There is no real regulation of it anywhere in the world and I'm surprised that wherever you are, other forms of HRT are not available.

I can't advise on how much you need because it's not known in the UK . Utrogestan which is micronised progesterone as a capsule, is used as 200mgs x 12 days in a month. I have no idea how 30mgs of cream works, whether it's absorbed, and how much is absorbed.