Utrogestan

[Trixiebell06]

Hi , I’ve been on continuous Estrogel & Utrogestan for 9 weeks now & still feeling very tired & drowsy in the morning
I’ve been advised to take the 100mg Utrogestan vaginally at night , would this be every night or every other night ?

I take 100mg vaginally every night. If in doubt it's probably best to check with whoever advised you to switch to vaginally.

Hi Spodge , Thankyou for your reply do you find taking it vaginally reduces the side effects ?

@Trixiebell06 I was originally taking Femoston 1/10 orally which was sequential and allowed for a bleed.

I found the 2 weeks which included oral progesterone to be unpleasant and put me in a bad mood. Other symptoms crept back and I needed more oestrogen so the doctor put me on a higher dose but it had to be by patch. By that time she said it was OK to go on continuous (so no bleed) and said the Utro taken vaginally might be safer since I had not got on well with oral progesterone when taking the Femoston.

So it was a fairly major change in protocol and I have no idea what side effects (if any) taking Utro orally might have had. But I do find that I am not getting mood issues with taking Utro vaginally. Nor do I feel any drowsiness.

Watching this with interest - I have just started taking it at night (200mg) from day 15 onwards, and feel absolutely dreadful. So tired. Exhausted. Like i've got permanent PMT too - low, angry, pissed off. With bad sleep and really vivid dreams!

I've seen on the Louise Newsome website that some people find that taking it vaginally does reduce symptoms.

That’s how I feel Helenhywater it’s draining
This might sound odd but I did mention that I am a bit nervous taking Utrogestan vaginally is there a right or wrong way , how will I know that I’ve put it in far enough to have an effect .

I don't know how to do it! Is it the same tablets or some other form? I tried to read the instructions but couldn't see.

I thought I'd see this course out (I'm only taking them from day 15) and then next cycle see if I can switch.

It’s the same tablet that you’d take orally
Im on continuous

Well if you work it out, post on here!

@HelenHywater and @Trixiebell06 I've used it vaginally for some time now.

It's the same capsule.

You take the same dose you would orally.

You insert them ideally last thing before bed, with your finger, like you would a tampon, as high as you can reach.

You may get some slight oozing overnight so pants are advisable.

There are no instructions on the leaflet as vaginal use is off-label in the uk, but in Europe it's the norm and they also sometimes use it as a suppository.

I thought it would be difficult to insert the capsules and that I would need some sort of applicator but actually it is quite easy.

If you are worried about dryness at all then you might want to wet or lube your finger. My method is to wash hands thoroughly before application and then I dry all my fingers except for the forefinger I will be using to push the capsule in.

And I second the advice to wear pants overnight.

Thanks both.

Not that I'm having sex, but how does it work with that?!

And if you've got your period you still just shove them up? (My dr said to carry on taking them for the full course).

Not that I'm having sex, but how does it work with that?!

Just don't do both at the same time :)

Having a period- not sure because usually you'd be using it every day and not having any withdrawal bleed, or using it 12 days per cycle and having a timed bleed after the last capsule.

I had some breakthrough bleeding when transitioning to the continuous regime and just carried on using the capsules vaginally. A bit messy, but needs must, I guess.

Interesting thread.After months of depression I decided to try the vaginal route for a few days and my mood lightened.
Fearing this could be unadvisable not having spoken to my go I took them orally and felt really low and angry.
I need to speak to my go anyway.

@whatisforteamum

Interesting thread.After months of depression I decided to try the vaginal route for a few days and my mood lightened. Fearing this could be unadvisable not having spoken to my go I took them orally and felt really low and angry. I need to speak to my go anyway.

@whatisforteamum If you mean you intend to ask your GP for permission to use it vaginally, that may not be the best idea.

In the UK, vaginal use is off-label, meaning it's fine to do so if advised by a consultant, but most GPs aren't aware of vaginal use anyway.

It's completely safe to use it vaginally as more is absorbed where it's needed - through the cervix rather than going all the way through your digestive system.

In Europe, this method is used mostly all the time.

Utrogestan is also prescribed as a fertility aid (in UK) in large doses of 200mgs x 3 a day, so it's perfectly safe as a drug as part of HRT.

Louise Newson advised me to take it vaginally every other night. That was the 100mg capsule, for continuous HRT use, alongside 3 pumps of Oestrogel a day.

I switched to a Mirena in December as Utrogestan doesn't seem to 'control' my endometrium.

Interesting @oneglassandpuzzled - have you found. The Mirena has helped? Currently looking into my options with similar issue plus peri.

@oneglassandpuzzled

Louise Newson advised me to take it vaginally every other night. That was the 100mg capsule, for continuous HRT use, alongside 3 pumps of Oestrogel a day.

I switched to a Mirena in December as Utrogestan doesn't seem to 'control' my endometrium.

This alternate day use is causing some confusion.

There has been one research study where it was used on alternate days. The conclusion was it did keep the endo thin. However, it's not licensed for use this way because not enough research on large numbers has been done.

It's fine for a private dr to suggest it if their patients can pay for a scan the moment they have any odd bleeding, but for most women using the NHS, it's not practical.

I felt crap on femoston but feel very good on Novofem (sequential tablets). I quite look forward to the progesterone part as I sleep like a log then (take them after evening meal)

Afa mood goes, I get a bit grumpy with about 3 days of progesterone to go, so I guess like mild pmt, just in case that's of interest to anyone

@Lockdowndramaqueen

Interesting *@oneglassandpuzzled* - have you found. The Mirena has helped? Currently looking into my options with similar issue plus peri.

Yes, it's actually suited me much better than Utrogestan did. Orally and vaginally, it never stopped me developing polyps and bleeding. In the seven months I've had the Mirena, it has gradually stopped the issues. I feel good on it and wish I'd had it fitted years ago during peri-, when a doctor tried to persuade me it would help with flooding, etc. I listened to (or read) too many scare stories.