What's the least number of days I can take Utrogestan?

[AnnaDyne]

I still have periods so have to take 200mg of Utrogestan for 12 days each cycle (from day 15). I hate it. It really disagrees with me. (Already take it vaginally).

Also my cycles are short, so this time I've had a period from day 5 of the Utrogestan. And will therefore be starting again after hardly a break.

What's the shortest amount of time I can take it for? Can I stop after 10 days or I do I need do do the whole 12 day thing?

Place marking as I am the same

Also wondering whether I can reduce the dose? I'm taking 200mg.

Do you feel rubbish on it too @Annasgirl?

Please go back and see your GP. There are alternatives to the medication you are taking. Hopefully you will find one that's suits you better.

Starting to wonder about utrogestan aswell. Was ok on HRT, then put on utrogestan. Supposed to he all the rage because it's more in tune with your body's natural. Not sure it's suiting me.

Bit confused @AnnaDyne.

If you are bleeding from Day 5, is that your own period coming and not a withdrawal bleed from the 12 days of Utrogestan?

Or do you mean the withdrawal bleed is Day 5 after finishing the 12 days of it 5 days previously?

There are women using less than 12 days but usually it's with a private consultant who can arrange scans now and then to check all is ok.

Using it vaginally does increase the efficacy and maybe for you the side effects? Have you tried it orally?

@AnnaDyne Just another thought. With a cyclic regime, it's best to set an HRT cycle (you say your own cycle is short).
So the way to use it is on the same day each month, not around your natural cycle (as this will change over time anyway.)

The advice from drs is to take it from a set day like the 1st of each month which means you will set a 30-31 day cycle.

Thanks @JinglingHellsBells - I am taking it vaginally now which hugely improved the symptoms- so I didn't get the bone crushing tiredness this month.

But I still feel crap and the crapness increases with each day I take it. I'm assuming it's a proper period, but my short cycle (which has always been short - a short luteal phase, i.e. post ovulation) means I'm going to be on utrogestan for most of my cycle!

Anyway, will talk to my dr. Thanks!

I still don't understand @AnnaDyne :)

Your HRT should override your own cycles, and you ought to be able to create a 30-day cycle. Starting Utrogestan as Day 1 (eg 1 October) you would then use it for 12 days and the bleed would come usually 3 days after the last capsule (approx 15 October) You would then start it all over again on 1 November.

Is this not how you are using it? If you are trying to start Utrogestan mid your 'natural' cycle, that's not how to do it.

If @AnnaDyne is anything like me, it's not overriding the natural cycle. Should, I agree, but didn't. I had to stop HRT in the end as it was giving me terrible vertigo mid first lockdown when you couldn't get a GP appointment for love nor money, and I just haven't found the will yet to try again.

I take the mini pill every single day which stops my periods completely, then I take oestrogel 4 pumps a day and one 100mg utrogestan at night every night. Don’t know if that might be an option and help somehow?

So I'm meant to take utrogestan for 12 days from day 15. I did that, but on day 20 or 21 my period (or a bleed) started. I bled for 5 days and was taking Utrogestan for all of that. I made the decision to stop taking it on 10 days when my period ended. So now I'm on day 6 (the first day without Utrogestan) and in 9 days I'm meant to start the Utrogestan again. Which just seems mad! I'll always be taking the bloody stuff. I assume my period overrode the artificial bleed.

I'm trying to get to see my dr.

I have only seen positive results from the Oestrogel - I feel fantastic! If I can keep that, but change the progesterone element, I'll be fine I think.

I used to temperature chart/use OPKs to get pregnant so I am very familiar with how to detect ovulation. I found when I took utrogestan on a fixed day of the month, which ended up before ovulation as I tend to ovulate late (short luteal phase though), my cycle wanted to do something else and the conflict caused huge problems for me both physically and mentally with it all out of whack.

I talked this through with my GP, and she was fantastic and said it was okay to start taking it a day or so after I've detected ovulation each cycle for the 12 days vaginally. Everything has been a lot more settled since then and the effects don't seem so bad either.

So I'm meant to take utrogestan for 12 days from day 15

@AnnaDyne Not if you mean midway in your own natural cycle.

I still get the feeling you are using Utrogestan following your own cycle (starting it on what you think is day 15.)

That's not how it works with HRT.
The HRT creates a new cycle over 30 days.

So, most drs will tell you to choose a day of the month to s tart, usually 1st or the 15th. (THis is not your cycle day, it's the actual date on the calendar.)

So for example, someone starting it for the very first time would start with estrogen straight away and then on the 1st of the next month would start utrogestan for 12 days. eg 1st October. Then they would wait for a month and take it again on the 1st November.

I'm not sure what your GP advised but this is what they should have told you.

ok. But what if you're still ovulating like I am? Does the oestrogen stop it happening? I don't particularly want to stop ovulation happening.

Why are you concerned about ovulation?

If you want to avoid this breakthrough/ early bleeding the only way to do that is to set a new cycle, the HRT cycle.

I'm a bit confused as to why your GP told you (or didn't say anything?) about when to start Utrogestan.

Most women are told to start on a certain day of the month, each month, on a date they will easily remember, nothing to do with their own natural cycles.

No, he didn't tell me that. But we've done different things on 2 cycles now, and on each time, my period has arrived when it would do if I wasn't on HRT. So I'm assuming it's overriding the HRT each time.

Why would I want to stop ovulating? It seems my body is still ovulating, and I like the feeling of it - I've always felt positive and happy and confident (and up for sex) and will miss that feeling. It's just the tiredness, insomnia and aches and pains of perimenopause I wasn't happy with

I think you have to let go of the whole ovulation thing. Ideally the HRT will make you feel all the positive feelings you have during ovulation all the time….!

This is an interesting post. I went on HRT (patches and utrogestan) as the OP describes just as first lockdown started so whilst I have had blood pressure checks etc I have never really felt like I had access to advice/info.

To begin with I also got random bleeds that didn't correlate with the HRT cycle and also had the dilemma then of following the 2 weeks on 2 weeks off pattern of the HRT or trying to start the utrogestan 2 weeks after my bleed started.

I have had no bleeds at all for the past 3 or 4 months so just taking it two weeks on two weeks off.

I wonder if I am not on the right amount of oestrogen? Whatever happened the HRT doesn't seem to have overridden my own cycle or regulated a withdrawal bleed at all.

I agree - a very interesting post.

I'm on my 3rd cycle of HRT patches of Utrogestan. Why didn't anyone tell me that I could simply start the 12 days of pills on the first day of the month each month??

It makes it so much easier than waiting for day 1 of your period, then counting forward to day 15 and starting 12 days from there. I need reminders in my calendar!

Would it be okay to readjust to the first of the month now? I'm due to finish my current 12 days in 3 days' time.

(Sorry to hijack OP!)

@SallyOMalley

I agree - a very interesting post.

I'm on my 3rd cycle of HRT patches of Utrogestan. Why didn't anyone tell me that I could simply start the 12 days of pills on the first day of the month each month??

It makes it so much easier than waiting for day 1 of your period, then counting forward to day 15 and starting 12 days from there. I need reminders in my calendar!

Would it be okay to readjust to the first of the month now? I'm due to finish my current 12 days in 3 days' time.

(Sorry to hijack OP!)

It would be fine @SallyOMalley.

Just start on 1st October.

@AnnaDyne

No, he didn't tell me that. But we've done different things on 2 cycles now, and on each time, my period has arrived when it would do if I wasn't on HRT. So I'm assuming it's overriding the HRT each time.

Why would I want to stop ovulating? It seems my body is still ovulating, and I like the feeling of it - I've always felt positive and happy and confident (and up for sex) and will miss that feeling. It's just the tiredness, insomnia and aches and pains of perimenopause I wasn't happy with

You need to forget about ovulation!

HRT replaces estrogen. So when you use HRT it doesn't matter if your ovulate or not and no, estrogen won't stop you ovulating.

Thanks @jinglinghellsbells!

Does anyone know if the mini pill is an adequate alternative to utrogestan? I love my estrogen patches but loathe utrogestan 😩

@TheRealMummyPig

Does anyone know if the mini pill is an adequate alternative to utrogestan? I love my estrogen patches but loathe utrogestan 😩

If you take the mini pill it equates to half the progesterone you need. I take the mini pill, oestrogel 4 pumps and one 100mg utrogestan every single day. (As far as I understand it the only way to completely avoid the utrogestan - if you still have a womb- is to have the mirena coil).

@NormaSwilly
Check with your doctor and have some bloods done if you’re not having a withdrawal bleed with the Utrogestan. Same happened to me after months of HRT and turned out I had stopped absorbing Oestrogel. Was solved by changing to Sandrena. Hope this helps