Utrogestan on shorter cycle

[Gherkingreen]

Am perimenopausal, recently started taking Utrogestan 200mg a day and advice is to take it on days 15-26 of 28 day cycle. But what if your cycle is shorter?
Mine fluctuates between 24-26 days so do I need to start it on, say, day 12 for 12 days? Does it matter?

I'd like to know this too. I take Oestrogel and then Utrogestan on days 15-26. However, my period always begins before the end of the Utrogestan phase... so it's not a 'withdrawal' bleed?

So I'm wondering whether to try and match the Utrogestan to my own cycle and start taking it earlier each cycle?

You should (both!) try to stick to a 28 day cycle, because eventually your own periods won't be regular and then you will end up in a pickle of not knowing when mid cycle is. This just makes it easier in the long run.

All you're are doing is making sure that the lining is shed, roughly every month. Further into peri you won't ovulate and your own periods won't be every month.

@pinklavenders It's very common for withdrawal bleeds to start early on Utrogestan because it's often poorly absorbed. This means that when the levels in the blood fall, it causes the bleed.

I've used it for years and sometimes I'd bleed by day 9 but it definitely wasn't a period as I am years post-meno. I now use it vaginally and this seems to control it all a bit better.

I had a 25-28 day cycle and starting hrt has lengthened it considerably.

You just start the regime on a 4 weekly cycle, with 12 days on utrogetsan and keep going.

This month my utrogestan was timed to 3 days after my period (I had to delay it a day due to my period.) so it actually ran the first half of my "cycle." I've been using vaginally though so no idea if makes a difference.

It usually evens out for most women. I'm considering trying continuous, and orally though as I seem to be all over the place. (I know I don't have to jingling but I'm also on thyroxine and there's apparently an improvement in t3 with utrogestan when taking thyroxine.)

Hi, I just came on to ask a similar question, sorry, no help to OP.
I take my utrogestan, 200mg orally, day 14 to 28. I didn’t start my HRT on day 1 of my cycle cos my cycle was all over the place and could have been waiting a long time to start… gp advised to just start, so I then started to take utrogestan 14 days after starting my patches.

initially my cycle all over the place. Things seem to have settled but I’ve a very long cycle 33-38 days …. Is that normal ? I bleed approximately a week ( seems longer this month though )after stopping my progesterone?
I suppose my question is…. In a long winded way…. Should I be taking it on day 14 to 28 of my cycle or will I just continue to take it on a 14 days on 14 days off, regardless of where I am in my cycle ? I really hope that makes sense😬

@Designerenvy and everyone else!
Using two products seems to cause great confusion compared to tablets or patches, yet they are all used the same way.

If you had been given tablets or patches which come all 'prepacked' with a 28 day hormone cycle, you'd just use them and not think about trying to fit in around a period. (Tablets come with 14 days of estrogen-only, then 14 days of estrogen+progestogen. The bleed follows the last tablet, a few days later.)

The same applies to Utrogestan!

Forget your own cycle and create a new one with HRT.

@JinglingHellsBells thank you ! Yes, it’s the day 14 confused me .. I’ll stick with what I’m doing so. Thanks again !

@JinglingHellsBells thank you. I tried using Utrogestan vaginally during the last cycle and my period still came early (about 3-4 days after starting on Utro).

How can I tell if the bleed is my natural cycle or caused by taking a few days' worth of Utrogestan?

I was advised (and had clarified by my doctor), 14 days on / 14 days off, regardless of my cycle.

The leaflet says 12 days snd I started to take it for 12 days on the 15th of the month. When I had a check up, I asked again and doctor said it was best to do 14 days on / off. I think it is because (as someone said above), your cycle will change as you get further into the meno.

How can I tell if the bleed is my natural cycle or caused by taking a few days' worth of Utrogestan?

You can't really. But don't worry, it's not important.

The leaflet says 12 days snd I started to take it for 12 days on the 15th of the month. When I had a check up, I asked again and doctor said it was best to do 14 days on / off. I think it is because (as someone said above), your cycle will change as you get further into the meno.

@littlematchstickgirl It's not for that reason. The reason some women need 14 days is to control the amount of blood loss/ thickness of lining while taking estrogen.

For most women, 12 days is enough.

The 14 days advice by GPs appears to have come from a guide to using Utrogestan by Dr Newson but the reason she suggests 14 days on/ 14 days off is to make is 'simpler'. That's not a medical reason.

Some women (under mainly private consultants) use fewer than 12 days, or do 6 week cycles, so it's not an exact science. But the NHS GP has to follow the licensing guide and can't deviate.

Thank you for the information, that's really helpful to know

Grateful to find this thread!

I’ve been on HRT for about 18 months with oestrogen patches and utrogestan tablets days 15-27. This has worked out great but my last 2 cycles have only been 20 days long, ie after only 5 days of utrogestan.

Does anyone know if I should continue to take utrogestan even if bleeding has started? It makes more sense to me to stop as it’s effectively marking day 1 of a new cycle.

My cycles were v regular at 28-30 days when I started HRT, and theoretically should still be regular whilst on HRT so don’t know why things have changed or what to do! Is it my underlying natural peri cycle ‘overriding HRT’?! Thanks for any insight

I used to have 22 day cycles, with an occasional 30 day one thrown in to confuse things.
My GP told me to do 14 days on, 14 off regardless of my cycle, and eventually my cycle would settle into 28 days. It took a few months but I now have 28 day cycles, give or take a day or two.

Thank you! Especially as I’ve just realised this thread is a year old 😀 I’m going to talk to my GP in a couple weeks to explore why this has started happening- my gut feel is that my oestrogen levels have spiked…and I’m so bloated I look 5 months pregnant so hoping it’s not fibroids.

My cycle was 24-26 days. Started taking Utrogestan three months ago (along with Oestrogel). I take it on days 15-28 of my cycle and now my cycle is 28 days.

This has happened to me too - did you just carry on taking it through your period? I’m finding it all a bit confusing

Right im now 11 days into taking hrt. Im on estridot patch 75s and utrogestan 100s.
I hadnt had a period since march, they had already been irregular for about a yr before that.
Fast forward to day 9 i start a period. Ffs.
Gp suggested i take the prog continuously as she reckoned i might be in early meno. But since ive had a period im thinking based on what ive read i should move to 14 on 14 off? Would that be right?
Was unable to get through to gp office yest to ask.

@HairgicianThe dose is 12 days per calendar month. You stick to the same day each month and your cycle will eventually reset itself to an HRT cycle. So if you started on 1 Sept, for 12 days, you'd start again on the 12 October. Ignore your own cycle and if you bleed just carry on with the regime. Women on tablets or patches follow the packets, they don't fiddle around trying to fit 2 hormones around their cycles. Gel or estrogen-only patches and Utrogestan are no different.

Thanks for that. So im day 11 now so tmw be the last one for 16 days then ?

My friend is also on it. Near sure shes taking it every day but i know she was regular with periods. Would explain her irratic bleeding then. Must say to her.

I’m just starting with this. But I’m confused…Why would you start on 12th Oct when you previously started on 1st Sept? Surely you’d start again a month later on 1st Oct wouldn’t you? Otherwise it would be 42 days in between.

Sorry- typo. 1st october!

Thanks for replying! I was getting myself even more confused and that doesn’t take much.

Do anyone know if you have to start your first patch on the first day of your period if you have regular ones or can that be any time too?