The Mini Pill and Utrogestan

[BatsAtHome]

I've mentioned this elsewhere but I'm giving the subject it's own thread as I hope someone who has experienced the same can share any advice they've been given.
I have been taking 2 X pumps of estrogel plus 200mg of utrogestan for 12 days of the cycle.
I only sleep properly in the Utro part of the regime. I sleep much better whether I take one or two. I struggle so much the rest of the regime.
I have just started desogestrel POP. I think I was driven to this by my desperation to get progesterone in me all month round😜
Anyone same?
My question is whether I can/should take the Utro continuously as I am on the POP and that changes my cycle.
I am 46 and before HRT was having regular-ish cycles so I would not yet be a candidate for continuous without the POP.
My GP could not give me a definitive answer on this.
For reference my GP has told me (twice - after I queried it) that I absolutely CAN take the deso as the prog element of my HRT but 'no harm' would come of me taking the Utro also (but I should take one only) but could not say whether sequentially or continuously.
If anyone has or had a similar experience when they were peri and has any advice from their GP/gynae/consultant I would love to hear it - thanks!

Bump please.
I have been taking the mini pill (deso 75) and 1 Utro (100mg) for four nights now. Sleeping enough to feel better but very groggy, sore breasts and bloated. Still, this feels better than life sans progesterone.

Hi I'm wondering how you're getting on? I have the same problem, I can only sleep on the nights when I take progesterone. I'm 54 and periods are now very rare, so I tried taking 100mg utrogestan continuously but it caused breakthrough bleeding. My doctor told me that 100mg wasn't enough and I should take 200mg for the second half of my cycle, which I did. However the insomnia when im not taking utrogestan is debilitating, so I often start with 100mg a night, after a weeks break, then continue to 200mg at the correct time. I am due to get a womb biopsy next week due to the breakthrough bleeding, so I will ask the consultant then about getting progesterone in me more often.

Hello @Calisia - I stopped the mini pill almost as soon as I had started it. I bled for 12 days straight and as I have previously been anaemic and have trouble keeping my ferritin up I didn't feel I could wait for it to settle down. I also didn't really feel as if I was advised properly about how much/when extra utrogestan was needed on top and my GP didn't seem to know. So I went back to my sequential HRT but still struggled in the first half of the cycle. I decided to have an experimental month and take the utro 100mg continuously and I very quickly felt a lot better. But that's not an option for me longer term as the GP says I will have breakthrough bleeding which will be considered abnormal and that will have to be investigated, which seems to be what has happened to you too. I'm only 45 so I've gone for Qlaira and so far so good. However, once over 50 I don't think that one is an option. I think in your shoes I might be considering a Mirena plus the gel? It does sound like you are very close to being able to take the Utrogestan continuously. In this country we seem to focus so much on estrogen deficiency but many of us are progesterone deficient and that's the pressing problem for us. It's known that progesteron declines early in perimenopause and the symptoms are debilitating for so many. I know a lot of women can't tolerate progesterone but I'm the opposite it seems.
I hope you get relief soon. Keep pressing the GP about your need for continuous progesterone.

@BatsAtHome thanks so much for getting back to me, I'll check out qlaira and I'll let you know what the consultant tells me next week.

Well that was a traumatic day, and the consultant was useless. Was only interested in giving me a mirena coil, (said it was her mission to give everyone a coil) wouldn't listen to my concerns and opinions. Basically said I would get cancer if I wouldn't accept the coil as I wasn't protecting my womb from oestrogen. I pointed out that I was currently taking oral progesterone in excess of what was advised. Then went on to do the womb biopsy without using local anaesthetic causing me to crash bigtime. Was bradycardic for 2 hours. Blood pressure dangerously low. Minutes from having to have a drip to stabilise me and pain like ive never experienced. (Ive had 2 kids!) Thought I was dying! I just hope that the lack of anaesthetic wasn't a punishment for refusing the coil!

@Calisia how awful, I'm so sorry. What nonsense that you are not protecting your womb when you are already taking over-and-above utrogestan? Did they concede on that point? It was very off of her to say she has a 'mission to give everyone a coil', women need to make informed choices and the coil is absolutely not for everyone.