Progesterone dosage.

[SusannaOh]

Can anyone tell me what the progesterone dose would be for 75 mcg of estrogen, for both combined and sequential HRT.

I'm really struggling atm. I was on Evorel patches. 75 mcg of Estadiol and 170 mcg of Norethisterone sequentially. All was good.

GP has said there are new guidelines, I need to be taking 300mcg progestogen for 14 days if I take it sequentially or 200mcg combined. She prescribed me Utrrogestan, but because I've really struggled with it in the past, she has prescribed it combined daily and I've reduced the estradiol to 50mcg to keep the utrogestan dose lower.

I'm really struggling, 50mcg is letting menopausal symptoms creep back. The Utrogestan makes me tearful and utterly exhausted. I'm taking it vaginally now but it still causes issues. I also worry as it contains titanium dioxide which I don't want to be using internally. I desperately want to go back to the old dose of estradiol, but can't face upping the utrogestan.

I'm 54 and still have periods.

The mini pill contains no oestrogen so it is not going to address your symptoms.

Is there not another GP in the practice you are in? Sometimes male GPs are actually better on this.

Menopause Matters is a good source of information (just ignore all the ads):

www.menopausematters.co.uk/menopause.php

There are a few other doctors but I think they are all as bad tbh..you have given me a bit of confidence to take this up with them.. When I was told I just had pms it knocked me for six and I just didn't know what to do. I will write a complaint and see the manager of my surgery and hopefully I will get help..i will keep you posted on how I get on.. They are closed till Monday but it's helped just hearing I should be getting help.. Thankyou so much.. 🌺

It might be worth starting again with a different doctor even if you don't have much faith in them. The GP you've seen already has failed you so badly that I personally wouldn't want to go head to head with her over the guidance.

With a different doctor you could just say I believe I have clear symptoms of perimenopause and would like to be treated with HRT as recommended in this NICE guidance [hand over a copy]. No need to have the stress of going through your past treatment. You can then complain formally about your previous treatment via the Practice manager.

If you complain first, I'd keep it very simple and say that you don't believe you have been treated in line with the NICE guidelines and would like to be reassessed.

What you have described is absolutely classic perimenopause symptoms and the guidance is very clear, especially once you are over 45.

Thankyou for your help.. That's exactly what I'm going to do. I'm going to change my doctors but first thing Monday morning I'm going to complain. You have made me feel so much better about it all.. Unfortunately I've got to struggle with my symptoms until I get it all sorted but just knowing I'm not going mad and that I can come and talk on here has helped so much.. I resly appreciate you taking to me about this..

You're very welcome, @Jaymar139. It's so concerning that women are still so being badly advised by their GPs.

Here is a post from a GP on another thread that might be helpful, @Jaymar139:

You want HRT? Not so fast! You want the pill? Here you go! www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/4853868-you-want-hrt-not-so-fast-you-want-the-pill-here-you-go?msgid=127814389#127814389

That didn't go to the right place, so here's a screenshot:

I have woken up this morning feeling a lot more positive thankjs to your help last night. Still having night sweats and feeling more angry now because obviously I've been fobbed off and made to feel like a drama queen.. One of the things that stuck in my head when I was complaining to the receptionist who is also a woman I a what she said to me.. I told her the blood test was not reliable and that I'm having menopausal symptoms and she said your blood test has shown your not menopausal and your still having periods so your defiantly not going through the menopause.. When I said I want yo be referred to speak to a speciadlist she said referrals can take weeks.. There's people with cancer that are still waiting for referrals.. To me that was her trying to belittle the way I'm feeling.. Even though I shouldn't be having to explain anything to a receptionist I just can't believe she sided with the doctor.. The doctor who I saw Actualy phoned one of her friends to diagnosed me.. I presernted her with all my symptoms, I was in a right mess by this time and coukdnt stop crying.. She then said we will wait for the blood results.. She called me a week later and said my results were normal so I'm not going through menopause.. I was feeling so low and I told her I cant carry on like this.. She said she needed to phone a friend.. She called me back 2 days later and said her gyno friend said its just pms.. The thing is when I first went to my appointment before the bloods came back the doctor gave me information on hrt.. I just can't believe it sll.. I'm going to fight it all the way. Not that I should have to.. You have gives me a lift just knowing that I can get help and try and feel myself again.. X

Did you manage to get anywhere, @Jaymar139?

Hiya gardeningidiot..first thing Monday morning I phoned my surgery and spoke to the manager who is also going through the menopause so she understood and has rushed me through a referral to menopause gyno clinic ..I explained the whole process Ive been through with the doctor and they are all having a meeting about her next Monday ..I told them how she never even spoke to me about the menopause or helped me with my vaginal dryness which I am finding very uncomfortable at the moment ..I also printed off the full nice document and gave it to the receptionist and told her to get learning ..I'm still going through a nightmare time with the symptoms but hopefully Monday I will get some proper help ..tbh you helped me the most because at a time when I felt alone and unlistened to you were there and I thankyou so much ..the progesterone mini pill I was given has done absolutely nothing for my night sweats or my mood but I'm still taking them in the hope they might help with one of the symptoms I'm getting ..I just want to feel like me again ..I'm trying to stay positive but when my mind and body start turning against me and that's exactly how I'm feeling ,it's so hard to think rationally about anything ..you are an angel ..are you well ..x

That's good, @Jaymar139, but they should be able to prescribe HRT for your meanwhile. And certainly vagifem for local discomfort. No need to delay on that.

They haven't helped me with anything ..the manager got a pharmacist from the surgery to call me today and he said I can't help you with this you need a gp . So a gp is supposed to be calling me tomorrow..you really can't make this stuff up ..it's like they haven't got a clue what they are doing ..it's like you mention menopause and they haven't got a clue what to do ..I feel so drained from it all ..it's left me feeling numb ..I'm just not feeling anything now .it's made me really low and down ..my partner is walking on egg shells ..I can feel he just doesn't know how to be around me ..I think I'm all cried out now though I think he's just worried I'm going to start screaming again..lol..

Hopefully the GP can prescribe HRT and vagifem or Ovestin for you tomorrow.

I doubt it.. They are just leaving it all to the gyno clinic on Monday by the looks of it..i didn't realize women struggled this bad to get help with menopause.. Its been an eye opener..

I'm so fed up with being told different dosages for Utrogestan used vaginally that I'm now having a marena coil fitted . Utrogestan is fully out of stock in my area now and have been informed we will not be able to get it . It has taken me 4 months to get a phone appointment to speak to someone at my surgery finally got one yesterday and I literally told the nurse I'm fucked off with the lot of them and how can not one person in the NHS agree on how to treat Menopause . It's a fucking disgrace .

@Jaymar139 I am so sorry to read of the battle you are having with
Your GP surgery - hang on in there, light is at the end of the tunnel.

I am not sure if this has been mentioned already but you don't have to wait for the GP for the vaginal discomfort you can buy the treatment yourself now from the pharmacy -
It's called Gina ( no idea who comes up with these bonkers names !)

onlinedoctor.superdrug.com/gina-tablets.html

Thankyou timefornewme..I didn't even know about that ..I will go to the chemist in the morning and see if I can get some ..I can't even use tissue at the moment ..I'm having to use aloe Vera wipes ..I feel like I've got lots of paper cuts when I have a wee ..sitting down is uncomfortable if I'm wearing the wrong clothes ..I dont know how I'm going to cope if I can't get help on Monday ..I'm so scared that this is me now and I'm not going to be able to feel my normal bubbly self again..I always though I was a strong person..it makes me so sad that this is what's breaking me ..um sorry to sound so down but since going through this with my doctor's you lose hope don't you ..thankyou for replying ..I'm looking forward to getting a bit of relief from the soreness ..x

You've had terrible advice from your GP. I see a previous poster has mentioned Superdrug online. I've been getting testosterone from them (I'm already on HRT) and the service has been straightforward and good. I'm not sure if they can or will prescribe full HRT, rather than just Gina, but it's definitely worth having a look at.

From what you describe, @Jaymar139, Ovestin cream would be better as you can apply it to the external areas that hurt. There is no reason for the GP you speak to tomorrow not to prescribe it.

Gina/Vagifem is a pessary that is inserted with an applicator.

@Jaymar139 did you manage to get anything sorted with your GP or even the pharmacy?

Hiya ..omg no ..I'm hitting a brick wall each time .I was going straight through the manager of my surgery as talking to the reception staff was getting me more angry ..they referred me to a menopause clinic ..I've been anxiously waiting and my appointment was yesterday ..I went into the appointment and tried to tell the female doctor about my symptoms..she said I've got to stop you there ..I'm a gynecologist not a menopause specialist .I don't know why you've been referred here ..I just broke down in tears ..she started saying I needed scans and biopsy as I'm over 40 and my periods are getting less .I said that's why I'm here I think I'm going through the menopause and she tried to say it's not normal for my periods to be fading at my age ..I had to force her to listen to my list of symptoms and she said that's your GPS job to prescribe hrt ..it feels like every time I mention menopause they clam up and don't want to know and this Is all coming from older age female doctors ..as soon as I walked out I phoned the manager of my surgery and broke down and I literally said to her help me I'm scared of how I'm feeling and I don't know what to do ..she said all the doctors had a meeting and it was decided they haven't done anything wrong and they would have all diagnosed me the same way ..she's made an appointment for me to see a different doctor at the surgery next Monday but I don't hold any hope ..the manager of the surgery has been really good tho and she's going through the menopause..she has also been refused hrt ..she's 56 ..I just cannot believe the fight I'm having to get hrt ..on top of the normal symptoms I've explained my hair is falling out ..whether it's stress or menopause I don't know but I've given up ..it looks like I'm going to have to find a way to live with this .my relationship is suffering so bad and I love my bloke with all my heart but my sex life has gone ..I'm not sleeping because of my hot flushes and night sweats so as you can imagine I'm drained and not in a good place ..thankyou for asking it means a lot ..

@Jaymar139
Can you start another thread about yourself as this is tagged onto a thread about progesterone doses.

If you are able to summarise your experiences that would be great! (Leave some gaps in the posts if you can so it's easier to follow :) )

You will get more replies and I will try to help

I'm back on Evorel 50 sequi patches, which help, but aren't strong enough, so back to having menopausal symptoms too and the piddling about with utrogestan (which my pharmacy can still get) has sent my periods to hell. So fed up. It's so difficult to get a GP appointment, which doesn't help.

Hiya jinglingspringbells .how do I start my own thread ..I'm not too good at things like this ..

Top of the threads here- purple box on the left says WATCH THREAD, but you want the BLUE box to the right of that which says START NEW THREAD.

Click on that and it will come up with a box for you write the subject line and your post.