Hysterectomy for progesterone intolerance?

[SameKeyThough]

Sorry if this is a bit long. I have a history of depression. Diagnosed at 19 and on anti depressants ever since (am 51 now). Was put on dianette contraceptive pill around the same age for acne. Stayed on pill for approx 12 years. When pregnant was developed debilitating anxiety and depression. Was also made to stop taking citalopram AD and switched to different type which did nothing. Hospitalised during pregnancy and narrowly avoided mother and baby unit after birth. Went back on citalopram and issues resolved after about 6 months. Stayed on citalopram and all good. Never really had PMT. Fast forward to nearly 2 years ago and terrible anxiety developed almost overnight. Presented at A&E as suicidal and sectioned. Spent last 20months trying to recover. Am under the care of a psychiatrist and on many different medications. Seen private menopause specialist as suspected hormones but as soon as tried utrogestan became incredibly anxious and depressed again. I know there are other progesterone options but am scared to try them. Am spending every day wishing I were dead. Would having a hysterectomy solve any of this do you think? I could go private. Then I could just have oestrogen. I'm so so desperate. Every day is hell.

Thank you @Rockschooldropout that's very interesting. Have you tried utrogestan prior to this?

@SameKeyThough - I hadn’t tried it as she decided it was better to go straight to the cyclogest . I was on Evorel Sequi before and even the progesterone part of that made me feel rubbish

Ask about trying Livial Tibolone.
I dont tolerate progestogen at all. Tibolone works differently and is the only one i have got on with so far

@Branleuse thank you for that. I have an appt with a meno specialist next week so will ask about it.

Just an update. I have an appt with a (private) gynaecologist next week. She is also a very experienced NHS consultant so I'm hoping she will be helpful. I have been on evorel 50 for 3 weeks and think my mood has improved a bit, although just before my period 2 weeks ago I took a massive dip and then again last weekend I was very bad again. Thinking very dark thoughts in a very logical way, eg driving and thinking about how practically I could crash into a wall and finish it all but not cause an accident that hurt other people. My meno specialist agrees I need to increase my oestrogen but she won't do that until I have seen the gynae and have a plan in place for either hysterectomy or progesterone options. It's all such a fucking nightmare.

I’ve only just seen this thread so apologies for the late input. I feel it’s important to help each other through the problems with progesterone, there are so many women out there who are intolerant and being let down by health professionals.

I too had an horrendous time on Utrogestan and I have no history of suicidal thoughts or mental illness, it was absolutely awful, I didn’t want to live, my husband was so worried.

I’ve since seen a menopause specialist and I’ve tried all sorts of regimes and every time the progesterone buggers me up, I love estrogen though. So eventually I’ve plumped for Tridestra, 3 months on an estrogen tablet followed by 2 weeks on a progesterone called medroxyprogesterone, it’s one of the lesser androgenic ones, this is the only regime I can cope with. You have a withdrawal bleed after the progesterone phase and then it’s back to the estrogen.

I’ve tried taking medroxyprogesterone every day with estrogen so I don’t have a bleed but after a couple of months I start to feel unhappy, anxious, weepy, panicking, unreasonable, you name it, absolutely bloody awful.

There’s another continuous HRT called Femoston which also has a lesser androgenic progesterone. I’ve found that a short burst of progesterone is all I can tolerate. It’s taken nearly 4 years to get sorted, but without the estrogen for me my life was pretty miserable.

I hope this helps you with your journey through the HRT maze. All the best 😬

Have you tried taking the progesterone vaginally as it made such a difference to me as felt just awful, could not focus, acne which never had in my life, no energy and felt soo depressed and brain fog only lifted when I stopped from the 2 weeks of progesterone. Taking it vaginally gets rid of so many of the side effects as am super sensitive to progesterone. Went through hell when on it. Utrogestrone is what I use. Think I am also undiagnosed aspergers as have all the markers for it but am in 50's and there was nothing about it when I was younger or shocking still the way so many women all of us struggling through our menopause and my doctor would not give hrt to me in my late 40s and also a 2nd time I went to him. I hope you get sorted and things improve, had to change things up a few times and just got blood tests back and finally figured out why I am so exhausted, have underactive thyroid. Please look after yourself and hope things improve for you.

@Snippit @BOOTS52PollyPrissyPants thank you so much for your support and suggestions. I have tried the utrogestan vaginally, unfortunately it was still awful. I'm seeing another gynaecologist next month who can give me more advice about a hysterectomy.

SameKeyThough hope you get some answers with that. Have a gynae appt, nx month and am going to insist on scan of some sort to see what lining of womb is like. Did so much research myself and doctor no help and found that so many women are sensitive to their own progesterone that is why some of us get really bad pmt or pmdd. So me putting high doses into my body every 2 weeks nearly floored me and I also felt suicidal. Is shocking we have all got to this stage in our lives and barely any information or doctors dismissing us, just awful. I have actually started on continuous hrt now (54 and still getting periods) but because am on hrt 2 years can change to continuous progesterone from 2 weeks on/off. It means taking a lower dose of Utrogesterone daily vaginally so there will be no hormonal surges and it may balance out hormones. It can take a few months for bleeding/spotting to settle down. Did have a bleed after one week of changing over but hoping settles down, am so sick of it all but bloating nearly gone as only 100 Utrogesterone daily. I hope you get something sorted as it is a minefield and it can take a while to get sorted. Do some research on hysterectomy and have questions written down before your appointment, if you are like me will forgot to ask unless do that, ask about the pros and cons of hysterectomy and will it help balance out your mood. Keep us posted and mind yourself as know and understand how difficult it is but you are not alone and post anytime you feel low. Hope you have some support and the women on here have been great and support each other.

Just enquiring how you got on with your appointment and hope you are well.