Self dosing & adjusting doses

[Redwinesalt]

I'm on Oestrogel & utrogestan and have been for a year but the GP basically said adjust according to how I felt. Defo 2 pumps and 1 tablet worked initially and I felt better but then less so do I dropped the progesterone to 50% but not always the same days as I kept forgetting. I also use vaginally as didn't like it before.
I feel like I need to re set and start again. Hot flashes are back albeit not as bad.
Anyone else feel a bit like they don't know how to get it right and what's 'allowed'? Any good books on it?

There is info out there on medical sites, like the British Menopause Society and the Women's Health Concern.

It looks like you might be missing one important thing.
We only need progesterone to prevent overgrowth of the womb lining.
From what you're saying, you are only using Utrogestan on alternate days (or less?)

The amount of progesterone has to be in proportion to the amount of estrogen, otherwise you might eventually get hyperplasia (overgrowth of the womb lining) which can (sometimes, but rarely) progress to cancer.

All HRT is prescribed in licensed doses which have been through trials for safety.
The current licensed doses are either 12 days x 200mgs Utrogestan per monthly cycle , or on a longer 3 monthly cycle for women who are intolerant to it.

For women post menopause, they have the option of 100mgs Utrogestan daily, which is the no-bleed sort (no withdrawal bleed on it.)

Are you post menopause? Because using only 100mgs capsule is the dose for post-meno.

If you want to change anything to see how you feel, it's only the estrogen that you should increase (or decrease.) So you might want to up it to 3 pumps, but you do need to take Utrogestan daily.

Thankyou. Yes post now. I'll revert to daily on both. I was struggling with bloating etc

I thought I’d read that 3 pumps of Oestrogel needed 200mg of Utrogestan? Just wondering about this myself as was feeling fine on 2 pumps/100mg (for the last 9 months) but recently symptoms have been coming back. I’ve increased to 3 pumps but still on 100mg of Oestrogel. I’ve got an appointment with my menopause specialist but not for a couple of weeks, so hope this is ok in the meantime?

@SaltySeaCat It's not that black and white.
The BMS guidance is all about 'considering' more progesterone, not saying it's an absolute must.

One of the criteria for increasing progesterone is if women find they have spotting or a lot of bleeding, outside of the norm- whether that's a no-bleed type or a monthly cycle.

If you are on a cycle with HRT the dose is 12/14 days x 200mgs regardless of the amount of estrogen.

I’m on continuous HRT so hopefully 100mg will be fine. I haven’t had any sorting for the last 3 months (only for the first six months). I’m wondering why I need more all of a sudden - could it be a dodgy batch - it’s actually Oestrodose rather than Oestrogel? Thanks for your reply.

I've gone back to daily progesterone.
I'll see how