In a pickle with low oestrogen levels and hating utrogestan

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Im 57 I have been on oestrogel for 2 years (3 pumps a day) plus Utrogestan 100mg a day. I kept telling the GP and practice nurse I felt awful and finally had a blood test.

My oestrogen level was 113.

The week before I said that I felt exhausted and sick like I did when I was pregnant. No wonder as I had low oestrogen and high progesterone presumably.

I had 2 weeks off the Utrogestan while waiting for and starting Lenzetto spray. Felt brighter. Gut/heartburn better. I restarted it and felt rubbish so switched to vaginal but have got really sore as happened when I tried 2 years ago. I use vagfem and ovestin.

I had mirena coil when I was younger. Hated them and looking back think it made perimenopause worse due to progesterone sensitivity and things being out of balance.

Feeling like just stopping everything and seeing how I am without.

Any suggestions/experiences gratefully received.

Hopeful bump

I would have thought the soreness was due to lack of estrogen, not too much progesterone?

@LilacK That has definitely been true and it is mostly under control with the pessaries and cream. But using the Utrogestan vaginally really does seem to create more irritation.

I felt terrible on ptoesterone part of hrt so switched at 54 to a Mirena, the slow steady dose suited me better with oestrogel too.

I’ve had to stop the oestrogen but haven’t had the Mirena out…and 6 months in it’s all fine. Still use vagifem.

might be worth stopping and see what happens…

Lenzetto is quite a low dose. I didn't absorb gel well and tried spray and was even worse. So much better with a patch.

Everol conti, comes only in 50 but can cut one in half for the variables. It has norethisterone in it for the progesterone part. I have a friend who is on it and loves it. Yes it’s a synthetic progesterone but possibly might suit you better as you are having problems with the non synthetic. I have the coil, find it great, but I know it seems to be 50/50 for others where that’s concerned.

I'd try the combined Evorel patch. Only thing is, it is limited to 50mcg estrogen (and I think 3 pumps might have been more than that). I bloody hate utrogestan, but I'm completely fine with the norethisterone in the patches, although I'm a bit in the same boat, can't cope with utrogestan, but need 75mcg of estrogen, which means 200mg of utrogestan daily, I can only tolerate 100mg and that's vaginally.

Really the best way to do it is pay for regular ultrasounds and just take the dosage you need.

I use Evorel 100mg. I can't take synthetic progesterone sue to side effects

Thank you for sharing your suggestions. I need to try to discuss different progesterone with GP or make a private appointment I think.

The Lenzetto is triggering bleeding which hopefully means I am at least absorbing some!

How many sprays? 3 gel is 5-6 sprays so bleeding is likely as getting even less.

I had the same issue with pessaries causing irritation - changed to cyclogest which can go up your bum instead - so much better!

But the 100mcg is not a combined patch.

Oh man. GP said 1-2 sprays increasing to 3-4.
I'm going to get a private appointment. I'll try cyclones @YourSpleenIsDamp

Thank you

Cyclogest! I feel like I'm in a cyclone

Have holiday in 4 weeks. Really don't want to be bleeding then if possible so not sure whether to stop hrt, go back on orstrogel or increase Lenzetto....

I'm on exactly the same dose as you OP, also feel dreadful and have had GP on my back to increase the utrogestan. Tried a mirena but failed insertion. Currently waiting for sexual health clinic appointment to fit it.

It feels to me like women have to make these decisions based on the anecdotes of others. Are there large scale trials on mood outcomes? Why is women's health such a guessing game? I'm going to try the coil again but am terrified of negative mood outcomes. I am still getting regular bleeds and with those come two day headaches and ocular migraines and awful mood swings. Gp thought stealing the progesterone would help. Who the fuck knows

Steadying not stealing!

I had a Mirena coil in my early 40s and blamed it for all symptoms I was going through at the time, couldn’t wait to get it removed. I started HRT in my early 50s and couldn’t tolerate utrogestan at all, so as a last resort had another Mirena fitted. I was terrified of it, thought I’d suffer depression, mood swings et al. But it’s been absolutely wonderful, stopped the dreaded flooding and has had no (discernible to me, anyway) side effects. My oestrogen is low too (I’m a poor absorber), but oddly can’t tolerate more than a 75 patch without spinning out. And even though my blood levels are low I’ve still cut down to 37.5 as I was PILING on weight (2 stone in a year) and could not shift it at all. Pay for a private if you must, I’ve also done that having spent many a thousand, but honestly it’s all trial and error, they won’t come up with any magic formula. Best thing about it for me is I can order on private rx. the patches I like and not those enormous Evorel’s. HRT most definitely not the elixir I’d hoped for. Good luck to you.

Which patches do you use that are smaller than Evorel?

@MorvernBlack Estradot.

To clarify, Everol 100 and 200 utrogesten a sat