Early periods on Utrogestan: is my progesterone dose too low?

[AchillesLastStand]

I’m 46 next month and have been on HRT for a year, 50mg Evorel patch and then 200mgs Utrogestan every 14 days.

The problem is the Utrogestan is not controlling my periods at all, in fact the reverse. Since staring HRT my periods have become much closer together, the shortest has been 18 days. So every month I’m starting my periods within a few days of starting the Utrogestan and then by the time I’ve finished the Utrogestan my period has been and gone. I was wondering if my body is absorbing enough of the progesterone to stop my period starting early. I know periods can be closer together in perimenopause but thought the HRT would help with this.

Also I feel awful on the days I’m not taking Utrogestan. I feel much calmer and normal on it. As soon as I stop it I have insomnia, headaches and I’m an anxious mess.

I know I need to speak to my GP but it’s clear the HRT isn’t working as it should.

Hi I'm also on utrogestan, same dose as you, how do you calculate when day one is to understand when day 15 is to start retaking the Utrogestan, I'm confused as my period starts between day 15 and day 26.

I take utrogestan on a 28 day cycle - 12 days on and 16 days off. I always bleed before I have finished the utrogestan on about day 8. I don't recalculate that as day 1 though I just finish the 12 days.

Whatever date your period starts is Day 1. So you should count 15 days from there and then start Utrogestan.

Many specialists advise starting on the same day every month, (ignoring your own periods and creating an HRT cycle.)

The easiest way for you to reset this would be to wait until you have had a bleed, then choose the date the bleed ends (for example 1st Sept) take 12 days from there and the restart 12 days on 1 October.

Thanks for the replies, so if you don't recalculate your not taking the Utrogestan on day 15 - 26 🤔 That's the situ I'm in, so like Jihhlingspringbells said, your own HRT cycle, disregarding your bleeds...?

The easiest way to do this is to just treat the gel and Utrogestan exactly the same as if they were a patch or tablets.

If you have a patch or tablets, they come in a pack with 28 tablets or enough patches for 4 weeks.

Women using these don't 'ditch' the tablets or patches in the 2nd half of the pack or start shuffling the order of them, if they have a natural period that comes along out of the HRT cycle. They carry on with the pack.

So you're doing exactly the same but using two products - a pump of gel and a packet of tablets.

IF your periods are regular when you start HRT it's okay to start your estrogen on Day 1 (day when your period starts) and count 14 days before adding Utrogestan. This is what you'd get if you used HRT in tablet form, or patches.

But then you should follow a pattern so that you have 12 or 14 days of Utrogestan in each month and take the Utrogestan on the same DATE each month.

(many consultants say work on a 30-day month rather than working on 4 weeks, as it makes little difference.)

OK, so basically you are saying to disregard the bleeds and continue to take the tablets (my HRT is all tablet) in a regular calendar format. It's really screwed with my head and I'm usually very methodical and organised 😅 Thanks for the advice 👍

I have a quick question about this if nobody minds. I take Ultrogestan days 1 - 12 then bleed on the days after that. Sometimes I start bleeding before the 12 days are over, but I finish the cycle anyway.

This month, I stopped taking Ultrogestan on day 12 and have had no bleeding. I'm almost 55 and I suspect that I'm no longer ovulating as the bleeds have been much lighter over the last six months.

But even so, there should be a bleed when the Ultrogestan bit is over? Using Everol patches 50mg continuously.

TIA