Anyone stopped Utrogestan?

[nomorechoco]

I currently take 100mg Utrogestan each day. Generally it suits me but I'm so bloated on it, have put on nearly a stone and my boobs were sore (until I started taking it vaginally), and are now just huge.

I know that you have to take some form of progesterone if you have a womb in case of womb lining thickening BUT... after my last child's birth, I was told that my womb lining is so thin, I would have to have a c-section at 35 weeks if I had another child.

So I'm wondering if I could just take oestrogen as that really helps me and just have my womb lining checked regularly (you can pay to do this privately for about £100 a pop). Obviously, I will check this with the menopause consultant next time I see her but I wondered if anyone else had done this?

I know that you have to take some form of progesterone if you have a womb in case of womb lining thickening BUT... after my last child's birth, I was told that my womb lining is so

You can't compare your womb lining on 1 day when they scanned you decades ago with using HRT now.

HRT using estrogen only is not licensed if you have a womb.
So you meno consultant can't prescribe that.

You can use progesterone less often, with a consultant's advice. That would mean going (back?) onto a cycle rather than daily. So you could possibly take it for 14 days every 6-8 weeks.

And doing it that way you'd still be recommended to have a scan possibly annually.

A scan from a consultant gynaecologist who knows what they are doing is closer to £300, not £100 - those are the ones done by nurses for pregnancy. They are not qualified to look for endometrial changes and the measurement of the lining is just part of what's looked at.

Would you consider having a Mirena coil?

I'm really resistant to the idea of the Mirena as a friend of mine had a terrible time and had to keep it in for 3 months or so until they would remove it. Maybe one of the other types of progesterone might suit me better. Just so sick of nothing fitting anymore and seeing my weight constantly creep up.

Thanks. That's very helpful info.

OP I have struggled lifelong with progesterone - PMDD and endo etc and tried POP, implant, jab, HRT and finally Mirena. The Mirena was really not the worst I'd had and had far less cyclical mood issues and no extra migraines (actually a reduction as I get them with my cycle and it more or less stopped).

I was recommended for a hysterectomy due to continued polyps, heaving bleeding and cervix issues - I have EDS which does weird things and the prolapse combined with the Mirena string was causing sensitivity and bleeding.

After having the Mirena out I felt a bit more me (I'd felt a bit flat but had no weight gain on it and the lack of period side effect was truly amazing). Was actually a bit gutted I'd waited until 49 to try it and it would have made such a difference when I was in my 30s.

I know use vaginal utrogestan for 12 days per cycle, and other than it being inconvenient have genuinely no side effects - the GP prescribed this to me and the gynae was happy with this.

I was under for the insertion as was having surgery anyway - the removal was in the GP, took seconds and was not even on a par with a smear.

If the vaginal pessaries aren't a goer for you honestly the Mirena might not be as bad as you think

@nomorechoco Are you getting your HRT from a gynaecologist?
If so, there are many variations but they are off-licence. You need to talk to them about the options.

I've been on an off-licence regime for years. But it is closely monitored and I do pay for scans, approx annually, with a consultant who specialises in exactly that at a very high level.

Thanks PhunkyChicken. I will reconsider it but maybe if I've exhausted all other options..

I'm not sure if she's an actual gynae but the surgery has sent me to her at the hospital and says she's a 'menopause consultant' and suggested the Utrogestan vaginally which I understand is off licensed use so she is able to do that. Maybe she can help me find a regime that works for me... Thank you

If she's within the NHS she may not have that much freedom for other options.

TBH your GP could have sanctioned vaginal use - it's not a 'biggy'.

In Europe and especially France, vaginal use is more the norm and has been for years. Depending on the source of Utrogestan (where manufactured) some actually come where the patient leaflet shows the option for oral or vaginal use.

It's just never been formally licenced that way in the UK.

@nomorechoco your symptoms ( bloating,sore boobs,weight gain) are actually signs that perhaps your progesterone levels are too low. How much oestrogen are you taking , as recentish guidance has advised higher levels of urtrogestan to balance typical oestrogen prescribed levels . You will always get horror stories about mirena but I would say unless you try it you won’t know, it suits me and many others perfectly but everyone is individual in how they respond to different treatments.

I have a Mirena coil but I also use a daily progesterone vaginal pessary called Cyclogest. It might be worth asking your menopause consult about it. I’m pretty sure it’s an off-licence use of a fertility drug. I feel really well on it.

I saw a menopause nurse specialist who put me on a three month progesterone challenge. After just three month I became really swollen and my boobs, which were already huge have gone even bigger and very painful. Thankfully I’ve finished the challenge now and was found to have no uterine tissue in my cervix. Honestly I wish I’d never done it.

Gosh! Did your bobs go back down? Mine have taken on a life of their own

I stopped utrogestan because it made me suicidal 2w a month.

I take evorel conti now. I still have periods so it's off license but signed off but 2 GPs.

Using combined continuous when you have periods isn't 'off licence'.

There is no 'licence' issue around using it earlier than usually recommended.
There are reasons why it sometimes isn't appropriate but not the same as being 'off licence'.

I had an ablation and was told I still need progesterone as I have a womb, even if the lining has been burned away.

Maybe try combined oestrogen and progesterone?

What was the problem you had that led to a progesterone challenge?

I’m on 200 mg continuous Utrogestan due to bleeding (investigated, no cause found).

Boobs are now huge, so I don’t think low progesterone is the cause.

I’m on Sandrena 1mg sachets.

I think Progesterone is too high, oestrogen is too low, testosterone is non existent, because the NHS doesn’t think to replace it

A complete hormone imbalance.

…to be honest, I think I’m a back injury waiting to happen with the combination of being top heavy, all this progesterone relaxing my ligaments and making me feel so docile.

Chronic migraine. I’m 58 now so presumably at the back end of menopause. I don’t have a womb anymore so not obvious where I’m up to. The challenge has made no difference whatsoever. It was completely pointless.