Menopause and progesterone intolerance
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- čas přidán 6. 05. 2024
- Some of us taking progesterone as part of their HRT may experience symptoms due to progesterone intolerance. But what is it? How do you know if you are and what can you do?
Find out here as Henpicked’s Deborah Garlick is joined by Dr Abbie Laing of My Menopause Centre.
Dr Abbie graduated from the University of Bristol in 2011 in medicine and also holds a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience. She has always been drawn to women’s health and initially worked in Obstetrics and Gynaecology both overseas in Perth Western Australia and within the UK.
She then chose to undertake training in General Practice and completed the Diploma in Sexual and Reproductive Health and the Advanced Menopause Specialist certificate from the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Health. She also achieved the Southampton Richard Percival MRCGP excellence award for her GP training.
As well as her work with My Menopause Centre, she also works within an NHS menopause centre. She looks forward to each of her consultations, talking with each person about their individual journey and making decisions together. Her hope is for women to achieve a positive experience during their menopause transition and feel empowered with their choices.
Are you interested in making your workplace menopause friendly? Visit menopausefriendly.co.uk to learn more...
I've tried so many diff progesterone regimes....incl 2wk in 2 week off, mirena, uterogestan, cyclogest, patches etc. The mental side effects are debilitating. I was (irresponsibly) non compliant on my hrt for a long time when I took only the oestrogen side of hrt.
When doc found out I was skipping the progesterone I was read the riot act.... Understandably so cos of risks.
Anyway so I'm now on cyclogest half a pessary every 2nd night and at only 2 weeks in I'm tearful, my migraines have returned, I'm so exhausted. I'm struggling to work. The mental aspects are debilitating. Without progesterone I'm totally OK.
I'm at my wits end. I'm 50. LMP age 43. I just don't know what else to do.
In my youth I struggled with major pms.
I so can relate to your comment! I’m 45yo, perimenopause, still cycling…and my own production of progesterone is bad enough (all my life) but now in perimenopause, even worse. I actually am two months into HRT, and I thrive the first two weeks of my cycle, but as soon as I start the promethium…a dark cloud of doom, anger, intrusive thoughts, despair, crying, fatigue, muscle and joint pain, bloating and thick uncomfortable abdomen and lashing out at everyone around me begins…it’s terrible! I NEED the evamist estradiol! It makes the first two weeks of my cycle even better than without HRT, but the additional protesterone the last two weeks of my cycle are becoming scary. I also did NOT do well on birth control in my younger years. Even Yasmine which the OBGYN said would HELP pmdd. Now I realize it’s the progesterone intolerance that I have been dealing with my whole
Life, but didn’t know it until
HRT. I am at a loss. I’m too
Scared to do the coil, because then you’re stuck with it IN YOU. It’s tempting to try the promethium vaginally, but from women like me…it still
Seems to recreate the mood issues. My telehealth meno doc says I might do better on a synthetic progestin called Norethindrone. But I might try the promethium vaginally first🤷🏻♀️. Please share if you find something that works for you @janem4791 . I will too!!! 🙏
I can totally understand these comments as I too have been through hell and back now my doctor has suggested a hysterectomy as I’m becoming more and more suicidal it’s my last choice as I’ve tried everything now 😢
😮@@GodsChild-128 I tried the mirena coil .... For me As a progesterone intolerant lady it was beyond awful!!!! Doc kept telling me I was imagining it as mirena supposed to help .... I pulled it out MYSELF in the end. (Easy n out it less than a few seconds.... Obviously not recommended but I was desperate)
@@janem4791 oh no!!! That’s terrible! I’m having success mixing 100mg Prometrium with my vaginal estradiol cream and injecting it with a small syringe every night at half dose (50mg). Eventually, I will work up to the fall 100 mg combined with the estradiol vaginal cream the last two weeks of my menstrual cycle as I’m still perimenopausal. So far so good. I am way more euphoric on just estradiol, but I’m not spiraling doing the Prometrium this way, as of yet. So I’m hopeful!
I’m in the same boat, and finding progesterone very difficult. Low moods etc. Haven’t tried the progesterone suppositories anally yet but going to give that a go, I’m really hoping it will work for me🙏 best wishes👍
14.13pm 25th June 24
Absolutely helpful video, thank you, I’ve been struggling since December to get the right HRT , my main symptoms when on the HRT & even off it is low mood, anxiety and possibly depression, when I have no reason to feel like this. I never have 2 days the same. It’s very hard to work out now as now off HRT and still feel like this 😢
I wonder if anyone knows why some women can't tolerate progesterone.
Is it a problem metabolising the hormone? If so, can't we intervene in this pathway to restore it? Is this intolerance due to a genetic mutation in certain genes (COMT, MTHFR...)?
That’s a really good question. I know the MTHFR gene does impair estrogen metabolism. I never had an issue with my own progesterone (even during pregnancy- felt really good). I have MTHFR & COMT
@@tracymcbride8328 Thanks for your comment!
What does MTHFR to oestrogens metabolism? Does it slow it down and so you are in an oestrogens dominance state?
Regarding pregnancy, it seems that oestrogens are higher than progesterone.
I've just find Dr. Studd's work and he showed that a certain profile of women have problems tolerating their own progesterone and thus the one from HRT too. These women had PMS/PMDD starting in adolescence (often with depression and of course bodily symptoms too), then had post partum depression. The depression then increases in premenopause.
It seems it's me.
I have to deep dive in his work to see if he found an explanation why.
I'm in perimenopause and my doctor advised me to start with progesterone cream. I believed some of it would enter the bloodstream. Now I think I need to visit a hormone specialist.
Thank you so much for this information I struggled to find.
As an intolerante person to progesterone, it seems that I have only one option left, which is bio-identical progesterone vaginally.
I already tried it on skin and the side effects are the same than orally, even if I put a tiny dose.
By the way, lots and lots of women apply bio-identical progesterone on skin and it does have an effect (and side-effects too).
I don't consider hysterectomy as an option for me.
I think my last option would be herbal treatment but I wonder if it has the same protective benefits on bones, Alzheimer, joint pain and metabolic diseases.
How did the micronized progesterone vaginally go for you? I am mixing my 100mg prometrium with pea size of my vaginal estradiol cream, mixed really well, and put it in a tiny 1ml syringe I got from the pharmacy. I inject half the syringe (50mg), up as high as it will go behind my cervix every night. I’m on day
4 and doing great still. I i’m still having regular cycles and perimenopause, so I plan on doing this only the last half of my cycle every night. Eventually, I will work my way up to the fall 100 mg micronize progesterone capsule syringed as I don’t really want the capsule contents up there every night, and I kind of like using the estradiol vaginal cream as a car/buffer. My body loves Estodiol. so might as well pig piggyback them together to sneak in the progesterone. I am shocked. It’s working so far for four consecutive days, because I cannot even tolerate low dose compounded progesterone cream on my wrists! I hope the vaginal route is working for you too! Please update! ❤
@@GodsChild-128 I first tried the 100 mg bio-identical progesterone capsule vaginally and I have huge side effects. I want to try it again but at a very low dose and at the right place (As high as I can). The seringe seems to be a great idea but I have to find something neutral to mix with. My estrogen cream is actually a gel with alcohol and it would not be good to put it in the vagina.
I have to ask my doctor to prescribe a vaginal oestrogen so I can mix it with progesterone. Thanks for inspiring me.
At the moment, I give another trial to dyhydrogesterone which is said not to have the side effects of the bio-identical progesterone. But for me, it's not the case.
I'm glad to see that you're doing well with the hormonal treatment. I think it's better to start it earlier, when still producing some hormones.
I agree, I have tried all versions of taking progesterone. Squeezing out some of the contents of the capsule onto my skin i definitely get side effects too. In a few more years hopefully there will be a study conducted on this.
Lutigest (half daily lessare in the morning) was good after I got used to it….. then it became unavailable.
The quartly progesterone with ultrasound scan sounds interesting