Menopause Matters Forum

I am concerned to answer your question racjen, but I can only tell you the truth as I found it and if you look for posts marked "screaming inside" around July/August 18 by me you can quite clearly see what happened.  I agree with Hurdity they are very different.  Provera was the thing which took me to the brink, missing finishing me off by a hair's whisker.

In my progesterone journey I have had:
 medroxyprogesterone which is Provera (that's its trade name) - I had this progesterone in a tablet form of hrt called Tridestra as well.
I have had northisterone which is Evorel sequi
I have had levonorgestrel which is in a mirina
I have had norgestrel which was in PrempakC (now discontinued)

All those preparations and progesterone's got binned - the only one which is manageable is Utrogestan. My anxiety and depression is the best it has been in 25 years!  The anxiety is gone and the depression comes when I take my Utro but I now know it goes (whereas it never went away ever before in 40 years!) and the scale of it I would describe as unpleasant but manageable and to be honest - this is the best it is going to be!  I am getting my life back.

racjen - to be honest there is no scientific way to do this.  It is complete trial and error and huge amounts of patience.  A pros and cons list or going with the majority verdict does not account for what you feel and how your body reacts.
I think like all of us who are progesterone sensitive you are going to have problems but other than giving up hrt altogether, the only answer to that is to take the one that provokes the least reaction for the shortest possible period of time in the month and live with the unpleasantness.  Personally I say again that focusing on just the progesterone element is not the right and only thing to do.  If your oestrogen is not right for you and the delivery method doesn't work then any side effects from progesterone sensitivity will be magnified. 

Oestrogen is the feel good hormone and the idea is to balance that against any progesterone (with or without the problems any particular progesterone brings).  If that is not right you are unlikely to feel well.

Part of the reason for the difference for some women is that you have to take such a large dose of progesterone (Utrogestan) because it breaks down so quickly in the body - and some women are very badly affected by this seemingly excessive dose which can also be worse when taken orally due to the metabolic breakdown products. Other women love it or are fine.

It must be so frustrating to have to work things out yourself and as Ladybt says - we can't say how you will react to each type. However we are here for you and you have the combined experiences of us all to ask.

Try to relax over the weekend if you can and go for some walks on the hills with a friend, and enjoy the almost spring.

Hurdity x

Really interested to read this post and thought I would wade in with my first post on the forum. I started going through the menopause at 45 and a year later started taking Indivinia on the lowest dose. Last year (2.5 years later)  anxiety and generally feeling low and like someone I didn't think I was caused me to go to a menopause clinic where Oestrogen and testosterone levels were found to be low and I was prescribed ustrogen 100 (continuously), evorel 100 patches and testosterone (androfeme). Within a relatively short period I felt a lot better. Anxiety decreased, more energy and just generally more “up”. BUT, my periods stopped when I was 45 and since using this new HRT I have been having bleeds every two weeks, sometimes they are really heavy and I get that horrible period headache and cramps. This is the only downside to the new regime. I am not suffering any other side effects. Have had a scan and uterus is all fine. So my dr has said I should Move onto Provera. I am undecided about whether I should change. When I am not bleeding I feel so well,  but every two weeks with cramps is a pain (literally). One of the pros of menopause for me was no more periods. Has anyone who uses Provera here continuously had problems with break through bleeding? I see from various threads that many get on well with it.

Really interested to read this post and thought I would wade in with my first post on the forum. I started going through the menopause at 45 and a year later started taking Indivinia on the lowest dose. Last year (2.5 years later)  anxiety and generally feeling low and like someone I didn't think I was caused me to go to a menopause clinic where Oestrogen and testosterone levels were found to be low and I was prescribed ustrogen 100 (continuously), evorel 100 patches and testosterone (androfeme). Within a relatively short period I felt a lot better. Anxiety decreased, more energy and just generally more “up”. BUT, my periods stopped when I was 45 and since using this new HRT I have been having bleeds every two weeks, sometimes they are really heavy and I get that horrible period headache and cramps. This is the only downside to the new regime. I am not suffering any other side effects. Have had a scan and uterus is all fine. So my dr has said I should Move onto Provera. I am undecided about whether I should change. When I am not bleeding I feel so well,  but every two weeks with cramps is a pain (literally). One of the pros of menopause for me was no more periods. Has anyone who uses Provera here continuously had problems with break through bleeding? I see from various threads that many get on well with it.

Hi Natatters

 

Provera is the same progestogen that was in Indivina ie MPA so if you tolerated this you should be fine in terms of how you feel.

Re breakthrough bleeding - if you are taking oral utrogestan at 100 mg as well as a high dose oestrogen patch of 100 mcg and are absorbing it well then the progesterone dose is not high enough to stop the bleeds. What was your womb lining thickness after the scan? Oral Utro does not work as well as vaginal Utro at the same dose and also as it's dose dependent - if you absorb the oestrogen well from the patches - the continuous dose should probably be increased which should then eventually stop the bleeding ( or swtich to 100 mg vaginally). Alternatively you could opt to stay on a cycle even though post-menopause, as many of us do, and then your bleeds would at least be predictable.

Hurdity x

Yes the UTROGESTAN capsules can be used either way - same ones - it is used vaginally for fertility ( as 200 mg capsules). Not licensed for vag use in UK as part of HRT for some weird reason, although it is elsewhere in Europe. Many gynaes private and NHS menopause specialists prescribe vaginal use usually if side effects from oral use - but research shows it is more effective anyway.

Hurdity x

Hi, I realise I'm late to the game on this thread.  I'm new to the forum and was just looking up "Provera versus Utrogestan".  I find the comments here interesting.  I've been on Utrogestan for a year or two (brain fog means I'm not sure!) but recently switched to Provera due to small symptoms, although I do like Utrogestan.  After a couple of days on Provera, I felt awful.  Horrible side effects.  I've switched back to Utrogestan and feel fine.  It obviously suits me. The main thing I like about it, is that it makes me drowsy, so I have it at bedtime and it helps me sleep.  My GP today said that Utrogestan is a "nice, more natural" progesterone.  I assume that means "body identical".