I just started BHRT estrogen and progesterone cream today. My first time using both together, normally only progesterone. But in the past progesterone usially cause symptoms increase such as heart palpitations. I thought maybe it wont be the case since im doing both of them. Well guess what, as soon as i put the progesterone cream on my heart started to palpitates and anxiety started kicking in along with back pain. Should i continue with it?
I was hoping it would work with both. Why does progesterone do this to me every time?
I was having heavy bleeding and was very tired. The doctor put in a progesterone IUD in and stopped the heavy bleeding. But maybe that's whats causing my high blood pressure?? I never had the problem before. Interesting. I'll have to discuss this with my doctor. Thanks for your info. Lori
I also had a negative progestrone response and came off. Very small amounts were ok at first but as I upped the dosage I had bad symptoms. I came off everything. Retested with a month long hormone test after all hormones were out of my system and my results showed normal to high progestrone and lower levels off estrogen. For me it increased my symptoms because what I more than likely needed was more estrogen and very little progestrone. The progestrone made my estrogen deficiency symptoms worse. It's hard to know what is needed. A bit of experimenting is needed unfortunately. hang in there!
Mary, are you saying you had heart palpitations with the progesterone only? Did you see some benefits? I guess I'm a little confused why you were doing the progesterone if you had a bad reaction to using it.
Gailannie, my menopause doctor checked my hormones a month ago and my progesterone was 7.3 and estrogen 173. This is the first time both has ever been this high. Since going through perimenopause for the past year and having blood work drawn frequently my progesterone has pretty much been low such as 0.8 and estrogen 23. During the first onset of peri i was able to use the progesterone cream but now for some reason my body doesnt tolerate it. The reason i think estrogen had increased because previously my GYN doctor me on a trial size of premarin estrogen for vagina dryness. So when my hormone dr. tested a few weeks later it had increased. I was put back on progesterone to wash out some of the estrogen in addition to a special diet. My doctor thought the high estrogen was contributing to all the severe symptoms that i was experiencing. First he tried the biodentical oral progesterone, by the way is my 3rd time trying but with different doctors. I was not able to take it before because each time it made the heart palpitations worse, anxiety, chest discomfort (shortness of breath) , etc. symptoms worsen. So, he told me to stop it. I went back a month later to test and this time my progesterone was back to 0.8 and estrogen <15 , he said estrogen was below testing level. He decided to try both cream since both were low, plus i'm having low estrogen symptoms such as dryness, irritation, burning, frequent urination.. The estrogen cream is applied on vagina , but it burned like crazy. Progesterone cream did the same side effect as before, increased symptoms. So he told me to lower the dosage and change the place , progesterone behind the knees, and estrogen on the inner thigh. Followed instructions and same thing. I won't try again because i am too nervous of the way it make me feel.
Now, doc thinks its an adrenal issue that's triggering everything.
Caseynjason, I don't think its the addition of the estrogen because this happens just with the progesterone alone. As a matter of fact, I thought maybe the estrogen would stop the effects but i was wrong. Now my doctor thinks that it could be an adrenal issue. I came across a certain doctor page, I can't mention name because i tried before and moderator stopped the posting. Anyway, this doctor says that one with an adrenal issue should never use progesterone because progesterone will only worsen perimenopause symptoms. Since the start of peri my herbalist has repeatedly told me that he think the problem is in the adrenal gland is why hormone therapy or nothing else seem to help. To concentrate on the adrenal instead of the hormones.. doc requesting me to do a 4 part cortisol test and neurotransmitter test. I hope this tells me something, ....sigh
Oh that is a very good place to go next then. Just be careful, because my naturopath told me the same thing, and gave me bovine adrenals that were way too strong and made me feel crazy. Just some light adrenal support is probably needed.
Mary, if I'm understanding this correctly, you are perimenopausal and still having periods. Correct?
(I hope I'm getting your status right.) Because this makes all the difference.
I'm sure you know this, but your labs will be all over the boards depending on when in your cycle you are doing the testing. That level of 173 Estrogen with 7.3 progesterone sounds perfect for the luteal phase of your cycle ( around day 24 or so) Your low estrogen level sounds like the start of a cycle, and progesterone levels at that time (first two weeks of the cycle) are normally under 1, so a .8 sounds about right.
Perimenopause is very difficult time to do HRT, because they are bouncing all over the place. This is why docs often recommend a birth control pill which will shut off your system and replace it with level steady synthetic hormones. I tried that, and did horribly on them.
But typically, if a women is still having periods, her body has enough estrogen. In perimenopause, it's usually the progesterone we are starting to miss. This may be why your body accepted the progesterone when you first started. (It liked the balance progesterone provides)
If I'm correct and you are still having periods, I'll assume you are only doing progesterone for the final two weeks of your cycle. Sometimes doing a vaginal progesterone is easier for women to tolerate. And possibly the side effects you were experiencing were that the dose of progesterone was way too much for your system based on your estrogen levels. And burning is a common initial reaction for women using vaginal estrogen if you levels are really low. (which it sounds like they are if you're having vaginal dryness)
And yes, your doctor may be correct that it may be tied to your adrenal gland production. Estradiol does dampen down your cortisol effect. These hormone systems all are intertwined, they all support and work together, or in some cases against one another.
None of this is easy. It's a wonder that some women are lucky enough to find just the right combination and feel great.
I saw an expensive endocrinologist who also said my trouble with estrogen was adrenal related. She gave me a small amount of hydrocortisone to take with it.........AND IT WAS AWFUL! So I know what you're saying Casey. Too much messing around isn't always a good thing.
Wow! Thank you Gailannie! Are you sure this is not your expertise?☺ Yes, i am perimenopause and still having periods whenever it wants to come. During the time of testing with estrogen 173 and progesterine 7.3, i didnt have a period that month. So how will i know what phase i was in because my cycle is all over the place now? But, i think my estrogen is low at a certain time because im having hair loss, dryness, and hot flashes right now in which i never had before.
Yes my dr. initially wanted me to do progesterone from day 14-28 with 25 mg and estrogen 0.625 mg. But now he tells me to do it according to my symptoms since my cycle is jumping around so much. Before, he had me doing the oral progesterone day 4-12 of cycle 50 mg, day 13-28, 100 mg. I didnt get far because of the side effects. Today, i only use the estrogen and i got the same effects and horrible bloating, so its not just the progesterone ..but seem to be worse with progesterone.
At this point, i dont know what to do..may halt everything until i check my adrenal and neurotransmitters. I think i may ask him about vagina progesterone. Is this BHRT? Yes you are right some things works well for some and others not so well. I guess its trial and errors 🙁
Does the burning usually stop from the estrogen cream at some point?
Caseynjason, i forgot to mention that hes also looking at other hormones thats always high, ex: dheas that usually point to the adrenals. I mentioned that ashwagandha and holy basil usually helps me and he said because both are adrenal support herbs.
Not a problem! Glad we are all here to help each other! This site saves me through many low points, as well as good days. Its nice to check in and feel like we are all here for each other.
Hi Mary, thanks for the compliment, but no certainly not an expert, just years of study on this whole issue and plenty of unpleasant personal experience. I've also taught natural birth for 30 years, so when's issues are right up my alley.
In perimenopause I tried everything! From birth control pills to bio identical hormones in many forms. Nothing worked or made me feel right, and some were a total disaster that hurt me more than they did any good. I finally quit everything. I felt horrible for awhile, but slowly things started to feel more normal and I had periods for another 10 years. (I was 43 when this all started)
You can get vaginal progesterone in many forms, from a standard RX product called Crinone (I think it's now called Prochieve ?) to a compounded vaginal progesterone in many forms (oil capsules, or solid suppositories) in any strength that works best. It seems to have a more direct effect applied near the uterus, and I loved it and felt great on it. But yes, timing is important. The best you could do is wait for the next period, and start counting again. Start the progesterone on days 14-15 and use it for two weeks. And yes, many women find that the burning does go away once the vaginal tissues are restored. There's also a new product named Interosa, which is a a vaginal DHEA suppository. DHEA is a precursor molecule to testosterone and estrogen. Apparently your body then converts the DHEA into what you need. It seems to be more gentle than using vaginal estrogen (or so I've found) That may be an option.
Thanks again Gailannie...i think i will do as you suggested..just wait for another period to come but in the meantime i'm wondering if i should still use estrogen cream for vagina area. I used it last night and it made me feel so awful, gave me a very bad headache. According to last cycle , last night was the last day for progesterone. I wonder why the hormonal therapy cause me to hurt, especially back pain popping everywhere along with heart palpitations starts. Although, doctors say i wont feel an effect until weeks later but for me that is so not the case. As soon as it goes on, i feel it.
For the dhea, my dheas (dont know if thats the same thing) but its usually elevated. So i dont know if i should use that.
Sorry if I missed this somehow Mary, but what is the vaginal cream and dosage? My first thought is if the cream is making you feel bad, I sure wouldn't use it. Our bodies do have a wisdom, and yours is telling you to stay away from it. Again, you're still having periods, so you estrogen level is high enough to support your uterine lining.
And you are not alone on that feel it immediately thing. Within minutes of using vaginal Estrace, I felt it. I'd get a dizzy sensation, the hair on my head would stand up and I'd get a cold feeling. The dizziness would soon pass and I'd move on with my day. But I never liked the sensations. The standard line is that if our tissues are very dry, the estrogen can be sucked up quickly by our whole system. I sure know I felt it. And the other standard line is that it will take two weeks to experience any change, and a full two months for the total effect.
Again,I don't know what cream you've been given, but possibly it could also be about adjusting the dose. I started using way less than prescribed because I couldn't take the side effects. That seemed to help.
And yes, that is how our DHEA (DHEAs) is measured. If yours runs high, I don't think that would be a good option for you.
Yes, I'm in menopause. First signs of perimenopause were at age 42. Had my last period at 53. I'm now 61 and looking and feeling every bit of it. (very sad face)
estrogen cream dosage is 1/2cc (1 pump) twice a day. I triedthis morning putting just a dab on , and guess what same thing. My heart started palpitating and aches started hitting me in the upper back, legs and chest discomfort. In addition , i think i have some kind of infection because of the chest discomfort and breathing. According to period app i am 5 days away from period start and initially before peri hit period should have had period 2 weeks ago. So pms symptoms along with perimenopause symptoms seem to be all month because of screwed up hormones.☹
I will be 53 on Sunday...i hope i dont have all of this when i hit menopause. Do you thinking taking ovary out will help? I only have one.