Heavy and long periods

I'm 45 years old and over the past year my periods have been more frequent and extended.

I have now been bleeding for the past 10 weeks and since about 5 days ago I've been bleeding very heavily and started to feel pretty exhausted and anemic. My doctor prescribed me Utovlan and I started taking it yesterday but I don't really like the sound of Norethisterone so I'm looking for alternatives.

Would progesterone therapy be able to help? Thanks very much.

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Heavy and long periods

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Apr 15, 2010
 Heavy and long periods
by: Wray

I'm glad you don't like the sound of norethisterone, it is a synthetic progestin, you might like to learn what they can do to us here.

Yes progesterone will be able to help. A high amount is needed initially, once it's stopped you can reduce the amount to the optimum level. I have helped women with heavy bleeding, one in particular wrote asking if the 900mg/day progesterone her doctor put her on was safe. I told her it was, but the good thing was it had stopped all bleeding. I suggested she drop the amount to 600mg/day but use it hourly, this continued to prevent it. It wasn't until she had dropped the amount to 400mg/day that she had a period, luckily a normal one. I think you should start with 400mg/day hourly and daily, until the bleeding stops, then reduce the amount very slowly. if you find the 400mg/day doesn't help, increase it to 600mg/day. You don't have a period to follow by the sounds of things, so don't try to follow it, that bleeding must stop soon. If you decide to try progesterone and you use the Natpro you will require 12ml/day or 2.4 tsp to get 400mg/day. One tube will last you 5 days at this rate. You evidently have far too much oestrogen and too little progesterone. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMP?s) are enzymes that break down protein. They play a role in the breakdown of endometrial tissues at the end of the menstrual cycle. If they are over active, as would be the case with an excess of oestrogen in the body, (oestrogen stimulates it?s production), the result is a pathological reaction such as inflammation and excessive bleeding in the uterus. Progesterone suppresses both MMP's and oestrogen. It's the drop in progesterone at the end of the cycle that activates the MMP's to work. With a low progesterone level they are working all the time breaking down the lining. You might experience oestrogen dominance when first starting the progesterone, for more info please see here. Take care, Wray

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