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Length of Period

I have been using half a tsp twice a day for about a year and have my period for about 7 days..5 of which are pretty heavy. This has always been the case for me and it hasn't gotten shorter since I've been using the cream.

I'm just wondering if the use progesterone should shorten my period or if there's anything wrong with me that I have it for this many days. Sometimes it will even linger for 9 days.

Thanks!

Comments for Length of Period

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Jul 20, 2011
 period
by: Annette Canada

Hello I would say up your cream to a teaspoon in morning and a teaspoon at night for a couple of months. Progesterone cleans out your uterus so that is why you get a heavier flow and clots. It took me 5 months to get a normal flow with no clots. I use 600 milligrams and more a day. It is completely normal and a good thing that you have heavier bleeding. Do you use the cream straight through? Please keep in mind you produce 300- 500 milligrams of progesterone in you last trimester of pregnancy. Hope this helps.
Jul 25, 2011
 Thank You
by: Anonymous

Thank you for your response. Thank you for letting me know that it is normal to have my period for so many days. None of my friends have it for this long but I always have.

When you say, "It took me 5 months to get a normal flow with no clots." What is a normal flow? If you use 600 milligrams and more a day you must go through the tubes pretty fast. I find a half tsp twice a day takes me less than a month to go through. I wish it were possible to buy larger tubes. I dont use the cream straight through. I use it 14 days before my period up until the day of my period. I did use it for a time straight through and lost my period and couldnt figure out how to get it back. It made me nervous. I slowly stopped it and eventually got it back and then started using it from day 14 to the start of my period.

What does this tell me? "Please keep in mind you produce 300- 500 milligrams of progesterone in you last trimester of pregnancy." I've never been pregnant so I don't know what that feels like to produce this amount of progesterone.

Aren't you scared to use that much progesterone? If you lost your tube of progesterone and werent able to apply it right away you could go into anxiety attacks. I am scared to go higher than 1/2 tsp twice a day as I might run out and send my body into shock. In addition, my anxiety seems to get worse if I use more. I get very bad anxiety when I wake up. Do you know how cortisol and progesterone cream work? I was afraid maybe the progesterone cream raises my cortisol in the morning and that is why I wake up with such high morning anxiety. I tried to find information on cortisol and progesterone but couldnt find any.
Jul 25, 2011
 Progesterone Estrogen levels
by: Anonymous

I also wanted to know if anyone knows how you get your progesterone and estrogen levels checked if your period is not regular each month. It never has been. It runs anywhere from 19 to 21 days in between. And can you tell me if it is a good idea to get them checked? Like will that help me know if I should be using more progesterone?
Jul 29, 2011
 Periods
by: Annette Canada

No I'm not scared to use high amounts it is what I had to use to keep symptoms down. I never run out I make sure to keep a good stock of it. My symptoms were so bad I made a decision to go higher because I didn't want it to take a long time to become balanced. A normal period should be 3-5 days no clots. The reasons you didn't get a period was due to your estrogen. I have always gotten a period on real high amounts. I had a friend who was using 170 milligrams and never got a period for 4 months. I suggested she up her cream to 400-500 milligrams and she did. It took her 2 weeks to get her period. I think if you have alot of estrogen and you are not taking enough it can stop your period. I would recommend increasing your dose to about 400 milligrams and see how you feel. Try not to cycle it, it will take you forever to become balanced. Stay away from sugar it can cause great anxiety. Make sure you take 5000 iu's of vitamin d the two work together. You might want to try Taurine and Tyrosine for anxiety they helped me greatly, increasing your cream amount will help maybe not at the beginning but it will. I made the comment about pregnancy because it is important to know that a woman's body is designed to handle high amounts of progesterone. You will have an unpleasant hormone fight for a season, but it is only temporary. Who knows maybe you will be able to conceive after getting balanced.=-)) Just sharing my experience with the cream. Where do you live??
Jul 29, 2011
 Periods
by: Annette Canada

Sorry I misread your story I thought you said you were unable to have kids, so sorry.=-) Also I forgot to mention my friend feels great at 400-500 milligrams. You will have to play around with amount to see what works for you. I add the cream throughout the day, that works best for me. It is all in what you can tolerate of symptoms. I choose to put in overdrive because I can't stand feeling so awful. The lower you use, the longer it takes. When you increase you may experiences more symptoms at times. Anxiety is one of the worse feelings. Check out Wray Anxiety page it may be helpful. If you live in the states ZRT Laboratories does saliva testing even to people in Canada. They just send the kits in the mail. Also if you live in Canada there is a place in Calgary that does saliva testing, I think you have to go there though, not to sure.
Aug 01, 2011
 Length of Period
by: Wray

Hi there When you say half a tsp twice a day, are you talking about Natpro? If so this is giving you about 166mg/day progesterone. Normally this would be sufficient to shorten the period, but it seems in your case not. Oestrogen, and only oestrogen builds the lining of the uterus, it seems as if you are making more than needed. So your lining is thicker than normal, hence the heavy bleeding. I have found 400mg/day is needed to stop heavy bleeding. Please try this for your next cycle and see if it helps. You might need to do this for more than a month, I can't tell if only one month will help. Take care Wray
Aug 13, 2011
 Re:
by: Anonymous

Hi Wray, Yes I am using Natpro. Can you tell me how much would equal 400 mg. I am 44 and still get my period so is it ok if i follow my cycle or should i use it straight through? as i mentioned i tried using it straight through for a few months and lost my period. in order to get it back, i decreased the dose. it took a few months but it came back and just like it was before..heavy. i would have thought if i was using such high doses of progesterone that it would have taken care of any excess estrogen. instead it brought me back to the situation i have always had..a heavy period. i guess i am questioning if it really did anything. could you explain to me?
Aug 15, 2011
 period
by: Wray

Hi Annette Thanks so much for your input, always so good! I must have missed the reply the anonymous woman gave you, thanks for coming to my rescue. Take care Wray
Aug 15, 2011
 Thank You
by: Wray

Hi there You asked what a normal flow is. It's normal for a menstrual period to start with a small amount of blood, increasing slightly to heavily, and then tapering off. Normal menstruation lasts approximately 3 to 5 days, although it can range from 2 to 7 days. The blood lost during this time varies from 10 to 80ml, the average being about 35ml. I do recommend as Annette does, about making sure you don't run out by keeping stock. This occurred to me when I first tried it, I only bought one tube, ran out and all my symptoms came back! This was enough to ensure I never ran out again. I believe the reason for the morning Anxiety is a drop in blood glucose overnight. There are many nutrients which can help, one would be to take 4000-8000mg/night of the amino acid glutamine. Because it's an amino acid it's converted to glucose very slowly, which prevents the rapid drop. I would also suggest eating a high protein meal at night, with no starchy carbs. Ie a piece of meat or fish plus green leaves either raw or cooked, nothing more. The adrenals first make progesterone before converting it to cortisol. If stressed, the adrenals will rob other sources of progesterone, notably the ovaries. This then upsets the reproductive system, in fact stress can stop ovulation, which of course stops progesterone production, so a vicious cycle starts. Using supplemental progesterone will relieve the stress on the adrenals, plus it's a calming hormone, so reducing the stress response. I'm a bit confused by your cycle length, as you say "It runs anywhere from 19 to 21 days in between." Plus you say "I use it 14 days before my period up until the day of my period", which is correct. This would mean you would be starting the progesterone on day 7. But then you say "started using it from day 14 to the start of my period." Which would mean you would only use the progesterone for 7 days. Maybe you would clear the confusion for me. If your cycle length is only 19-21 days, you should start the progesterone when you ovulate. Which in all women is always 12-14 days before we start bleeding. In your case this would be ± day 7. We do have more info on our page How to use progesterone cream. I'm running out of space so will start a new comment below. Take care Wray
Aug 15, 2011
 Thank You
by: Wray

Hi there As Annette said, ZRT Labs are the best lab for saliva testing. Although having a test is interesting, I've found symptoms are a good indication on whether you need progesterone. And please have a vitamin D test done, especially if you live in Canada. For more info see the Vitamin D Council, GrassrootsHealth and Birmingham Hospital websites. Take care Wray
Aug 15, 2011
 Re:
by: Wray

Hi there Yes I can, 400mg = 12ml or 2.4 tsp. In case you should want to work out other amounts, the cream contains 33.3mg progesterone per gram or ml. So for instance 400/33.3 = 12ml/5 = 2.4tsp. A teaspoon equals 5ml. It's easy enough to get your period back, just stop using the cream, don't reduce as you did. But it's evident that you still have much oestrogen, as only oestrogen can build the lining of the uterus. So heavy bleeding indicates excess oestrogen. 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 the result is a pathological reaction such as inflammation. This can lead to spotting or continual, sometimes excessive bleeding in the uterus. Oestrogen stimulates MMP's. If there's an excess of oestrogen in the body it will continually stimulate more lining too. Progesterone suppresses MMP's and oestrogen. It?s only when progesterone levels drop at the end of the cycle that the MMP?s can get to work and break down the lining causing our monthly bleed. But if progesterone is low due to anovulation, spotting and/or bleeding can continue. This is the reason I find about 400mg/day progesterone is needed to stop heavy bleeding. If you still have a regular cycle I suggest you follow it. But please watch for symptoms of Oestrogen Dominance. If these should occur, increase the amount of progesterone. Take care Wray
Aug 18, 2011
 Re:
by: Anonymous

Wray,
I reduced the cream rather than stopped it because I thought you have to reduce slowly or you will get oestregen symptoms? I am asking because one doctor had told me to stop my progesterone cream and I got panic attacks and palpitations so bad I had to go to the emergency room. I don't want to have that happen again so thought I'd ask.
Aug 19, 2011
 Re:
by: Wray

Hi there Normally when following a cycle you would stop the cream after using it for 14 days, then your period would occur. The reason you had the panic attacks and palpitations was your oestrogen level is still very high. I wouldn't recommend you stop it until all symptoms have gone and you feel stable. We do have a page on Anxiety which explains panic attacks. The palpitations are caused by excess oestrogen, it causes prolongation of the QT interval, which results in palpitations, arrhythmia and Torsades de Pointes. Whereas progesterone shortens the QT interval, see here, here, here, here and here. Stopping the progesterone as you did, caused oestrogen to rise again. I'm not sure how much you are using, there are too many anon posts for me to make out which one you are. But I recommend 100-200mg/day, more if symptoms are severe. I don't know how old you are too, but have a look at these pages we have on Peri-menopause, Menopause and How to use progesterone cream. Take care Wray
Dec 03, 2012
 Prolonged Period
by: Nira

Hi,
I am using 400mg of Natpro a day.
After the first month I had my period for 5 days and then started another period 14 days later. This period began as they always do, but then after it slowed down, it didn't end. I am now on day 16 with "mild" bleeding (enough to wear a tampon) daily.

Is this because of too much progesterone?
Do you have any suggestions?

Thanks,
Nira
Dec 05, 2012
 Prolonged Period
by: Wray

Hi Nira Progesterone can make the period either earlier or later than normal, it does take time to settle down. Can you tell me if you always had regular periods and if they were always normal. i.e. you had no heavy bleeding or bleeding continuously. We do have more info on our page about Menstruation. It could be you need some help from some of the nutrients which also stop the bleeding. And do you have other severe symptoms too, as the 400mg/day indicates you must. Please come back to me with answers to my queries. Take care Wray
Dec 08, 2012
 Length of Period
by: Nira

Hi Wray,
I have always had heavy periods, but they last for about 5 days and end. The last 2 days are generally much lighter than the first three. The first 3 days are generally horrendously painful.
I had posted my p/e ratio earlier, and I am estrogen dominant with a fibroid, cystic breasts etc. My fibroid is on the posterior side of the uterus, and when I am ovulating it interferes with bowel movements, and creates great pressure in my abdomen. I had a fallopian tube (ovaries intact) removed as it was necrotic earlier this year. I have gained 7 lbs for no reason since the surgery and my lower legs are puffy (not hugely so, but enough to leave a mark if i press them)

It's now day 19 having the same flow that I described earlier.

This has never ever happened before. Although the periods have been heavy and painful, they have never been long.

I am 41 years old.

Thanks
Nira
Dec 08, 2012
 Length of Period
by: Nira

I would like to add one thing...the menses that I am having now was only painful initially...there is no cramping now.

Thank you so much Wray,
Nira
Dec 09, 2012
 Length of Period
by: Wray

Hi Nira It sounds as if you've always been short of progesterone. I've found it can help heavy bleeding, but amounts of 400mg/day are needed. We do have a page on Menstruation you could look through. Please also consider taking at least 2000mg/day NAC (N-acetyl cysteine), 2000mg/day taurine and at least 5000iu per day vitamin D. The NAC inhibits the MMPs, enzymes which break down the lining. Taurine is low in any dysfunctional bleeding, see here. And vitamin D is our most potent antioxidant/anti-inflammatory. Plus it prevents cells proliferating. Progesterone is also an antioxidant/anti-inflammatory, it also stops cells proliferating, it inhibits the MMPs, plus suppressing excess oestrogen. This hormone is excitatory, plus inflammatory, and it causes cells to proliferate. Which would account for he heavy bleeding and the fibroids. These are caused by oxidative stress, often due to a lack of vitamin D which has been found to reduce them, see here, here, here and here. Oestrogen exacerbates fibroids, plus causing the lining to proliferate. The more lining there is the more there is to bleed out. Oestrogen, together with prostaglandins, cytokines and chemokines, all inflammatory, cause uterine contractions. Be they when in labour or once a month during bleeding. Progesterone inhibits them, in fact that is one role progesterone plays in pregnancy, it keeps the uterus 'quiet'. It's best to rub the cream all over the painful areas. The weight gain is obviously water retention. Even though leaving in your ovary, removing the fallopian tube would cause a disruption in the feedback from the uterus/ovaries to the hypothalamus/pituitary. I would hope this would go once you start the progesterone, it's an excellent diuretic, see our page on Traumatic Brain Injury for more info on this.
Continued below
Dec 09, 2012
 Length of Period Part 2
by: Wray

Hi Nira You could of course be in Peri-menopause, although a bit young for it. Unless your mother entered it early, this is our best guide, as daughters tend to follow their mothers pattern. We also have more info on our page How to use progesterone cream. Please have a vitamin D test done. For more info on vitamin D levels, test kits etc see the Vitamin D Council, GrassrootsHealth and Birmingham Hospital. Blood levels should be 70-100ng/ml (175-250nmol/L) and not the 30ng/ml (75nmol/L) most labs and doctors regard as adequate. The minimum daily dose should be 5000iu's per day, although recent research indicates it should be 10,000iu's per day, see here. I'm relieved you're not having pain now, 19 days would be too much to bear! Take care Wray

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