Progesterone stopped my blackouts

by Chris Che
(Coventry)

During my late forties I began to experience dizzy spells - vertigo - vertigo accompanied by blindness - then I progressed to blackouts. It all went on for 4 years. Each time I saw a doctor I was well again - the symptoms were always transient.

Over the years I noticed most of the worst things happened when I was in the 3rd week of my cycle. I suffered from lethagy, severe bloating, greasy skin. I was gaining huge amounts of weight. Then I began to suffer sleep apnea - this was so distressing - worse than the blackouts. I woke up fully aware 'something' had happened - I either couldn't breath or I was breathless. Often it would happen more than once a night. I always looked very ill the next day.

I eventually found a doctor who decided to send me to have tests at a Neurology department. A CAT scan showed evidence of a stroke, in fact 2 strokes. They sent me for an MRI scan. They decided I suffered from some kind of migraine during the 3rd week which causes stroke like symtoms and severe constriction of blood supply in the brain. It was decided I should be given HRT.

My GP was very sceptical and held back - I then bought some Serenity progesterone cream off the web - a safe type of HRT and there were benefits. It seems healthier. I asked my GP if I could try natural progerone pessaries and the result was amazing. The bloating ceased, I wasn't out of breath, the sleep apnea vanished almost immediately, no black outs and only a few dizzy spells.

When my periods stopped a year later I daren't stop taking themso instead of 2 a day for 14 days I used 1 a day for 28 days. It has been 8 years since I started with progesterone. The only real worry was I developed spider veins really badly on my ankles progressing up my leg which means I must wear trousers all the time. I have heard surges of estrogen can cause spider veins and it was around the same time I started with progesterone that I developed vein problems. No one seems sure if progesterone can cause spider veins and after 8 years no one seems to advise me to keep using the progesterone pessaries.