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Endometriosis and bleeding going crazy since starting progesterone

by JR
(Canada)

Hi,
I've found similar-ish stories to mine and I think the answer is to wait a while, while I adjust to the progesterone, but spotting/bleeding every day is worrying and I'd love some re-assurance/help with this.

I am 37 and was diagnosed with stage 3 endo about a year and a half ago after getting my fallopian tubes removed (because I don't want to have kids and hormonal birth control makes me feel terrible/increases my depression, not because of endo). That's when they saw that the back of my uterus was fused to my colon. In retrospect, I did have endo symptoms but you know, as I woman, I just thought it was normal to have heavy, painful periods, lots of PMS, moodiness etc.

Anyway, since surgery, my symptoms have gotten way worse and I had been starting to have spotting for several days prior to my period about a year before surgery, but it's increased a lot since surgery. Basically, I was spotting a little bit longer every cycle. 2 days before, then 3 day, then 4 days etc. It was up to spotting from mid-cycle to my period about 2 months ago, plus I would get painful cramping on these days. Over the past year, I have been buying Progesterone cream from different companies off the internet (we don't have a lot of choice here in Canada) and was using low doses, like 40-60mg a day prior from ovulation to my period. It would help with symptoms a bit then not at all and they would get worse next cycle.

In the last 4 months, I started ordering Pro-Gest, which seems like a decent brand and really upping the dose to about 300mg a day split up several times through out the day. Again, helped for a bit then next cycle was worse. I also found that the only way to stop breakthrough bleeding was to put the cream directly in my vagina. I finally got my gynecologist to prescribe me prometrium, 200mg at night and started taking that (orally) which worked for the the first two weeks of my cycle to lessen symptoms (I felt great!) but at ovulation I started spotting and cramping again (doc wants me to take prometrium continually for now). I started putting the prometrium in my vagina again because of what I'd read about oral efficacy and the bleed + pain stopped. Plus I used about 100mg a day of cream during the day to keep things going.

Ok, so then I get my period when I'm meant to and it is pretty light (for me) but painful and lasts 9 days with no sign of stopping! Usually my cycles are 26-28 days and actual bleeding (not including ongoing spotting) is about 3 days. I'm tired from the bleeding and pain so I up progesterone consumption (transdermal and transvaginal) to 500mg a day and the bleeding finally tapers off.....for about 5 days.

I get my doc to up my prometrium prescription to 400mg a day, which I take transvaginally plus another 100mg of cream throughout the day. I think I'm doing good and then....the spotting starts again and basically I think I'm starting my period and it has only been 20 days since the last one (never mind that I am basically spotting/bleed most days out of the past 3 weeks). I've upped my cream/prometrium to 560mg a day but my body just really seems to want to bleed. I really want this progesterone thing to work cause I really want to stay away from the other progestin/Gnrh horriblesness, but this is incredibly frustrating!

*side note: I apparently have 2 tiny (less than 1cm) fibroids the docs keep saying won't affect me, but who knows.

I take a million supplements a day and have been for about 10 months.
iodine, NAC, selenium, zinc, magnesium, turmeric, B-complex, DIM,....I think I'm forgetting something, oh just started Vitamin D in the past couple months (3000iu a day, but recently upped to 10,000-20,000 a day because I find this diminishes/eliminates my pain, but not the bleeding).

I stopped eating gluten and dairy. I try to restrict sugar, alcohol, caffeine (but have been drinking coffee past several days due to the absolute brain fog and exhaustion I feel every day for the past 3 weeks).

I get visceral massage, osteopathy, go to a Naturopath, acupuncture.

I know my period was getting irregular with the bleeding before, but the 500mg+ of progesterone I've gone up to in the past 3 weeks seems to have tipped me over the edge into some kind of bleeding/pain night mare land.

Help!

Comments for Endometriosis and bleeding going crazy since starting progesterone

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Jul 30, 2018
 Endometriosis and bleeding going crazy since starting progesterone
by: Joy

Hi JR

It can take 2-6 months for the body to adjust to progesterone with the correct use, sometimes longer. The How to use Progesterone Cream page explains in more detail.

Both Endometriosis and Fibroids are caused by oxidative stress. Endo can be extremely painful, try rubbing some progesterone cream on the painful area, it should help ease the pain a little.

The following protocol is excellent for heavy/continual bleeing, you might like to try it:

* 400-500mg Natpro Progesterone Cream per day
* 2000mg N-Acetyl-Cysteine (NAC) per day
* 2000mg Taurine per day
* 5000iu's Vitamin D per day - more if deficient
* 1000mg Bioflavanoids per day

You are also in Peri-Menopause which can be a terrible time.

Vitamin D3 is very important as a deficiency reduces the benefits of progesterone, optimal range is between 70-100ng/mL. Nothing less than 5,000iu's is needed daily. Co-factors are needed when taking D3, magnesium and vitamin K2 with no soy are the important ones. Please have a test to see what your range is.
Aug 09, 2018
 Natpro in Canada
by: JR

Hi Joy,
Thanks for the reply. I’ve looked at the Natpro site and it’s kind of confusing. Do they ship to Canada? I don’t want to spend money for something I might never get. Do you know how I can find this info?
Aug 10, 2018
 International shipping
by: Joy

Hi JR

We ship to most countries including Canada. You can find the information on this page.

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