Have you ever used bioidentical progesterone cream? & if so care to share your experience? - Page 2

[OSTC]

Originally Posted by HRJ 

No, you don't want to do that.  My current dr that has had me on it is my OB/Gyn.  He has all his patients chart (using Creighton), and he told me to take the cream starting at Peak (ovulation) +3.  So 3 days past ovulation.  If you take it before ovulation, it can prevent you from ovulating.  So if you start on CD 14 but don't ovulate until CD 20, you won't ovulate.  Be sure to keep charting b/c the progesterone could bump up your ovulation day on the following cycle.  So your ovulation date could change drastically. 

Thanks for the info! I think I'll do the +3 thing as well and see how it goes... Not at all interested in messing my cycle up...

[OSTC]

Your doctor sounds like a piece of work.... Sorry!

He's really great in every other way/area... But seems to be lacking in the woman's issues area... :(

[OSTC]

Originally Posted by Sourire 

Originally Posted by LessTraveledBy 

Originally Posted by OSTC 

So I'm a little worried as my dr wants me to start on the cream on day 14 b/c he says that's when most woman O...  till day 25... But I've been o'ing around day 20 which means that I'll be taking about the time my fertile period starts and ending it a few days after O... Some of the stuff I'm reading says it will prevent you from O'ing if you take it before you O? Anyone know anything about taking it before you o?

Your doctor sounds like a piece of work.... Sorry!

My gynecologist said the same thing when he prescribed me Provera to lengthen my luteal phase, he said to start it on CD 16 even though I always O later than that. I later found out from another gynecologist that Provera is not at all helpful in lengthening the LP (it is normally used to bring on AF) and it may not be safe in pregnancy.

I have therefore concluded that my gynecologist has no idea what he is doing and I feel really sorry for all the other women who are harmed by his ignorance. The important thing is to not blindly trust any doctor and do your own research... I definitely don't think you should start the progesterone cream until after you O. I am starting to use the cream today (O + 3).

It really sucks when the "expert" that you trust doesn't know what they are doing but think they do and end up screwing YOUR body up... I had a Dr. try to get me to take 3x the normal dose of birth control to "normalize" my cycle as I was having weird spotting... I said no thanks I don't ever want to be one b/c again let alone 3x the amount as I was dead tired, moody etc when I was on it as a teen to try to clear up my face...Couple of weeks later I found out that I was 5wks pregnant w/ my first ds... So I totally agree that you have to do your own research and more and more I'm learning that I have to trust my gut feeling as well... Therefore I'm going w/ doing the O + 3 instead of cd 14.... :)

[LadyJennifer]

Originally Posted by OSTC 

Oh no... That is one of the reasons I took a break from the Vitex... That doesn't sound to hopeful for me then... I better get pg fast on it then or my husband won't like me anymore let alone want to bd lol I really hope it isn't any worse then the vitex was though as it was hard to deal with the lil ones at times when I was getting angry so fast... Only time will tell I guess...

It might be different for you though. I only really had that one day (9dpo), and now I seem to be fine. I'm still using the NPC until I figure how I want to wean off.

[HRJ]

I recommend working w/ a dr that knows how to adjust dosage.  The first time I took progesterone (bioidentical) to get PG w/ my son, I had a lot of side effects - including crying and hotflashes.  He was a family dr new at prescribing bioidentical and had me on a pretty high dosage.  This time around I worked w/ an OB/Gyn that has a lot of experience doing this.  He ended up putting me on a lower dosage, and I had no side effects at all.  And I still got PG immediately. 

[Sourire]

Originally Posted by Sourire 

Congrats LadyJennifer, thats amazing!

I am on my 4th day of NPC right now (started taking it at 3 DPO) and I am having trouble controlling my emotions... I am getting SUPER angry at everyone! It's like PMS x10! I wonder if the NPC is causing it....

Ok it turns out the reason I was acting super PMS-y was that AF was about to arrive. I had a 7 day LP, my shortest LP ever! Last month it was 11 days.... looks like the NPC is really screwing things up for me. The best part was getting AF on Christmas day.... ahhhh so frustrated right now.

[LadyJennifer]

So sorry sourire!
Maybe next month will be your month. Sometimes when your hormones are being balanced they are worse before they are better. Maybe this is your worse, and next month will be your better:)

[OSTC]

Originally Posted by LadyJennifer 





It might be different for you though. I only really had that one day (9dpo), and now I seem to be fine. I'm still using the NPC until I figure how I want to wean off.

That's good to hear :) I'm really hoping it's going to make me feel better and it would suck to feel better but be angry all the time...

Originally Posted by HRJ 

I recommend working w/ a dr that knows how to adjust dosage.  The first time I took progesterone (bioidentical) to get PG w/ my son, I had a lot of side effects - including crying and hotflashes.  He was a family dr new at prescribing bioidentical and had me on a pretty high dosage.  This time around I worked w/ an OB/Gyn that has a lot of experience doing this.  He ended up putting me on a lower dosage, and I had no side effects at all.  And I still got PG immediately. 

I've been think that I'm going to get an appointment w/ my family/baby dr and see if she has any experience w/ bioidentical progesterone as if I did end up pg I think I'd be a lot more at ease w/ her ajusting the dosage as although she is a family dr as well she mostly does prenatals/delivers babies and is very good at what she does. Do you remember what the dose was the second time? Mine is 20mg I believe which he said was a very small dose?
 

Originally Posted by Sourire 

Originally Posted by Sourire 

Congrats LadyJennifer, thats amazing!

I am on my 4th day of NPC right now (started taking it at 3 DPO) and I am having trouble controlling my emotions... I am getting SUPER angry at everyone! It's like PMS x10! I wonder if the NPC is causing it....

Ok it turns out the reason I was acting super PMS-y was that AF was about to arrive. I had a 7 day LP, my shortest LP ever! Last month it was 11 days.... looks like the NPC is really screwing things up for me. The best part was getting AF on Christmas day.... ahhhh so frustrated right now.

Soo sorry Sourire *hugs* I hope that it's just your body adjusting and that this new cycle is a good one for you!

[~~Sarah~~]

Thank you for this thread you guys! I was starting to think I was going insane, but then I read the thread and now I know I need a little break from the Natural Progesterone cream I've been taking. I've only been on it for one cycle plus a couple of days, but already I'm getting crazy mood swings (well, mostly just angry). I'm happy that it is helping lengthen my LP (I've just started day 9 post ovulatory, which is the longest since DD was born.) I guess I'll stop after AF returns (assuming I don't get a BFP!)...

[HRJ]

My dosage the first time was 50 mg.  This time around it was 20 mg, and I didn't have any side effects.  Has your dr done a baseline test to make sure that you need the progesterone?  After my experience, I feel that if you are having side effects, your dosage is probably too much or you may not need it.  Because the second time around, I had no side effects and felt great!  The first time around i had hot flashes, depression, mood swings, and nausea.

[~~Sarah~~]

Ok ladies, I'm officially desperate to get off that stuff (natural progesterone cream). Can I just stop taking it or should I "wean" off? Help!

[LadyJennifer]

Sarah, are you pregnant? If not, I don't think it's a big deal to just stop.

[HRJ]

If you could be pregnant, I wouldn't stop. 

[~~Sarah~~]

I just started day 11 post ovulatory (which is a new record for me since DD!)

I don't know if I'm pregnant yet (is it too early to test?), anyhow - I'm weaning off of it slowly.

[LadyJennifer]

I got my bfp at 11 dpo with this pregnancy, and with my son. It's not too early to test!
(although if you do get a bfn, it's not over till af shows)

[OSTC]

Originally Posted by HRJ 

My dosage the first time was 50 mg.  This time around it was 20 mg, and I didn't have any side effects.  Has your dr done a baseline test to make sure that you need the progesterone?  After my experience, I feel that if you are having side effects, your dosage is probably too much or you may not need it.  Because the second time around, I had no side effects and felt great!  The first time around i had hot flashes, depression, mood swings, and nausea.

Is a baseline test where they test your hormones through out your cycle or something like that? or just testing them period to find out where they are at? He just tested all my hormones and said that it showed that my progesterone was low and thought maybe that was the cause of some of the health problems I'm having... & I'm hoping it's all that I need to get pregnant as it's been almost a year since I quite bfing and with both my sons I've gotten pg withing 6 months of getting married/stopping bfing (and ds2 was really only 3 months as we were preventing due to an infection but had 1 happy oops and we were pg :) ) So I know that a year isn't a huge amount of time but it's still longer then my normal and the woman on my moms side have had a hard time getting pg/having more then 2 kids so I want to find out what is preventing me from getting pg now so that it's not years I'm trying w/ no results... Praying this is the answer and that I don't go nuts on it lol :)

[OSTC]

Originally Posted by ~~Sarah~~ 

I just started day 11 post ovulatory (which is a new record for me since DD!)

I don't know if I'm pregnant yet (is it too early to test?), anyhow - I'm weaning off of it slowly.

I couldn't get a bfp with my ds1 till I was 5wks (wasn't charting/didn't have any kind of cycle for 3 months prior) and then I got a bfp w/ my ds 2 at 10dpo! So personally I would so be testing right now and not weaning off at all until I was sure that there was no way I could be pg. Could you go get a blood test to make sure your not?

[OSTC]

I think I O'ed... Not sure though as my temps are all messed up from being really sick/getting chilled... ( I went out to chore our animals yesterday and just couldn't get warm when I came in and took my temp for the heck of it and it was 35.4! :P  and I still feel chilled today :( ) But my cervix seems to show that I did O... Anyone want to look at my chart and see what they think? Here is the link. FYI- cycle 17's temp was taken at 9:30am instead of my normal 7am...

[Sourire]

OSTC - yes I think you did O on either CD16 or CD17 (since the temp on CD17 is not reliable)

[OSTC]

Originally Posted by Sourire 

OSTC - yes I think you did O on either CD16 or CD17 (since the temp on CD17 is not reliable)

I decided just to go with cd17 as even though it was taken later it is also a lot higher then my normal post o temps or pre o temps that I've taken late. So I started the progesterone and so far so good but I'm going to switch to only taking it at night as taking half in the morning and half at night is making me very tired during the day... I actually feel a little better emotionally so I'm hoping that keeps up! :)