Estrogen with progestin
Common Questions and Answers about Estrogen with progestin
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But you are correct that a progestin or progesterone needs to be taken with estrogen to protect the uterine lining from proliferation and risk of hyperplasia or cancer. Some think that "bio-identical" progesterone (such as Prometrium) is safer than the various progestin formulations. But I do not think there are enough robust studies to support this. And the use of progesterone does seem to be more problematic in dosing to both protect and prevent breakthrough bleeding or spotting.
Endometriosis feed off estrogen. The estrogen-dependent endo lesions, if left unchecked, will begin to create their own estrogen.
I do want to clarify that the pill or any other form of HRT does not prevent the Endometriosis from growing. The reason it is used is to help stop the pain by stopping the periods.
I was on a low dose BCP (Marvelon) for 8 yrs continuously and did help with my pain. However it still continued to grow even after deep excision surgery.
When Vagifem or Estrace is prescribed for a post menopausal woman with a uterus, should a progestin always be prescribed as well? I've been taking Vagifem for 2 years without a progestin, and now I have to undergo an endometrial biopsy because of some buildup of the lining of my uterus (I have no bleeding....it showed up on an TV ultrasound...small changes and endometrial thickness of 5mm).
If you are breastfeeding then you should do the progestin only pill as the pill with the combo of estrogen and progestin has been shown to affect milk supply. It's called the mini pill. It's slightly less effective so you have to make sure that you don't miss any doses, as it will increase your chances of another pregnancy. They also have a progestin implant that is quite effective as well, and then you don't have to worry about if you miss a pill.
Have you started on a progestin-related hormonal therapy? Endo shrinks with progestin and grows with estrogen. Combination pills won't help most women with endo but may help with PCOS.
There are hormonal tests that could help you identify if you have "estrogen predominance." Truly, you should see a specialist if your periods are that painful. Pain is NOT normal and you should see a specialist to get a treatment plan that helps you either way.
Im planning on using progestin only birth control. If you plan to breastfeed you should avoid any birth control that has estrogen because it dries up milk production. I personally plan to take the progestin only pill my dr did say there are some other option too. You should talk to your dr to see what they offer/recommend.
There are many hormone options from contraceptives to hormone "replacement." Since estrogen feeds endo, it is thought that a progestin or progesterone should be taken along with any estrogen to attempt to keep the endo from growing.
5% of women using combined OCs with 30 μg of estrogen, regardless of the progestin content. Breakthrough bleeding also depended on other factors like dose, potency, and activity of the particular progestin in the combined OC as well as the ratio of the estrogen and progestin in the formulation and other factors like missed pills and smoking.
Two more comments...
If you are not experiencing menopausal symptoms, use plain natural progesterone and don't buy any creams or supplements that contain other ingredients for menopause like herbal equivalents of estrogen. The condition of low progesterone/normal estrogen levels is also called "estrogen dominance" so you'll be right back where you started if you use them. Avoid soy pills or soy milk, too, since soy can mimic estrogen.
to the original poster, I am assuming you are on a synthetic patch either a combination of estrogen and progestin or just estrogen, probably equine, although some synthetic estrogens are made from plant sources but the way they are synthesized in the lab makes it so that they are treated in the body as a synthetic. This is where it gets even more confusing.
s health initiative (WHI) study does suggest that ERT may be associated with an increased risk of ovarian cancer (note this is estrogen plus progesterone, there is no reported increase with estrogen by itself in WHI study). Plus remember tha there have been no studies looking at estrogen increasing ovarian cancer recurrence in women with a known ovarian cancer.
If you start within five days after the start of your period, you are protected against pregnancy right away. You will not need to use a backup method of birth control. That means that if your period starts on a Wednesday morning, you can start the pill up to Monday morning to be protected right away.
If you start at any other time during your menstrual cycle, you will be protected from pregnancy after seven days.
If your blood pressure is fairly labile, you may be better off with a progestin only method. The mini-pill is less effective than regular preparations. Depo-provera is effective, but watch out for weight gain that could worsen blood pressure issues, and take calcium supplements in addition.
Hope this helps!
I was on Lupron injections. I don't know if you consider that "hormonal" but it suppresses the estrogen, thus supressing the growth of more endo. I was on it for 6 months...
Although not a common side effect, the hormones in the pills (either progestin alone or progestin combined with estrogen) can cause some women to bleed at unexpected times. If that is the cause of your bleeding, it is not dangerous and you should expect it to go away by itself after you get your next period.You should know, however, that your unusual bleeding could be caused by something else that, in rare cases, may be more serious.
Are you taking a mini pill with progestin only or are you taking a combination pill that includes both estrogen and progesterone? The mini pill must be taken at the same time every day to be effective. But the combination pills can be taken several hours different each day. So if you're off by a few hours it doesn't make any difference.
Although not a common side effect, the hormones in the pills (either progestin alone or progestin combined with estrogen) can cause some women to bleed at unexpected times. If that is the cause of your bleeding, it is not dangerous and you should expect it to go away by itself after you get your next period.You should know, however, that your unusual bleeding could be caused by something else that, in rare cases, may be more serious.
I had a hysterctomy almost 3 years ago at the age of 35 for a borderline serous tumor. My oncologist put me on an estrogen replacement patch and I have been using them ever since. With all the stuff in the news lately about HRT and their new findings, I would love to know your opinion. Are these studies only on women who have gone through natural menopause or do they also include women who were put into surgical menopause at a young age?
Well, you can either be logical and realize the change in libido is tied to your birth control, or you can assume you're going crazy. If you choose to be logical, you may note from an anatomy and physiology standpoint that if you've had irregular periods while off birth control, something may be abnormal with your reproductive system. Healthy ovaries are supposed to make the hormones estrogen (the at least 3 types of estrogen) and progesterone.
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