What the FUCK progesterone?!

October 10, 2019 1:54 PM

These drugs were supposed to stop my period. Which I just got. It's been well over a decade since my TCOYF days and I just realised I have no idea what's going on or why.

After being on a combined HRT patch I have recently been switched to:

* Estradot: Estradiol transdermal patch 50 mcg per 24 hours (changed 2x a week)
* Noriday: Norethisterone 350mcg (which I thought was progesterone?) taken daily

The point was to stop my periods. I've been on this for two weeks and I JUST GOT MY PERIOD. I am enraged because I was so relieved this was going to be over. Also, it's really early for my erratic peri-menopausal cycle and I don't understand. WHY THE FUCK IS THIS HAPPENING?

posted by DarlingBri to Health & Fitness (12 answers total)

your body is likely working itself out with the new hormones and it will take a couple months to settle down, just like when you initially started bc oh so many years ago. every time i get a new generic brand of my same bc, this shit happens to me.
posted by misanthropicsarah at 2:05 PM on October 10, 2019 [7 favorites]

I wonder if it's breakthrough bleeding - when I first started hormonal contraception many many years ago I had a few months of mid-cycle bleeding. It could be a normal consequence of switching medication, but there are also other more serious causes, worth discussing with your doc.
posted by muddgirl at 2:14 PM on October 10, 2019 [2 favorites]

My understanding is that nothing can really stop your period in its tracks, it just eventually slows to a stop if the conditions seem right to your system - or if your system is like mine, continues to struggle to do a period indefinitely because it doesn't want to stop.
posted by bleep at 2:28 PM on October 10, 2019 [2 favorites]

Two weeks is definitely not long enough for your body to sort out how it's going to deal with your periods on a new pill/patch/ring/whatever. I'd be more surprised if you hadn't seen any breakthrough bleeding after switching your hormone regimen, honestly.
posted by fiercecupcake at 2:38 PM on October 10, 2019

Yeah, I had the Mirena IUD for ages, which stops periods for a lot of women (I think because progesterone?). I did stop getting my period entirely, but it took a few months, kind of tapering off over time. Hormones are weird, and I've gotten to a point where I sort of suspect that doctors/science know less about them than they like to pretend.
posted by catoclock at 2:40 PM on October 10, 2019 [5 favorites]

Yeah, progesterone isn’t magic. Generally long term continuous (often low level progesterone only) hormone treatment can stop or lessen breakthrough bleeding because your body doesn’t get a chance to ovulate or change in hormones to signal your period.

However, it often takes months if it works. For others, it won’t work or can make things worse. (For me, amongst a plethora of horrors, the mini pill made my periods heavier and longer over 3 months .)

So you have to give it time, or explore other methods. If you never want to bleed or have future kids, consider a hysterectomy.
posted by Crystalinne at 3:29 PM on October 10, 2019 [1 favorite]

I switched to a different generic (same prescription, different pharmacy) and was super annoyed to get breakthrough bleeding in the first 1-2 packs. It's since sorted itself out. FWIW I'm on oral BC with a placebo week only every 3 months.
posted by serelliya at 3:37 PM on October 10, 2019

Nothing has ever stopped my like-clockwork period. Not combined oral contraceptives taken continuously, not Mirena, nothing. (Well, except pregnancy.) I’m sorry if you are like me, but you might just be like me.
posted by Knowyournuts at 10:17 PM on October 10, 2019

Best answer: I'm not sure what TCOYF means but different people need different HRT regimes to manage menstrual cycles and depending on where you are in the menopause timeline this bleeding may have different significance, I would return to your prescribing professional to discuss this and whether your medications need to be adjusted. Not everyone metabolises different progesterones (yes norethisterone is one) the same as they have different combinations of liver enzymes so the medications have different levels of activity.
posted by chiquitita at 10:39 PM on October 10, 2019 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Okay now I'm just pissed that I was not sufficiently advised about how this would work, or not work, and pissed that I have now subsequently fucked up my pills and patches. Motherfucker.

Thank you.
posted by DarlingBri at 4:59 AM on October 11, 2019 [3 favorites]

I'm pissed for you. It drives me crazy that the best information I've gotten has been from other uterus-havers on the internet. I've had to educate every doctor but one -- in one case, the doctor (gastroenterologist) actually pulled in residents while I was explaining endometriosis and its effects so they could all learn. It makes me rage. But it also makes me grateful. Hugs, y'all.
posted by fiercecupcake at 9:14 AM on October 11, 2019 [2 favorites]

Oh, and TCOYF is Taking Charge of Your Fertility.
posted by fiercecupcake at 9:15 AM on October 11, 2019 [2 favorites]