To everyone on here, I encourage you to stay strong. I too am going through perimenopause and it is absolutely horrible at times. However, this is a temporary faze we are experiencing. So hang in there and know that we have a bright future ahead of us. ❤

I just found out today that I have replies ! and am am so sorry not to have replied earlier - I am a real dummy on the computer and still dont know how to do things . so I will just say thankyou here for your kind and useful comments, I was in a very dark place and since i posted that comment i had the whole hrt issue decided for me with a big NO as I now have a contra indicated health condition - However I have totally and radically changed my bad habits re.diet and exercise and basically cutting out the ultra processed foods and junk as much as possible and just trying to be a healthy as i can be . Funnly enough the fact that hrt is not going to be allowed for me has stopped me thinking about it and its a bit of a relief just to stop trying to get hrt to work for me.

Some of the fatigue and anxiety could be due to low iron from blood loss, thyroid issues (which can cause heavy bleeding and depression/anxiety) and/or low B12. All of those things (and more) should be evaluated in a woman who thinks her symptoms are caused by PMDD.

Looking at the symptoms of PMDD I have all of these since taking progesterone along with estrogen but I’ve been trying different types of progesterone and I’ve been told now that I’m intolerant and the menopause specialist has suggested I should think about a hysterectomy my suicidal thoughts are getting worse and it looks like I’ve been suffering for years and didn’t know plus I started my menopause at the age of 25 now I’m 49 and I’m still suffering 😢

I am the perfect picture of progesterone intolerance! I’m 45yo, perimenopause, still cycling…and my own production of progesterone is bad enough (all my life) but now in perimenopause, even worse. I am two months into HRT, and I thrive the first two weeks of my cycle with 1 pump evamist estradiol but as soon as I start the daily 100mg promethium…a dark cloud of doom, anger, intrusive thoughts, despair, crying, fatigue, muscle and joint pain, bloating and thick uncomfortable abdomen and lashing out at everyone around me begins…it’s terrible! I NEED the evamist estradiol for the physical symptoms of perimenopause and the actual mood LIFT it provides (estradiol makes me feel resilient and balanced) It makes the first two weeks of my cycle even better than without HRT, but the additional protesterone the last two weeks of my cycle are becoming scary. I also did NOT do well on birth control in my younger years. Even Yasmine which the OBGYN said would HELP pmdd. Now I realize it’s the progesterone intolerance that I have been dealing with my whole Life, but didn’t know it until HRT. I am at a loss. I’m too Scared to do the coil, because then you’re stuck with it IN YOU. It’s tempting to try the promethium vaginally, but from women like me…it still Seems to recreate the mood issues. My telehealth meno doc says I might do better on a synthetic progestin called Norethindrone. But I might try the promethium vaginally first🤷🏻‍♀️. I’m almost afraid to tell the doc how bad it actually is on the promethium, because I’m afraid she will take away the evamist estrodiol 😢, and make me find an in person doc that still might not Be able to help me, or even know what progesterone intolerance is!!! . Please share if you find something that works for you ladies out there!!! I’m in the USA, where HRT is just now coming back around. So finding educated docs is slim.

Never trust anything that bleeds for 7days and don't die

Any experience with taking testosterone or pregnenolone?

This was a wonderful presentation! 👏👏👏 Thank you so much. 🙏

Where do I start? Ok. It's not progesterone sensitivity, it's estrogen kick back. It means to stop taking estrogen therapy and only take progesterone cream. I take 800 mg a day to keep my estrogen dominance in check. I'll go down in my dose eventually. Also, if you're taking a 20% cream, that probably won't absorb. I take a 5% cream which is 50mg per dose. I apply it every single hour between the hours of 7am and 10pm. I've never felt better in my life. Estrogen can hide in your tissues, so even if your serum levels are low, that doesn't mean it isn't very high hiding in your tissues. If you need more information, visit healthy gut girl. When you take too little of a dose of progsterone, all that does is antagonize your estrogen stores. You need to take a LOT of progesterone (and probably DIM) to squash down the high estrogen. I've always thought I couldn't take progesterone, but this was what was happening. Menopause is NOT a low estrogen state. It's a state of estrogen dominance. The last thing you need is high estrogen supplementation.

Thank you so much for all of this amazing & life saving information about progesterone sensitivity. I identify w/ all of this. Now 57 & recently stared bii- identical hormone therapy. I noticed almost immediately extreme fatigue & that heavy feeling with it the day. When younger I had secere PMS (or PMDD) w/ that clumsy symptom as well. Thank you again so much. I'm hoping to get an alternative hormone therapy (utrogestin possibly?) for more energy & normal lifestyle . . ❤

I’ve read about women that took benzo, cannot tolerate many things including progesterone because the acting on GABA receptors. It’s a shame.

I dont understand this at all , if you are sensitive to progesteron how can you take urtogestan? Also how long it takes after you take it for containdicaton to sattle? Please answer:)

I found this discussion very interesting, however whoever that was shuffling papers and such in the background was very distracting. Hopefully the next time those who aren't talking on the zoom can mute themselves

Omg this sounds like me plus I’m on hrt and the utrogestan is making me want to end my life no sleep for a 12month 😢

You just tile my entire story

Brain fog is horrible....worse thing for me is the total lack of support from family and friends....

would be helpful to name products that are helpful rather than being so vague, how frequent should we wash hair

This was like a warm hug,

I have always been told I've got pms, but with these symptoms I think I've got pmdd , I've always suffered progesterone sensitivity, I suffered terrible heavy periods, tearful ,anxiety, sleep deprivation, I gad bad pregnancies with bad morning sickness, sore breasts. When I went into perimopause, the Dr put me on the microgynon 30 pill, wen I reached 50 it was lock down so I couldn't change until I went for a biopsy on my womb they put me on the mireena coil and estradot , it increased to 100mg , I was having spotting and periods after year I had a scan the problem was that the coil wasn't in the right place , so I'm waiting for it to be removed under sedation and replaced because of my heavy period s, ! My patch wasn't working so they put me on oestragel and my estrogen was low in my blood test, cthey told me to take utragestran to raks at night fir my skeep anxiety, as I don't get sleep! I'm worried to taje it as I suffer from progesterone sensitivity ❤

I missed one period and felt awful

Why does the video abruptly end?

I’m on continuous regimen oestrogel and utrogestan , 6 months of feeling very unstable and ache all over. Im in bed by 7.30 pm I cant face life, its making me feel so ill. 😢I’ve been offered the coil, but I’m scared to have a coil. I use utrogestan vaginally its still making me feel ill.

Like we dont have enough to deal with...now we lose our hair? Sorry...but I HATE being a woman. What a total rip off. I dare not ask what other suffering is to come. Our boobs give us cancer, our uterus tries to kill us, we turn into a desert and then we go bald? NEXT!

I’m 63 and I lift heavy and do progressive overload as I can increase the weight. I have a home gym that I’ve put together one or two pieces at a time. Lifting is a great body changer.

In my early thirties, I literally walked into an ob/gyn surgeon’s office and begged him to remove my uterus because I thought it would help the suicidal hopeless depression caused by the progesterone cycles. I didn’t know what that was back then and I did convince a surgeon to operate. It’s all too familiar. The Pill was horrible for me. I’m post menopausal and on HRT and doing well. I hope everyone finds answers. For me, after menopause, testosterone made a difference. Wellbutrin helped me back then in my forties, but I left my job that provided my insurance to take care of my ill mother, and I could no longer afford it. The less costly generic bupropion did not work for me even though generics are supposed to be the same. I’m in the USA. After I went through menopause, I found an off insurance practitioner and I paid for everything out of pocket for 7 years. She prescribed topical compounded testosterone and other hormones. Recently, I found an insurance practitioner and some (not all) of my care is partially covered by insurance. I still pay thousands of dollars out of pocket, but I’m grateful to be better.

Hove you got any updates on the ustugesten with PMDD? I just switched to it yesterday from the synthetic patches wich was living hell. I hope this works

Story of my life🥺

I do eostrogen only. Been doing this for twenty years and I am fine. Every time I try and add progesterone I get really sick. I wonder if we who are sensitive don’t need it. It’s ridiculous how little is known about all this.

Your diet affects strongly How hormone are being used in your body. Disordered eating with dieting. No nutrients for this woman. Geez. Your body is a system.

What a relief - listening to this and this is exactly my symptoms and I keep getting prescribed different HRT’s and told that I am the only one who has mentioned these symptoms so I feel that I am making this up. I was diagnosed with PMDD over 5 years ago but was put on Fluoxetine and now I know that I have probably suffered with Progesterone Intolerance all my life. Off to my Doctors to argue with them.

Are you all doing it without hrt then? I was a psycho on Mirena in my 40s and got it taken out. Two cerazette plus hrt kind of worked but now am on utrogestan and just had a massive rage yesterday. Which I haven't had since I started on hrt, went on citalopram at the same time (also now three weeks of not taking citalopram though) so I have no idea if its the utrogestan or the lack of xitalopram thats making me crazy, heart beating fast, anxiety etc I think I want to ditch all the hormones.progesterone sends me bonkers

I thought I was going to find a solution at last but no...😢 I've tried vaginal ultrogesten and it was awful. Totally non functional and suicidal within days. Telling people to go to gp isn't always helpful. I've seen gp's and specialists and they have no answer.

This is my story also. Thankyou xx

Thank you so much! This explains me to a T. I'm so thankful that us women have the ability to bare all to eachother ...and empower one another

Thank you for this talk, I have just sobbed through it. I can't take the Progesterone- for the HRT, the Doctors keep giving me it makes me ill. I had given up on HRT. I think I have suffered with PMDD my whole adult life too. I am now desperate, terrible depression and anxiety ... I've just spent 4 days in bed not being able to get out! Having seen this, I'm going to speak to a Doctor a.s.a.p to see if I can change to the Utrogeston vaginal capsules, so that I can go back on the Oestrogen-HRT. Thank you.

Wow, this is genius and should have been done long before now. Thank you. Will share.

I think PMDD is very misunderstood - misdiagnosed in many cases as mental illness - I have have it since puberty and it has caused immense problems. Stupidly I thought that menopause would be the end of my problems BUT unfortunately now it seems that I am constantly at the worst level of PMDD all the time - with NO relief as the hrt progesterone I cannot tolerate and I have tried them all. I thought this would all be over at 60 but now its there ALL the time. I cant stand it and life is unbearable - I see no way out.

Dr Robert Mathis told me 200mg of Progesterone is a huge dose.... i was put on 100 mg of Prometrium with my estradiol gel.... i was like a zombie, tried cutting it in two but was difficult because it is oil inside the pill... I am going to ask for a progesterone cream so i can control the dose. kzbin.info/www/bejne/haPQip2geZKnjtU

When I got my period, there was so much support and information, from my friends, sex education. There was a feeling of optimism and excitement. When menopause hit, I reached out to various women. They would change the subject or say they breezed through it. My mom was really supportive and I was able to open up. As far as the media goes, many are pushing hrt. It may be the answer but there us a psychological dimension that gets ignored.

THIS is my story exactly!! I felt horrible the last two weeks of my cycle. I was mentally a mess and physically felt awful until my period would start and then RELIEF. For a short time during peri I felt awesome! I actually went to a PMS clinic and they prescribed progesterone and it was awful for me. Never felt so clear minded and calm but as my E's dropped I started feeling awful entering into post. I've been struggling with using HRT for the past year and a half and I can't seem to be able to use the dose of level I need to have the level of E that I need. I've found that if I use micronized progesterone cream vaginally I get horrible cystitis so it works best if I use it rectally. Thank you so much for the much needed validation that I needed for years! So why was it the Utrogestan pill that helped you?

In 20 minutes you explain all my symptoms! So shame that we do not have the same than positivity in France!😪

I know your talking about menopause but I'm pregnant and they had to put me on progesterone it's truly been so difficult,. I've never been able to take hormonal birth control because I would get so sick and got it confirmed that the progesterone was causing sensitivity at the allergist. I have a long story but wow this is helpful! I feel understood at least.

Thanks so much, this was very insightful. Dr Shahzadhi is amazing and it’s great to see more and more women speaking up and supporting menopause, which is real, normal, natural 💙👏🏾

Don’t forget men go through it with you girls even if it’s just on tiptoes!

I been given Utrogestan but still can’t take progesterone this way

Hi what did you finally take for progesterone that worked ? Please

Do you get less affects from virginal Pedestrian cream

I tried usgeston can’t take it or progesterone what can I do

I have been scouring the interwebs for information about PMDD Menopause HRT- I have tears hearing the stories that resonate so much with my own experience. I will share this episode with some of the women’s groups and also with my daughters who are in their 20’s and struggling to manage their own experiences with their cycles. Thank you!

The only way I've found it possible to tolerate Utrogestan and therefore to remain on HRT is to use the capsules vaginally - 100mgs for 10 days every 6 weeks. I'm still always glad to reach day 10! For me putting up with a bleed is worth it to give me the long stretch on Oestrogen only. I could never tolerate any sort of progesterone taken daily.