I start my progesterone tonight. Anything I should expect? Side effects to look out for? Does it mimic pregnancy symptoms?
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Yes, it can mimic pregnancy symptoms. I've also felt more emotional on them. Do my motto in this TWW has been to ignore any and all symptoms.
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I've been on them after each of my IUIs and always had pregnancy symptoms with them. I got bloated, sore boobs, a little morning sickness, and totally emotional. I agree with @hapygal in that you have to ignore any and all symptoms during the TWW.
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Thanks for posting this. I'll be starting them for the first time next week, so was wondering what to expect! All I really know is it's a good idea to wear a panty liner while on them. Good luck!
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Can I be the cautious voice of dissent? I was on progesterone for several cycles and the cycles I was pregnant my symptoms were far more extreme.
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The P really mimics both PMS and pregnancy symptoms, so you just have to ignore everything you are feeling. It can also cause depression, so watch out for that.
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@spaniellove: would you please elaborate? Cautiously, of course.
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@Happygal: Hahaha, there was so much crying! The progesterone didn't normally affect me at all but it was just so obvious when I was pregnant. When I got to be way overdramatic my husband just knew.
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@Mrs. Jump Rope: leaking. Soooo much leaking. For me it's just that and the bloating. They don't really affect my mood (well, maybe I should ask my husband, haha)
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Did the progesterone side effects kick in right away after you started using it, or did it take a few days?
This might not bode well for being around my annoying family at Thanksgiving, when none of them know we're even trying and I am never usually emotional!
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@Sprite: oh crap, I didn't even think of thanksgiving. Awesomeeee.
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SOOOOO tired. Like, holy crap, couldn't function within a limited time of taking them, tired. Which is to be expected. Progesterone is what causes all the fatigue during pms and early pregnancy, and in high enough doses will literally put you to sleep. But be sure to take it last thing before bed, and do not try to drive on it.
Though just for the record, I'm more sensitive than most to things that make me sleepy, so you might not have as extreme tiredness as I do.
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@Torchwood: YES!!!! I took progesterone orally and holy moly! I was always tired. Like can barely open my eyes and lift my arms tired! I was also bloated, lovely!
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@sprite: i think it took a little bit to build up in my system before feeling the effects. My boobs are sore, I've had moments of feeling nauseous, and I got in a ridiculous fight with my husband that ended with me saying, "I don't know what's happening!!" meaning, why am I acting crazy? Now, is progesterone really to blame? I don't know for sure. But I do know one minute I was filled with rage, and the next I was near tears, so let's go with blaming it on the hormones!
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Do different brands and doses, and how you take it, have major differences in side effects?
I'm taking 200mg of micronized vaginal suppositories.
Won't lie -- how do you get these in without the wax melting? It looks like it will take a few tries before I get used to them & it's not quite as messy.
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@mrs. jump rope: I'm sure the dosage affects people in different ways. 200 mg seems to be standard. I'm taking 100 mg twice a day. I'm not sure what you mean by the wax. Mine are pink little balls that I guess would melt if I held them for a long time. Some people use applicators like the ones that come with preseed, but unless you're squeamish, I would just use your finger.
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@Happygal: they're wax bullets. They look like the Tylenol infant suppositories and I remember those melting a bit in my hands!
An applicator wasn't included & I didn't request one (I didn't think/know one would come in handy!).
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I took it for the first time last cycle. Aside from needing to use panty liners all the time, I didn't notice a thing! Literally, nothing. Moods were the same, no PMS stuff, nothing!
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I've only ever been on Endometrin, but I do think the different brands can cause different side effects. Here's what my applicators (and pills) look like... not waxy. Do they come in individual packages? That might help with the stickiness, etc, if you wait til you're ready to open it up. Good luck!
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@Mrs. Jump Rope: I took the waxy progesterone suppositories in addition to injections for a million years (or, 12 long weeks...)
I apologize for all the TMI I'm about to spew out into this thread...
Ok, so I only had to do nighttime suppositories so I did it RIGHT before bed. Like literally went from the bathroom to bed. I will admit that the first time I did it, I did not push the suppository up far enough and it literally fell out less than 10 minutes later when I got up to pee again. Ooops. So make sure you push it really far up and back (like further than I go with a tampon, but I only use applicator tampons, so I imagine they had the same final placement, but I never had to actually push the tampon up there with my fingers like with the progesterone). Once it's up in there, I sort of kegeled until it felt secure and then made a mad dash for bed. If I waited to brushe my teeth after inserting and before going to bed, I'd feel it slipping out (I promise my vagina is not a gaping cavernous hole, it just seems like it from this post...)
This kind of progesterone should be refrigerated so I never had a problem with it melting before inserting - I'd usually carry it up to my bathroom on a little piece of paper towel, do my nighttime routine and then insert. However, it will leak like crazy once it's inside you! Definitely wear a pad to bed, and not one of those tiny ones. I'd wear those and end up with leakage all up the front and back of my underwear. And it's sort of greasy, so it doesn't wash out well. As a warning, the progesterone leakage smell the next morning was ATROCIOUS. It regularly made me gag. I *think* that's normal. I have read that if you're doing these suppositories for a long time, you could get a build up and you need to sort of swipe that out from time to time. I never really got much build up when I tried that though (maybe because it was all leaking out my cavernous vag...).
Anyway, hope this helps some. Let me know if you have other questions!
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@twodoghouse: best response ever. Soooo helpful. I'm glad your vagina isn't a cave.
I have to go buy pads now!!
Did you have side effects? I have distinct symptoms when pregnant. Should I ignore them?
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@twodoghouse: LOL @ "cavernous vag"!!!!!! hahahaha
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My doctor prescribes Endometrin and it was easy for me to install. I had to insert one 3x a day. The leaking is absolutely disgusting. My skin was less dry, but my hair was oily while I was taking it.
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@Mrs. Jump Rope: I'm glad that was helpful! It's hard for me to tell about the symptoms because I was doing progesterone at the tail end of an IVF cycle. So I was SUPER bloated, but I don't know if that was the IVF meds or the progesterone. I was also having bad headaches and sore boobs. That could have been the hormones or the progesterone or the actually being pregnant? I would say to be on the safe side, while you're on progesterone assume that all symptoms you have are progsterone-related.
@Shutterbug:
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@twodoghouse: I've never seen the word "cavernous" used so much!
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Ummm..... My progesterone also dries things out down there. So not sexy.
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Also about that Endometrin leakage - you might remember my whining a few weeks ago about what it was doing to me and how I had to stop using it. Use an absorbent liner (Always) and change it often! I was trying to be all eco-friendly and using a cotton liner and ended up with a raging UTI from the dampness sitting against my skin. Plus after a few weeks the Endometrin was eating away at every surface and I was bleeding from everywhere. I really thought I might be starting to m/c because of the bleeding when it was 100% from the suppositories! So be very very gentle with your skin and don't be afraid to talk to your RE if you ever feel like it's too much for you.
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It's early but I'll throw in my limite experience so far!
My progesterone is shaped like a tiny bullet & they're kept in the fridge. I inserted it last night just before bed and made sure to wear a pad.
It went in easy, mess free, and I never felt like it was falling out. I never leaked, either, but we will see. I did feel sleepy but we had a long night (c has the stomach flu) and this morning it was kind of waxy when I went to the bathroom. So, there's that..
This morning I'm feeling a bit queasy but I can't tell if its from the progesterone or if I'm catching Chloe's bug. I also have a slight headache, but that can also be explained by lack of sleep!
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Um, traveling with these progesterone supplements??
I just went and picked up my prescription and until now I somehow missed the fact that these things need to be refrigerated! I have a 6 hour flight early tomorrow morning, and while we will have a fridge in our hotel room, we won't be checking in until later in the day. Will the progesterone be alright in a small cooler with ice packs or something (I think you can fly with ice packs?)? And put it in the fridge as soon as we check in, a few hours before I need to use it? The pharmacist did say that the refrigeration isn't for the sake of the medicine effectiveness, so I assume it's only just to help it not melt right away?
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@Sprite: Which type do you have? I have the football shaped yellow waxy ones and haven't been told anything about refrigeration. Maybe call your pharmacist? I think it would be OK to wrap a ice pack around it, then surround that in clothes. Unless you're going somewhere really warm.
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@Mrs.Someone: Good question, but I actually can not figure out what type I have! They're from a compounding pharmacy, so I think they were made in-house? The label doesn't specify anything other than "Progest Supp", but they are in little silver blister packs and appear to be bullet shaped (I don't want to open one because I won't start them until next Tues or Wed).
I think you are right, an ice pack should do the trick, especially if I put it in my checked bag since cargo areas are usually cold.
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Did anyone have extreme dizziness taking this? I just started this morning (supposed to take pill twice a day) and I feel DRUNK. Like, I'm at work and I have no idea how to get anything done. Stumbling around... midwife office not open for another hour and I'm not sure what to do. It's to try and make my pregnancy stick, so I want that to happen but there is no way I can go on this way. Hoping someone can say it wears off fairly quickly...
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Edited! Just reread and see you're taking it orally, very different. Sorry. Still hope your midwife can see you soon. Maybe a suppository is a better solution for you.
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@LulaBee: I would call because there are other forms of progesterone you can take and maybe there is a better option for you.
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I wish I hadn't just spent $180 on my oral form... Thanks, ladies.
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@LulaBee: I didn't take the oral form for very long because I'm allergic to it but the nurse recommended eating a protein bar with it because of those side effects.
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I took the oral form for the first 8 weeks of
my pregnancy - I didn't have any side effects. -
Maybe I'm just really sensitive. I had a decent breakfast and have been eating crackers for about an hour... it's starting to get a bit better- been a little over 2 hours. Still waiting on MW to call me back!
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@LulaBee: I hope those crackers help! Sorry you had such a rocky start to your morning.
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The oral form that I've taken my doctor said can also be taken as suppositories, so you might be in luck (but I'd wait to hear from your MW first)
I did feel a little off in the head when I took them the first time (to induce periods), but nothing too major.
When I took them when I was pregnant, the doctor told me to take it at night and I slept through any horrible side effects.
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