# Has Anyone Taken Prometrium (Progesterone Medicine) For Irregular Cycles?



## AMcCall (Oct 3, 2000)

I was under the impression that using progesterone was normally only for menopausal women (?), but my doctor prescribed it for me because my husband and I want to get pregnant, and I have had irregular cycles for some time now. Today is only the second day after finishing up the 12-pill pack, and I am totally miserable. I believe my doctor told me that this medication would clean out the lining of my uterus, to get it better ready to carry a baby, should we get pregnant. (Keeping my fingers crossed on that one







) I have never had such painful cramping or extremely heavy bleeding and clotting in all my LIFE. I will start taking Clomid, a fertility drug, this Friday, and from what they have told me, it will slow down and eventually stop the bleeding. So Friday can't come quick enough if ya ask me!! But I worry that I will have to take this stuff EVERY time I need to have a period, because my ole' body just doesn't seem to want to have a cycle on it's own







The thought of having to go through this pain every month is downright depressing. I just don't know what to do until Friday... I literally cannot sleep for more than about an hour at a time, because I literally am bleeding through my clothing if I don't keep changing out all my 'stuff'. And the cramps are horrible this time... Please say a little prayer that I make it through this week. I am feeling so discouraged. I know I must do what the doctor tells me to do in order for my chances to conceive to be as good as they can be. But I am feeling down-in-the-dumps. I think once I feel better physically, things will start to look up. But for now, I feel kinda awful


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## Jeanne D (Nov 14, 2001)

No doubt taking those hormones is contributing to the blues. Hormones do crazy things to us!Just take it slow. If it's possible, try not to "concentrate" on getting pregnant too much.Relax and just enjoy the romantic time you have with your hubby. I'm sure that sooner or later, you'll be getting the good news !







Keep us posted.Here's a (((HUG))) and a prayer for you!Take care,Jeanne


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## Wes and Tracy (Apr 14, 1999)

Ashley, Could you post the specifics of the progesterone pills you've been taking? There may be some other supplements that will do the same thing but without the cramping. Some progesterone pills are actually coupled with estrogen and it's the added estrogen that causes the increased cramping and added growth. There are also some natural supplements that you could take along with your pills to help reduce the cramping. Good luck and hang in there, we had our Hailey using clomid.We


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## careena (Nov 3, 2001)

Yep, Prometrium and Provera both will do this to you. They make you have periods from hell. I'd wear 2 tampons and a pad all at once and soak through them in less than 2 hours. While I'm perimenopausal and not trying to get pregnant, I have been using the Provera to help stablize my cycle. It's not working as I'm still on my period since February. I'm going to go on the pill even though I smoke because I am SICK OF THIS!!Anyway, sorry for my rant.







I hope you get pregnant soon and don't have to go through too many cycles on the Prometrium. A couple suggestions I have is to buy maroon sheets, wear 2 tampons at a time, sleep on some towels. Ask your doctor about taking Naproxen Sodium such as Aleeve. You're supposed to start taking 550mg a day-- 2 days before your period and then everyday you're on your period. It can reduce the bleeding by more than 50% and also reduce pain. Make sure you ask the doctor about this though as you're trying to get pregnant. I'm pretty sure it's safe to use for you but don't take my word for it. If you're really in a lot of pain or bleeding that bad, call the docs office and ask it it's okGood luck to you.


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## AMcCall (Oct 3, 2000)

Jeanne, you are surely right about the hormone thing







If I'm not crying my eyes out over problems with my sister, I find myself snapping at my husband for little things that don't even matter. He must feel like he is married to ole' Dr. Jekyl & Mr. Hyde







Bless his heart though, he is so good to me...Wes and Tracy, I wish I'd saved the little box my pills came in, but when I finished the pills on Monday, I was only too happy to toss it, and the trash man came this morning, so I've no way to retrieve it... It was a sample that the doctor gave me. I'll likely have to take it again, because I don't tend to have periods on my own for some reason. So I'll let you know the specifics the next time I have to take these torture pills







Careena, YOU ARE SO RIGHT ON IT IS NOT EVEN FUNNY!! It's like you were typing my own post!! I didn't want to type the specifics of what I'm going through in the Meeting Place, because I didn't want to gross out the men. (Thank you for not thinking I'm gross, Wes







) I wear Super-Plus tampons and overnight pads, and still have to change everything every hour and a half!! It's like my mind KNOWS this, and because I know I have to keep a close watch at the clock, I cannot rest. I've been cat-napping for like 3 1/2 days now. I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOO tired. The cramping is horrendous, but I think I could probably deal with THAT a *LOT* easier than I am dealing with the extremely heavy bleeding. This is going into day 4, and I would've thought I had no lining LEFT in my poor uterus (I find myself checking to make sure my uterus didn't just fall out with everything else, LOLOL







), but it keeps right on going and going and going







The clotting is awful too. I am hoping once I start Clomid on Friday, that the bleeding will ease up. Bless your HEART...how have you dealt with this since February?? My cycles are messed up to the point that I have light to medium bleeding pretty much constantly, but never a period. So these meds are required to make me have a period. And then I need the other pills to ovulate. I sure wish my body would just work the way it's supposed to, UGH!! Thank the Lord Friday is Clomid day. But Friday seems AGES away, even though it's Thursday morning here now. I am so, so tired... SOOOOOOOO tired... I sure hope this brings on a baby quick, because I honestly don't know how many months I could handle Prometrium. I've taken Provera before, and gotten the same results. So one is just as evil as the other I'm afraid. Wes, I'm so encouraged to know that baby Hailey is a Clomid baby!! How is she doing, by the way?? We have some dear friends who conceived TWINS with Clomid. So it's good to know that it does work for some people. That almost gives me the encouragement to go on trying. But I gotta tell ya....the progesterone torture pills are making adoption look more and more appealing everyday







My Mom keeps telling me to keep my chin up, and that 'this too shall pass'... So I'm trying to do that. But these are some pretty low days. Thank you all again for your encouragement. I sure do appreciate it!!


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## Wes and Tracy (Apr 14, 1999)

Ashley, Hailey's doing great,thanks for asking. We're back to trying again ourselves, we're more then a little nervous about it because the last two ended so badly, but we really want more children. Here are some pictures of Hailey if you're interested Hailey Photos The clomid took us three months, that was it. It will make your cramping worse though during ovulation because it triggers the formation of multiple luteal cysts or mutiple egg production. The lowest dose of clomid doubles your odds of twins to 4 percent, every time the double the dosage your odds of twins doubles. By month three we were at a 16% chance of twins, YIKES. Hang in there.Wes


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## Jeanne D (Nov 14, 2001)

Wes,She's a little beauty ! Where did she get that lovely red hair ????/Jeanne


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## LisaLee (May 22, 2003)

Hi, I'm new here, but I was put on Prometrium in November -- I've got polycystic ovary syndrome and my periods had stopped. It has no estrogen, which I can't take because of migraines. But yes, the prometrium gave me periods from hell also. The doctor suggested I take four 200-mg ibuprofen tablets every four hours for the pain, and heating pads and those self-heating pads help too. The only other suggestion I have is to sleep on a towel at night to help save your sheets -- I got a red one now known as the "blood towel." Good luck!Lisa


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## AMcCall (Oct 3, 2000)

Wes, Hailey is BEAUTIFUL  I *LOVE* her red hair!! She is so, so sweet, and thank you so much for sharing pictures with us!! I love, love, L-O-V-E to see babies







I will be keeping you all in my prayers as you are trying again







I know how it feels to lose a little one, as I lost my one and only in May of 1994. Actually, in 4 days, it will be the 9 year anniversary of losing our little one. It is so heartbreaking, so I know how you must be feeling







I will be praying that the good Lord will bless BOTH our families with little ones soon







LisaLee, I'm sorry you had to endure this horrible medication too... Today is day 4, and I was just sure the bleeding would've slowed down by now!! But so far, it has not. I guess maybe the Clomid will slow it down?? I sure hope so... I hope if I don't get pregnant (and I'm not holding my breath this first month...) that my period might start on it's own next time around, so I don't have to take Prometrium again. I have to say that the thought of taking this stuff again is a little bit scary!! How many days of the heavy, heavy bleeding did you have, if you don't mind my asking?? I'm taking the advice that you and Careena have given me, and am sleeping on towels now. If my mind would just turn off from waking me up every hour to go change out all my 'stuff', I'd love to just sleep uninterrupted for a few hours. Maybe knowing a towel is there will help?? Careena, I PM'd you, Friend








Thank you so much for the advice again!! I've just left a message with my nurse asking her if Aleve or Naproxen Sodium is safe to take if we are trying to conceive. I'm ready to try anything!! The pain I can almost handle, but it's the bleeding that's making me NUTS. When I saw where you said it can decrease the bleeding by 50%, I was on the phone leaving a message with my doctor the minute their office opened this morning, LOL!! I'm just waiting for the nurse to return my call...Thanks again for all the well wishes, I sure do appreciate it!!


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## Wes and Tracy (Apr 14, 1999)

Ashley, Make sure you know that you are NOT pregnant before you take another dose of those pills. They will terminate your pregnancy. Also with this drug (and with all birth control pills as well) there is any where from 4.5 to 7 times the risk of thrombophlebitis or blood clots in veins. So if you get blurry vision or a migraine on this drug, contact your doctor. Wes


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## *Luna* (Nov 19, 2001)

Hi Ashley! Good to see you on here again, even though it's because you're miserable. I hope you got a chance to read the poem I posted on your thread in the MP... it really touched me and I've never been in that situation, so I thought it must be good!About those heavy periods.... you poor thing! I'm having all sorts of flashbacks to when I first started menstruating and had such heavy, painful, clotty periods... but not quite that heavy, thankfully! I had some "overnighter" pads that were HUGE and I'd wear those when my flow was really heavy. I've also heard there are superpads they give women after childbirth..maybe you could get some of those?If you're soaking through onto your bedsheet, using an old towel under you is a good idea. And if you don't already have one, I suggest a waterproof mattress cover. This will keep the blood from hitting the mattress itself. Between bedwetting kids and heavy periods, my mom had these on all the beds at home, and they came in handy with that bleeding. Now I've got a nicer version, a mattress pad with a waterproof layer underneath. It doesn't crinkle like the other ones did!When I was hospitalized with the flu, they had what looked like a puppy wee-wee pad on the bed. Kind of like a big, flat piece of diaper material. I assumed they put those under all or most patients in case of accidents. It was for human use, but it looked exactly like the pads they use for puppies, so those might work. And what about wearing your ugliest old underwear with the biggest pad you can find, plus a tampon, and then putting a pair of depends on over that? That way if you soak through the pad you'll have some extra protection? You gotta get some sleep!Here's to feeling better and getting pg quickly!!


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## *Luna* (Nov 19, 2001)

P.S. Naproxin and ibuprofen will both help your cramps much more than tylenol. They will not only reduce pain but will reduce the cramping itself. So if you're taking tylenol, stop and get something better! At least for next time! Hopefully they will give you a good prescription dose, cuz OTC just won't cut it for killer cramps.I used Celebrex for cramps last time, and it worked OK...not sure if it was better than naproxen or not.


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## AMcCall (Oct 3, 2000)

Wes, I'm glad my doctor told me to be sure and take a pregnancy test each month before I call for a new prescription of Prometrium. I didn't realize that it could actually terminate a pregnancy...that is really scary







!! Those side effects scare me a bit too. I have blurry vision on my best days though, so that is a bit normal for me. But if I go blurrier than normal, or get a migraine, I'll be sure and call my doctor!! Luna, I am so sorry that I didn't get a chance to thank you for the poem you posted  It was so pretty







You are so sweet to post it for me, and for other folks who have lost little ones







I am going to save it







Thanks again, everybody







My bleeding seems to FINALLY be slowing down, thank the good Lord!! It's still heavier than it would be on the 4th day of a normal period, but at least I've been a whoppin' 3 hours now without having to change everything!! I think I may go get some sleep now if it stays like this...WOOHOO!! Careena suggested Naproxen Sodium too!! She posted above that it actually can decrease the bleeding also... I'm going to try that next month if I end up needing Prometrium to have my next period. I bet I will, because my periods are really, really messed up, and it's not likely that I'll ever start on my own


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## Jeanne D (Nov 14, 2001)

Here's a good suggestion for those very heavy days.. Bladder pads. I don't mean the whole diaper thingy, but the pads like serenity ultra. They are just like super absorbent sanitary napkins. Yeah they feel a little big, but no one can tell you're wearing them, and they work really well.I have tried it myself.Jeanne


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## careena (Nov 3, 2001)

I PM'd ya Ashley or at least I think I did. Haven't used that function much.


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