Is 200mg nightly (rather than cyclical) progesterone a good approach?

[stephie972]

Hi. I'm trying to taper off an estrogen patch and try an only-progesterone approach after reading your book, since I was having some symptoms of way too high estrogen on a .075 patch (swollen/painful breasts and spotting). I'm 50 years old, and probably late perimenopause at this point. I'm down to a .025 patch and I may just stop altogether in a couple weeks. I'm wondering if 200mg nightly progesterone is the right amount, as long as it helps with sleep and doesn't leave me groggy the next morning? Or is that too much for a daily amount? Is there any reason why I should not be taking it every day in perimenopause? Or is daily progesterone only for post-menopause?

[Lara]

Anywhere from 100 to 300 mg is a pretty standard dose for perimenopause. It doesn't usually cause grogginess, but I often recommend first trying it on a night when you don't have anything important the next morning. As for continuous versus cyclic dosing, it all comes down to the pattern of bleeding. Lots of women take it daily with no problem, but some women can experience erratic bleeding. In which case, it can be better to dose it two weeks on - 2 weeks off -- i.e. to induce a regular progesterone withdrawal bleed.

[stephie972]

Thank you, very helpful!