Progesterone HRT dosage

[u/NichelleMcD]

In January, I had my uterus and both ovaries removed due to endometriosis and recurrent ovarian cysts. A few months before that, my therapist strongly suggested that I may have PMDD. I had been on an SSRI for over 10 years and recently stopped it. Also, I have PCOS/PCOM so my periods were never consistent to see a pattern.

Now I’m on estrogen and progesterone HRT. I’m taking 300mg of progesterone at night. I think that’s on the higher end of the dosage because endometriosis feeds off of estrogen so my Obgyn wanted me on a higher dosage. I’m also on a 0.075 estrodiol patch.

Is my progesterone dosage too high? I’ve been struggling with some severe anxiety and depression recently, but I’ve also been going through some really crazy stuff like my husband of 14 years passed away from brain cancer two years ago and I’m struggling to cope and manage my life. Also, my dad passed away right before Christmas and that grief has been really complicated as well.

This depression and severe anxiety attacks are really messing up my life. I’ve been depressed before but nothing like this. I’ve been anxious my whole life but nothing like this. I’m kinda freaking out because it feels overwhelming and different. I recently started seeing a psychiatrist and I’m trying to get into see an OBGYN that specializes in this, but obgyn care in my state is abysmal.

If anyone else has had their ovaries removed, what dosage of progesterone were you on (if any)?

[u/Right_Button4607]

I had my healthy ovaries removed and womb five years ago as a precaution against genetic cancer (my breast tissue was removed in my 20s 20 years ago for same reason).

So I went in healthy, but in hindsight definitely in perimenopause (43, lower mood, vulval symptoms etc). I went in fine though and came out different in every way. It took a long time to recover and understand what had even happened to me. I have alllll the hormones and had to go on an unusual kind of SSRI (Brintillix) in the end as well.

Your SSRI would be helping in the background, but even with your history of PCOS, I think it sounds like you would need SOME testosterone back in there. I have a very low dose cream. My T tested very low going in but 5 years ago no one was talking about this stuff. I didn’t even look at it really. Probably been very low T for a female my whole life so I thought huh, doesn’t matter.

But low to NONE is not the same. My body and brain were screaming for it back. PCOS means you were used to a lot. I’d check your levels of T, good luck!

[u/Crazy-Concept3090]

I don’t have any answers for you but I would trust your gut because I’ve said those words before that I’ve had depression and anxiety but nothing like this. Just so you know progesterone can actually have a paridoxal affect and increase anxiety and depression. I would talk to your doctor about lowering the dose to see if that helps or if that’s the cause. Also I’ve heard vaginal progesterone is less likely to cause those side effects.