hi there.......i am new to this forum and am hoping some of you can help me. I am on the Vivelle Dot patch, .1mg, and am taking Prometrium. at first I was taking the prometrium days 1-14 of the calendar, then stopping on days 15-30. this was giving me 9-10 day long periods however. so now, dr. has me taking the prometrium every day instead. It has now been four weeks and 2 days since my last period. (i'm fine with getting rid of periods by the way, as i understand that's what will happen after being on the prometrium continuously eventually) Now for the problem.........I am all bloated and very sore boobs.......very sore. like i'm about to start, only more so than usual. If i do not have a period, is my body going to get the message and let go of all this water retention and sore boobs? and how soon is that likely to happen? dr. wants me to be patient at least this month and next. by the way, my prometrium dose is 200mg. she thinks if we lower it to 100 I may have those long periods again. any experience and hopeful notes? or ways to encourage the bloat and soreness to leave? thx in advance!!

Hi Donna and welcome to PS. You will love it here.

If you are still having regular periods on your own, you do not need the progesterone, and I would bet it is the cause of your symptoms. It is known to cause the sore boobs, that was always my first clue I was pregnant, since progesterone is the hormone of pregnancy.

The whole point of using P at all is to prevent the lining of the uterus from building up too much which can lead to cancer. But women who don't get periods anymore only use the P every 3 months for the 10 days to shed the lining. Had you stopped having periods prior to going on the hormones?

i would probably still be having periods. i've been on b.control pills for the hormones, to help my premenopausal symptoms, for years, and then went to the patch, cause the estrogen in the pills was no longer reaching my bloodstream in enough quantity to fix my symptoms. i'm not sure if i would still be having periods, but would have to be close to menopause as i have been having low estrogen problems for a very long time now. i will turn 51 in july

Hi donna,

It has been my experience that when you stop the Prometrium and get a period the bloating and soreness in your boobs should disappear immediately. I take Prometrium as well. I am supposed to be on it continuously, but have come off for various reasons; it makes me pretty tired and blah feeling along with some side effects that you mentioned, and when I have come off the bloating went away. Comes back though after starting again.....:-/ If you take it continuously the side effects will remain unfortunately. I have also had some breakthrough spotting while on it continuously and I believe that is because my E and P levels are still probably moving up and down a bit. I will be 51 in July also and had stopped having periods last May.
How about asking the doc about bringing your dose down to 100 mgs. You may not have this problem on a lower dose. I am taking 1.5 mgs. of Estrogel and 100 mgs. of Prometrium but I think I am pretty sensitive to the P.

wow, i was hoping this bloat would go away after awhile. my dr. wants me to hang in there this month and next, and then if i'm still too bloated and sore, she will try the 100mg continuous, but we're also trying to keep me from having 10day long periods, which is what was happening when i was taking the 200 for days 1-14, then off for two weeks. i read that drinking cranberry juice is a natural diuretic, maybe i'll try that.

Hey there,
If there's one thing I have learned from reading all the posts and the books I have on menopause and hormones it's that every body is different. What happens to me may not necessarily happen to you or someone else.
You may find that your body will get to a certain level and even off.
I don't experience that with P, unfortunately. But in my case, I think I could do better with a lower dose (which you cannot get in Prometrium), so I am going to try some vaginal gel next. I can use a lower dose and it should not give me the side effects I get with Prometrium.
If you continue to feel uncomfortable with the bloating (and I know it is uncomfortable), then why not ask your doctor if you can bring the dose down. I know you are trying to stop the bleeding, but 100 mgs. may do the trick also.
Drinking lots of water can help with bloating also.
If you need to stay on the 200 mgs. and you continue to suffer, ask for a low dose diuretic. That will work for sure.....:-)

i might be starting a period......it's threatening to today. at this point, i wouldn't mind if i do have a period, cause it'll get rid of the bloat/tenderness. i know i really should drink more water than i usually do too. i'm gonna hang in there on this dose like dr. wants me to and see what happens. i'm so glad to have found this board. there's so much on here it's kind of overwhelming though. which forum is sort of the main hangout?

Hey there,

I kind of stick to the forums that I have some of my own experience with but you'll see posters posting in all different areas. I guess it depends on what information you're looking for.
So, have you noticed at all that the Prometrium has changed your appetite?
When I take it, I have to really use all my willpower not to eat us out of house and home.....:-O

now that you mention it, i have been hungry and eating too much for sure. but monday, it's definitely time to be serious and count calories, and get back to the gym. vacation is in 11 weeks, and i need to lose about 14 pounds. doable, but not if i goof around anymore! i was reading that pine nut oil is a natural appetite suppressant. i have ordered some (gel caps) and am going to try it. i'm fine all morning, but from about 2pm until my head hits the pillow i just want to eat all the time