Totally overwhelmed - anyone using Progynova?

Hi
I am feeling totally overwhelmed at the moment , even after reading many threads.
I am not new to Hysterectomy I had my uterus and right ovary removed 9 years ago due to endometriosis. Two days ago I had the left ovary removed to a recurrence of endo , the doctor just handed me a pack of Progynova and said to make a followup in 6 weeks. Having read the info about heart and breast cancer etc risks I am petrified to start.
My auntie has used Premarin as is the only one not to give migraines but I just wanted some advice .. Has anyone had PROGYNOVA . sorry this is wishy washy I am still in pain (more so than the uterus/right ovary removal) and overwhelmed . any advice is appreciated
I am in Australia

and to HysterSisters!

I'm glad you joined so you have a place to connect with women who have lots of support, experiences and information to share. You're in good company!

I don't have any experience using the exact estrogen your doctor has prescribed, which is estradiol valerate, but hopefully someone who has will be along soon to reply. I do use Vivelle Dot for my estrogen. It's bio-identical estradiol--one of three estrogens produced by the ovaries.

Your situation is trickier because you are dealing with an endometriosis diagnosis. There is a chance that you could continue to have problems with endometriosis even after surgery and since estrogen feeds endometriosis, some doctors will recommend waiting a while to start taking estrogen in the hopes of having any remaining endometriosis die off. Other doctors will prescribe progesterone (or progestin, a synthetic progesterone) along with the estrogen because it can counteract the effect that estrogen has on endometriosis. It's worth asking your doctor about. You'll find a wealth of hormone information in this link to the Hormone Jungle Articles.

You will find as you read more on this site that there's not one hormone therapy that fits well for everyone. What works well for some of us isn't right at all for others. It's a trial and error process figuring out which is best, so don't be afraid to try something (if that's your wish) because you can always change to something else if the first thing you try isn't helping. It is important to give each hormone therapy time to work because it takes time for any of them to reach optimal levels and, in your case, time for hormone levels to even out since you're early in recovery.

If you have any recovery concerns as you heal from your oophorectomy, you're welcome to post a new thread over on the Separate Surgeries message board. If you'd like to connect with women who are dealing with endometriosis both pre- and post-op, feel welcome to visit the Endometriosis Support message board.

I hope this helps! Best wishes for your recovery.

	Quote:
Originally Posted by Tigerangel14 Hi I am feeling totally overwhelmed at the moment , even after reading many threads. I am not new to Hysterectomy I had my uterus and right ovary removed 9 years ago due to endometriosis. Two days ago I had the left ovary removed to a recurrence of endo , the doctor just handed me a pack of Progynova and said to make a followup in 6 weeks. Having read the info about heart and breast cancer etc risks I am petrified to start. My auntie has used Premarin as is the only one not to give migraines but I just wanted some advice .. Has anyone had PROGYNOVA . sorry this is wishy washy I am still in pain (more so than the uterus/right ovary removal) and overwhelmed . any advice is appreciated I am in Australia

Hi there, I know you posted this back in 2011, but I thought to share my experience using Progynova incase there are other ladies interested.

I had an abdominal hysterectomy in Dec 2017. Uterus, tubes, cervix and 1 ovary removed. Not long after surgery I began having menopause symptoms. I didn't know much about menopause except for hot flushes and night sweats. I experienced both and it wasn't so bad at first and then it got so bad I would spend my evenings with the fridge door open to cool down! At my 3 month post op checkup my surgeon prescribed Progynova 2mg (once a day). As I didn't know anything about HRT I spent 2 weeks educating myself on HRT and the effects of menopause before I took my first tablet. I have now been taking Progynova for 5 weeks and it's made me feel so much better. I am finally feeling like my old self again : ) The hot flashes slowed down and were completely gone within 2 weeks, the same with the night sweats. As for waking up at night that continued for a while, but the amount of times I woke up and the length of time it took me to fall back to sleep got less. This morning I woke up and struggle to remember if I woke up during the night. I'm pretty sure I didn't wake up. Also I'm no longer dry 'down there' and I have way more energy. Just this week I've noticed my thinking is a lot clearer and I seem to be doing my work a lot better. I see my surgeon in a weeks time for a 6 week check on taking Progynova. Can't wait to tell him how much it has improved my general well being and I'm no longer have menopause symptoms. Hope this helps : )