Hormone treatment

[Bluelady-sing]

Has anyone experienced postnatal experience

[caroline-p]

I took natural progesterone by injection immediately after the birth and by suppositories for a couple of months after the birth of my second and third child. ( had suffered PPP after the birth of my first). I remained perfectly well. The treatment was more than 30 years ago, and devised by Dr Katherina Dalton. It certainly helped me, and by requesting it from her obstetrician, my daughter (statistically at a enhanced risk of the condition) had two happy births using this treatment. While not clinically proven, it seems it deserves a proper trial.

[Ellie_at_APP Partner]

Hi Pumpkins

I just wanted to reply in terms of hormone treatment. As Caroline-p says, some people say it has really benefitted them.

APP’s clinical experts, who specialise in postpartum psychosis / perinatal mental health, say although hormonal changes may well play a role in PP we need more research to understand this better.

Katharina Dalton advocated the use of progesterone therapy for prevention of postpartum mood episodes a number of decades ago, and reported a number of positive case studies. However, there is still a lack of good evidence for it helping and there may in fact be a higher risk of depression in the group treated with progesterone. There haven’t been any studies examining progesterone and PP specifically. As Caroline-p says, more research in this area would be helpful. The key clinical guidelines in the UK and around the world (e.g. NICE, SIGN) do not recommend progesterone in the treatment or prevention of PP.

I hope this is helpful

Ellie

[caroline-p in reply to Ellie_at_APP]

Dear Ellie,

Surely the role of APP should include pressing for more research into progesterone therapy!

While this does not provide conclusive evidence, I am sure you have noticed that in six years on this forum no-one has posted about experiencing the failure of progesterone therapy in their case. While more than a handful have reported a good outcome.

The association of higher risk of depression with progesterone was derived from a very different study group, and used a different synthetic hormone ( norethisterone) . It is not necessarily correct to extrapolate the results of that study to the specific condition of PP.

[Ellie_at_APP Partner in reply to caroline-p]

Hi Caroline

Yes we do press for more research into pp, there is such little research done about pp generally, let alone anything to do with this particular therapy.

The research we are involved with is on our website: app-network.org/research/

Take care

Ellie

[Mims2014 in reply to caroline-p]

I asked for progesterone therapy but was declined. I’m not a researcher but my mood is always more stable on progesterone only contraception so I pointed out this and the consultant said it’s not an option

[Ellie_at_APP Partner in reply to Mims2014]

Sorry to hear this, that's interesting that you usually feel more stable on progesterone only contraception. I think there needs to be more research into fluctuations in mood and menstrual cycles etc as well. I imagine you weren't offered the treatment because it isn't a recommended course of treatment anymore, NICE guidelines don't recommend it, so they wouldn't be allowed to give it. I think the treatment wasn't continued because in one study there seemed to be a link with an increased risk of postnatal depression as well, from what I know of.

There hasn't been any proper study about the use of it in postpartum psychosis specifically either. As others have said there is a need for more research, but I think there needs to be more research done generally about PP.

Are you currently pregnant? I do hope everything goes well if you are. Take care,

Ellie

[35yearslaterxx]

I also had progesterone treatment thanks to the amazing Katherine Dalton who’s book I found in the library (no internet then) I contacted her and she wrote to my doctor with the suggested treatment and I kept the ampules of progesterone in my fridge until I went into labor. As soon as I had delivered my son I was insisting I had my first injection and I can happily say that I had no complications or phsycosis. When having previously been sectioned twice was amazing. I will never know if this was coincidence and I wouldn’t have suffered again anyway but I believe it saved me. I recommend anyone to read her books and research it may not help everyone but won’t hurt to try. She reports on the massive drop in progesterone in the body as the placenta leaves and how some women suffer as a result. Best wishes

35 years later

[Bluelady-sing]

Would it complicate pcos