Bio identical progesterone for endo treatment and cell-active DIM with calcium D-glucarate (food supplement) to get rid of excess estrogen??

[hilkora]

Hi,

I've had a horrible 2.5 years trying various contraception pills, mirena and vaginal ring to control my endo pain and periods but I've had very bad mood swings + cervix bleeding from too much estrogen due to taking the pill. I don't want to take any more contraception pills. I did some research online and bough DIM supplements to help my body flush out excess estrogen and also read about bio identical progesterone used to treat endo. Has anybody tried these at all? Thank you x x

[Moon_maiden]

Be interested to see how you get on. I hadn’t heard of it before. I looked it up and worth a try, the only thing I’d mention is one supplement used lethicin in the in the ingredients, this can be soya based. Im not sure whether soya is good or bad for endo, or if it acts as a balancer. I’ve read good and bad.

[MMich15]

Hi Hilkora,

I had this exact treatment plan after going to see a bio identical specialist in Harley Street. I have quite aggressive endometriosis in that if I’m not on any treatment endometrioma cysts keep coming back and growing quickly after I have surgery to remove them.

So what I will say is the treatment was milder than synthetic hormones and worked for a while to stop my cysts growing (I’d say 3-5 months) but what happened was the progesterone cream made me really nauseous. I ended up losing 1 stone in 6 months (might not sound a lot but I was only 8 stone to start with). So the specialist reduced the cream dosage and the nausea alleviated but low and behold the cysts started growing again. Worth noting the whole time my dim evail and calcium d glucarate dosage didn’t change.

Anyway after the cysts grew my specialist told me to up my dosage again... it was like a yo yo. What made me stop in the end was the mental side effects, I became so depressed I couldn’t go a day (and eventually a few hours) without crying. My family said I was like a different person, so down, not present.

Once I reported that to the specialist (like with the weight loss) she tried to claim it wasn’t related but told me to lower my dosage again! This plus the never ending change in dosages (seemed like my dr didn’t know what she was dealing with) just told me this wasn’t the right treatment for me and it took maybe 3 months for the crying and depression to lift, but I still feel some of the impact of oestrogen depletion now - I wouldn’t recommend taking those supplements without consulting a doctor first either tbh. My mum tried one because it’s stated to have abdominal weight loss benefits for menopausal women but after a month she had weird side effects.

Also worth adding bioidentical treatment is no where near as harsh as traditional forms that you mentioned so while you don’t always get the unpleasant side effects you do have a monthly bleed and I’m talking a real period - for me very bad pain, depending on pain killers and unfortunately cyst growth. I hear it’s most effective with dealing with menopause as an alternative to hrt.

It didn’t sit well with me but did give me a break from harsher treatments for a while (nothing else seems to work - I’m back on the combined pill now but grinning and baring some horrible side effects until I can get an alternative). But as with every treatment everyone responds differently so I’d definitely give it a go if you’re at your wits end. I also now a uk retailer who sells the supplements cheaper than getting it through private so let me know if you do decide to go ahead and I can DM their details.

Hope this helps x

[hilkora in reply to MMich15]

thank you for you reply! I am waiting for a referral to an NHS endo accredited centre and in the mean time will have a private ultrasound just to see how bad my endo has gotten in the past 2 years.. I will wait to take DIM until I see a specialist. Btw i was down and crying on progesterone only pill so I fear that the bio identical progesterone might have the same effect on me. I don't really know what else to do except having a hysterectomy, but even then i might still be in pain. I'm 35 and that would be the last resort.

[MMich15 in reply to hilkora]

It’s so hard to have to consider such drastic measures at a young age. I hope something else works for you. To be honest it’s worth giving the bioidentical stuff a try, you never know it might work for you x

[hilkora in reply to MMich15]

I just hope the crying part won't be as bad as on POP. I would cry myself to sleep and then wake up crying and gasping for air in the middle of the night. I was working from home at the time so luckily didn't have to sit in office in such a state x

[MMich15 in reply to hilkora]

Oh gosh I have been there. I’d be crying non stop between zoom calls - just horrible. I had the weirdest thing where I kept yawning during my crying... so uncomfortable. All I’d say is don’t settle for less - I put up with the crying for maybe 4-5 months, it was unbearable. I wish I’d stop the treatment sooner. X

[Bethleah]

Hi I’ve been using bio identical progesterone only cream for a few years. It helps regulate my periods a bit as I’m now peri menopausal. It helps take the edge if things without the side effects. If trying try for at least 3 months to give it a real chance. It took 6 months or so before I noticed the benefits. I also take some supplements to help with the crying etc. It helps with the pain . It’s worth a try. I would also try them separately so you can tell which one works for you. Good luck

[hilkora in reply to Bethleah]

Hi, does bio identical progesterone cream make you cry? Is it bad?

[Bethleah in reply to hilkora]

No it’s the peri menopause that can make you cry as your hormones are all over the place. The bio identical progesterone cream and homeopathy have helped manage this. I’m seriously thinking of getting a T shirt that says it’s not me it’s my hormones! 🤣

[hannah11]

I've not tried bio identical hormones but I have tried DIM and CDG. I loved them and they really helped with my excess oestrogen symptoms - bloating/ swelling, nausea, headaches, PMS, pain etc - and they also helped keep my skin clear, make my hair and nails strong and other little surprising things I was not expecting!

However I have a very slow liver function so in the end it just couldn't cope with that level of oestrogen flushing long term. Now I am doing a gentle liver detox and hopefully in a few months I can go back on them and get all those benefits again!

I defiantly recommend them for the average patient, but if you're sensitive like me be cautious and build up slowly, monitor your reactions and cut back if they make you feel unwell.

I hope this helps and good luck with it, let us know how you get on!

[hilkora in reply to hannah11]

thank you for you reply! I've decided to see a specialist first and check with them if I can take DIM and CDG and also how many pills.