Progesterone levels symptoms and conditions

Btwn, ladies - what is it called when you no longer get your period and your progesterone levels ( in your bloodstream) are low ( because your body no longer circulates progesterone as it it generated locally in your uterus. ) ? Let me tell you it's called MENOPAUSE! I think a lot of what we have experienced are symptoms of a very abrupt menopause.

Sorry to post again, but NO ONE REPLIED TO MY POST!

I am 5 days post removal and need reassurance. Unlike everyone else, I have NOT felt better right away. I am just as tired (if not more), more irritable, and JUST GOT ACNE on my face and arms 2 days AFTER removal! I'm still dizzy and the brain fog is just as bad. Have not bled a drop at all.

I know everyone is different, but my removal experience has been completely different... don't feel better, no bleeding/clots, no immediate improvement. IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH ME??? Was it not the Mirena after all???

Hi all! Was just reading through all your experiences with the Mirena IUD, and let me just tell you, I am so happy I found this site! I had my Mirena IUD inserted about 6 weeks after my son was born (he will be turning one next month). I noticed my world literally falling apart within the first week of having it in. Of course when I talk to my Doc about what I've been going through, she says there is absolutely no link between my symptoms and Mirena. So then tell me why I am reading all your stories and it feels like I am reading my story back to myself? We can't all just be crazy here!!! I mean, some of my symptoms are so dead on with what others have shared, and the only thing in common is that we all have/had the Mirena IUD!! I honestly think people think that Doctors are Gods and that what they say is the word. Don't get me wrong, it takes a lot to be a doctor, and there are many many great ones out there, but in the end, you know your body more than anyone else!! So anyways, going back to the hell I have been dealing with: Within a week of having my Mirena put in, I got a MAJOR kidney infection. I have never had any problems with my kidneys whatsoever. The infection got so bad (I had no idea what it was) that I almost got Sepsis from it, which can be fatal. Since then, I have had 2 more kidney infections, as well as passed a kidney stone (which may or may not be related). Also, within that first week, I went from being a happy, active, energetic human being to being depressed, moody, panicked, weak, lethargic, and EXTREMELY fatigued all the time. I look in the mirror and don't even recognize myself anymore: I can't keep up with my son, the housework, cooking dinner and taking care of my family. I have watched my whole world literally fall apart. My partner and I split over a month ago, and I lost my job. I feel like the most worthless person on the face of the planet. I feel so horrible for my son because I just can't do the things he wants to do. All he wants to do is play, and I just can't do it. I can't be a normal mother to my child because I have no energy at all. I feel tired and weak CONSTANTLY, and just getting out of bed in the morning takes an act of God. I have to nap when my son does, because if I don't, I won't make it through the day. Even when I do get my naps in, they are not energizing naps, they are just to keep my head above water so that I can at least do the bare minimum to take care of my son. This is the complete opposite of the person I once was. I used to love life! I used to run and hike, and treat the world like it was my playground. Now all I do is sleep, and schedule my life around sleeping and just try to get by. The depression and anxiety attacks are new to me too. Some days I am in such fear of the anxiety attacks that I don't even leave the house. I have become a total hermit, and it's not fair to my son at all. I have also experienced pretty significant weight gain, and am still gaining. I have always been very fit, active and petite with an average weight of 110, and now here I am pushing 130! That just is not me!! With my small height of 5'3" it just doesn't look right. No wonder why my husband doesn't want me anymore!! I'm chubby, I sleep all day, I'm depressed, moody, and afraid to get out of the house!! I would do anything to have my life back. I would do anything to have my family back!!! That's why I ended up coming across this site in the first place. Like so many others, I have spent hundreds of dollars going to the doctor, and having all these expensive tests done just trying to figure out what the hell is wrong with me! You name it, and my doctor has tested for it, only to have everything come back looking fine. I can't even begin to tell you how extremely frustrating it is to sit there in my doctor's office feeling the way that I do, and knowing something is definitely not right, only to have her tell me, "You're fine. It's all in your head. Take this anti-depressant and you'll feel better." So, my initial intention was to go online and try to find some tips on how to increase my energy level, and suddenly all these links started popping up about Mirena and chronic fatigue. I started reading your stories on here and it was like a light suddenly went on in my head! And for the first time in almost a year, I felt the relief that I have been literally praying and praying for!! I have already called my doctor's office and made an appointment to have the damn thing taken out next week! I am actually excited for it! I keep thinking: What if this is it? What if this is the reason why I have been feeling so bad? What if they take it out and I become ME again? The me who used to camp and hike and fish and run and hold down a freakin job and play with my kids and take care of my family and have passions and hobbies?!!! What if??? Well, I am going to find out! I will post again and let you ladies know how it goes! If it does turn out that it was the Mirena that caused all this, you bet your booty I'm gonna be the world's biggest advocate on getting that thing pulled off the market!!!

It's nice to know that I'm not alone..

I got Mirena in November 08, and since then I've developed a plethora of unpleasant side-effects. Initially, I couldn't put them all together. As I'd had a fainting spell and some restless legs a few months prior to getting Mirena, I've been concerned that all of my symptoms were stemming from a nutritional deficiency like folate or b12 anemia. Nothing seemed to quite fit exactly right though, and I take vitamins regularly, so I was perplexed until last night. After googling "tingly feet" and "heartbeat" I stumbled onto one of these forums.

I have felt like a crazy person all of this year, and I am now quite certain that it's from Mirena. Feeling foolish that I didn't see this sooner.. but I guess I we perceive what we want to, and I was happy to have easy birth control.

I've NEVER had heart palpitations, this kind of foggy-headedness, anxiety like this, unexplainable nausea, tingling in my feet, or depression before. My dizziness and fatigue alone had me fearing for my health, and my extreme mood swings had me fearing for my life.

I'm getting this removed as soon as possible.
Clearly I could've done my pre-Mirena research better, but the pamphlet and pep-talk I was given did not mention everything that I've been going through. I'm a little pissed, to be honest.. but mainly relieved.

I think I'm going back to the Nuvaring.. I'd rather bleed than be a dysfunctional, ill, zombie-person.

i posted a few months ago after having this IUD removed. i was most concerned about my energy and sex drive. my energy has FINALLY returned! for the last two days i have noticed a significant increase in my desire and ability to move around and get things done. my sex drive is still not back to normal 100%, but it is much better. my husband had a vasectomy at t'giving so i will be hormone free (artificial anyway) as soon as this mirena crap gets out of me completely. i'm sure some of my symptoms could've been attributed to other causes, as could my improvements, but i also don't trust the FDA or the drug companies so take my comments for whatever they're worth. other changes back to normal: my breasts are just big now, not colossal. i don't have "that smell" anymore. even my husband has pointed this on out! my lower back pain is much, much less. my mood swings are drastically better as well. this device is WONDERFUL for some, but for others, terrible. it is a shame that the larger portion of the medical community serving women (and indirectly, their families) and the drug-maker don't seem to want to address this in a fair and balanced way.

I have to say, this drug was made for me. I did quite well on it. I was on it for a few months to control my progesterone levels, which was elevated about 6 months ago. I stopped growing so much chin hair, I lost about 30 lbs and I felt sexy and vibrant. However, getting off them has been the hardest part. I am constantly spotting, my breast hurt so much and I am beginning to see the hair loss again. It's like a cruel joke. I am enduring this to give my body time to get off them but it will be a tough road ahead of me.

Hi everyone, I have been on Loestrin fe for 8 months and I am 45 years old - taking the pill again after a four year absence. I have found that all of the posted side effects are true - but are greatly minimized by taking the pill EXACTLY at the same time every day.... if you are off by even a half hour you WILL have breakthrough bleeding - sometimes with clots and with drawl-like headaches... my gyn says no way - but I actually tested my own theory this month - much to my regret - I am right... I am ready to quit as I am at the end of my rope. Fortunately for me my blood count has come back into the normal range after the last two years of horrific bleeding every 11-26 days without a break.

I am going to go off next month - and I may have RESET MY SYSTEM so to speak - if no I will take a hysterectomy please... straight up with a tummy tuck to match!!!!!!!!!!!! Please email me if you ever want to discuss - I am a nurse anesthetist and have a great deal of sympathy for all of you out there. I am not sure if this drug is a bad one - but I think it is so low dose that timing must be precise for it to work properly. I have stayed on it only to reduce the bleeding (perimenopausal/estrogen dominant I am sure) twice a month periods that last 7-8 days. It has worked for me in that regard - but the first 7 months were plagued by horrific (and I mean really bad) right sided headaches that scared me. I had relief from NSaids (Motrin) so I almost overdosed on that stuff. Not good. My next strategy is to do saliva testing for cyclic hormones OFF the pill to see what kind of hormonal swings I really am having - and to adapt a more natural approach - possible progesterone cream to alleviate the misery of it all....
Much Love, Ellen M

Am Kelsey, 30 years old mom of two first shot pregnancy kids - 31/2years old and a 20 months old. i had Mirena IUD inserted after my second baby and had it for 13 months. All was well save I was in very bad moods all the time.
After removal is now the nightmare. I used to get pregnant ONE SHOT - but first cycle was 40 days anovulatory, second cycle was 37 days anovulatory, third cycle I ovulated and had low progesterone and miscarried (Yet Mirena releases small doses of progesterones - it messed up my natural progesterone release hence the anovulatory cycles because Luteinizing hormone does not trigger my ovaries to release progesterone on their own) at 61/2 weeks.

Before the pregnancy - I was diagnosed with a left ovarian cyst 5.2 cm in size. This happened when my body geared to ovulate and did not release enough Luteinizing hormones and formed a cyst...another side effect of Mirena.

Got my fertility painfully back and conceived again first cycle after miscarriage BUT my progesterone levels started going down and I am now on progesterone supplements to help maintain the pregnancy.
Mirena IUD must have contributed in killing my baby at 61/2 weeks due to my body being unable to produce progesterones on it's own.

Now pregnant and at 5w4d no fetal pole detected and my levels of progesterone are rising just because of the progesterone levels. Might be having a blighted ovum - all this pain because I made a choice to ruin my life with Mirena IUD

If you are considering Mirena IUD and wish to have children in the future - THINK AGAIN, that might be hard to achieve, if at all!!

It was nice to find this website, finally figuring out a reason why I get my yeast infections, headaches, naseau, pain on my left breast bone, fatigue, mood swings, etc... I always thought it was just me, but I'm now thinking that maybe it's not. I've had recurrent yeast infections ever since being on Yasmin (I've been on it for over 4 years) and my MD has never mentioned it could be the pill. I finally started seeing a connection between the two when I started tracking what happens to me when I miss taking the pill (ALWAYS a yeast infection). And it got me to thinking that maybe there are other women out there who suffer from the same thing. Also, at some points I actually thought I had serious mental/health problems b/c of my consistent headaches, fatigue, and mood swings. I used to be really active up until I was 19 when I started on Yasmin, and it went downhill from there. I guess I just thought that this was just my normal grown up self (I know sounds kinda lame). And I've totally experienced the lack of sex drive, it seems I'm only interested the week before I get my period or when I'm on it.

I was recently diagnosed with endometriosis. For the past 6 monthss i've been dealing with cramps so bad I had to be on percocet for weeks at a time just to be able to get through my days. After my laparoscopy two weeks ago my gyn suggested that I get on bc to help supress all fo the cramps and the cysts. As of right now i'm on day 7 and I'm miserable. I cry all the time and snap at my fiance constantly. I've been eating twice as much as i used to. I'm constantly exhausted and sex? What sex? No sex drive what so ever. It's completely gone. Not to mention I'm to tired to even bother anymore. And vaginal itching is very uncomfortable. No yeast infections, just itchiness. I'm calling my doc today to see if there's another bc that would make me a little less depressed. Last night I actually thought of suicide.
Ladies, you know your bodies the best. If something is not right, tell you doctors. Bug them until they listen and treat you properly. You do not need to deal with symtoms like this just because our docs got free samples from the drug companies. Tell your doctors what's going on with you. and good luck to all of you.

hi anna,
you asked if anyone had had thyroid problems whilst on yasmin???? i had a hypothyroid before i started taking yasmin due to autoimmune hashimotos. my levels had been the same for 2 years before i started to take yasmin,with 8 months of taking yasmin i needed my dose upped twice so there is definately a link. thyroxine is a hormone so i suppose that it stands to reason that all our hormones may well be affected not just the estrogen and progesterone levels in our body. birth control pills also seem to affect the neurotransmitters in our brains that control seratonin,dopamine and melatonin,that would explain the depression,anxiety and emotional instability a lot of us suffer from too.

sarah.

Kim
Hi BitterRN here.
All I can tell you about your hormone levels is what I too have experienced myself.
I had my hormones tested by blood and saliva 3 months after I quit bcp.
Both tests showed estrogen and progesterone levels as normal.........HOWEVER
On my saliva test My level was 11... Normal is 20-50 (I am sure I run on the higher end of that scale as I have or should say HAD the oily skin, oily hair, smalller breasts before yasmin..) This level is extremely low, and the test level stated LOW.
My blood tests drawn at exactly the same time on the SAME EXACT DAY, read normal (at the very lowest end of the scale) so my gyn said, all levels are normal.
NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!
When I had the results evaluated by a bioidentical Dr. later she said no, the blood levels were not "normal" and her words were "for an 80yr old maybe, but not for you"

So long story short, I kept testing, with saliva tests month after month (they have to be done at a specific time every month) and here is what happened.....

Month 4 after stopping,
My estradiol went to 0.8 now in the low range
Progesterone dropped to 72 now in the low range
Testosterone went UP to 15 still low range but higher.
Cortisol went up to 9.3 High ranges are 3-8. So just a little high probably from stress.
Symptoms, still feeling up and down with ? improvement.

Month 6 after stopping, (I skipped a month due to expense, I pay out of pocket for all these tests)
MY estradiol is range but still all of my symptoms are not gone
Cortisol still a little high at 8.9.
I am feeling better than before and symptoms are resolving, but I am not feeling getting better as quickly as I would like, so I do something REALLY REALLY stupid...

I try to start my old bcp ortho novum, thinking I did well on it all those years (12 yrs) and my hormones are pretty well getting to be more normal...or so I thought, now looking back not really, still had a ways to go, but I was not thinking clearly, and started them, at first I felt like things were getting back to normal, but about 12-15 after being on it, I felt the anxiety coming back. I stopped them on day 15, and it was like all the symptoms started over again (really wanted to die, How could I have been so stupid?) I believe I would have really felt better by now if I had not tried to do this.

Anyway, I saliva tested 1 month after and I already knew before the tests came back that my testosterone had fallen again to 17
My estrogen was normal at 1.3
Progesterone was really low at 16!!!!!! normal is 100-600
cortisol high at 11.

Next month after stopping
estrogen low again at 0.9,
Progesterone coming up at 52
testosterone 15 whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!! somebody shoot me!
still feeling like sh*!
I really tried supplementing with bioidentical hormones at my doctors suggestion at this point, but It is really hard to find a dose because they are used to caring for much older women so it was a guessing game, consequently, I think i used a little too much testosterone,

Next month testing
progesterone dropped and testosterone shot up to 80!!
I called the lab and they said this indicated the dose I was using was too high, that since I tested while using this high dose, the test was registering high (in other words this was not my true level and it would come back down as soon as I stopped using it.) I asked why my progesterone went down as I was supplementing with progesterone creme as well, she said when one hormone is too high the other hormones become suppressed. Ahh.
So I quit supplementing altogether.
And now I am waiting for the next results, I should have them by monday or tuesday.
Just a side note, I am feeling better just as I was before I tried to take the bcp the 2nd time. It seems like this time I may be getting better faster? I dont know, depends on the day you ask me.
This is why i have been asking silke about her hormone levels and why I think that it may be her testosterone that is the problem, as some women have trouble getting their testosterone up after being on bcp or after pregnancy. I really feel this may be the problem as I did not feel better until this particular hormone started going up, as i felt crappy again as it dropped (especially with the anxiety) However, a doctor not familiar with hormones will say a Low normal level is normal. Its NOT.
This is just my experience. I cannot write it in stone. Hope it helps.
BitterRN

Silke
Hi, did you get copies of your labs?
Anxious to hear from you.
BitterRN

Hi

Thank you for the long email Silke
I returned from my doctor visit
My estrogen and progesterone levels were exactly what they were one year ago way before the pill can anyone explain that.
My estrogen was a 10 and progesterone was a 2 exactly what they were one year ago before all this maddness

How can that be?

I thought all these symptoms Iam having was from hormonal imbalance from the pill??

Iam so confused!
Iam typing and my arms are all anxious just came on like 30 mins ago

So if its not my hormones making me anxious what is it???
Any thoughts??

That really confused me because everyone is like you have anxiety and these symptoms because of the hormones being thrown off but my hormones are what they were a year ago??

So whats making me anxious and having this crawling under the skin of of my arms its driving me nuts right now!!!!

hi foggyhead,
i always get nausea a couple of days before my period, the only thing i can compare it to is morning sickness,that is exactly how it felt when i was pregnant with my 2 daughters,i found it a bit alarming at first as i thought on no,don't say i've fallen pregnant on top of everything else! i have been off yasmin for coming on 9 months now and have had the sickness pretty much every period for the last 7 months. i am not sure if it is to do with our progesterone levels being out of whack,when you are pregnant the progesterone levels rise to keep the pregnancy and can cause some women to have nausea,i wonder if it this same mechanism that causes some women to have pre/post menstrual sickness???? like everything else to do with yasmin it is a mystery but it is not harmful just annoying.try some ginger in warm water or a peice of toast.that always helps me. hope you start to feel better soon,i think the length of time you suffer the side effects depends partly on how long you were on yasmin and also how badly it depleted your natural hormones and also how you care for yourself after stopping taking yasmin. i was on it for 1.5 years and was in a pretty bad hormonal state when i started taking yasmin as i had just finished breast feeding my daughter after a year and had not had a period when i was put on yasmin. i don't expect my recovery to be overnight but i know it will happen,have faith in your body,it may take it a while to repair the upset the yasmin caused but it will get there eventually.

sarah

Iam so sad your letter made me cry but in a good way

I just want to be well again
I goout than I feel bad again I have a good day than one or two bad

I cant be a daughter cant be a mom I cant work Iam going to lose my job my house my car my life.

No one around me understands just Dejay and you guys.
i feel like Iam living in a nightmare and cant get out.
I feel like I was thrown into full blown menopause and cant control it.

Yes I think the progesterone is good its natural but what you said makes sense me tooIam afraid but than iam desperate. Dejay told me not to take the progesterone until I get my bloodwork back on my progesterone levels. I dont know what to do nothing helps

I want to be best friends with my daughter again and go shopping and laugh and have fun

Its not fair.

Iam so sad
Everything I try doesnt help

hello ladies, hopefully you will be able to give me some advice! i stopped yasmin 4 months ago,my 1st 2 periods were 28 days apart which was my normal cycle before yasmin,my next period was 32 days,this one is later still,i am on day 36 and still waiting,i have a really bad headache,dry throat and a bloated tummy but no period! has this happened to anyone else? i saw my GP today,she said she will run some tests when my period arrives to see what my progesterone levels are doing as well as testing my thyroid again (am hypothyroid)....just wondered if anyone else has experienced this? on the plus side my anxiety is still greatly improved although i have a little bit more pre-mestrually but nothing like when i was on yasmin! at the moment i have all the symptoms of be pre-menopausal......i'm only 32!

Results are in....
all normal beside my iron is low....
doctor thinks the natural tablets that help regulate female hormones may have masked the progesterone levels (at least he believes me.....lol) but its reassuring to know that sugars, thyroid,etc are ok.
blood pressure still 130/90 still telling me i need to lose weight (i am on low gi diet at the minute) and trying as hard as i can i put on 15kg on yasmin and now weigh 90kg so understand blood pressure rises with weight but hey i see some larger than that ladies with no blood pressure issues so i know this is a definate yasmin legacy .and considering i had normal blood perssure on yasmin in the beginning and its only rises its largest when i was off it.
Question for ny ladies that gained weight with yasmin , did the blood pressure decrease naturally or did u lose weght and it decreased.

thanks in advance
Lisa

Hello There,

As someone who has now been off Yasmin for 7 months and suffered from acute anxiety from week 4 after getting off it, I can honestly say it has takent his entire time to feel like the 'old me'.

Another piece of advice for the lady worrying herself about a tumour, all of us who have suffered from anxiety and panic know that rationality does not always over power the irrationality of our thoughts, fears and 'what if's'. I would recommend you actively seek out medical advice to assure yourself that you do not have a tumour. I don't believe you do, but know how strongly your fears take over your life. It is better to take action and work through these fears then try and ignore them. The worst thing you can do with anxiety is let it rule your life and stop you from living it. You need to actively participate in everyday life to 'sensitise' yourself to it.

Believe me I know how hard life is when you are suffering from this. I also know how easy it was to shut down, not leave the house and just 'exist'. I now know that I always felt better when I pushed myself to experience things that I was fearful of (things mind you that I'd previously never feared...until Yasmin of course!).

Again I'd recommend anyone suffering from anxiety have their hormone levels checked, as low progesterone plays a major role in this. Our progesterone levels are so high when we are taking Yasmin that when we stop taking it they dive down. Herbal remedies such as Agnus Castus can be of assistance.

Warning about magnesium supplements. I started taking them about 3 months after I'd finished Yasmin as I was desperate for the anxiety to go and had heard they could help....unfortunately after a week on them I suffered 3 full days of complete panic and as a result had to stop. Be careful.

Another tip...STOP ALL CAFFIENE. This helped me a huge deal.

Goodluck all and god bless :)

Hello All,

To the recent posts about losing hair. I can imagine this would be very alarming for you. The loss of hair after Yasmin appears to be very common and is most likely due to your bodies attempt to re-balance your hormones. Yasmin decreases your testosterone/oestragen and increases your progesterone. When you come off it, your body automatically tries to re-balance these levels causing your testosterone and oestrogen levels to sky rocket, and your progesterone levels to plummet. These hormones are the reason that so many of us have an increase in libido, increase in water retention, increase in anxiety and last but not least, hair loss.

I would recommend that anyone off Yasmin have a blood test (specific to check your hormone levels...usuallly conducted on day 21 of your cycle). Any 'average' blood test will not show these important indicators.

I had the above test last week (almost 7 months after getting off Yasmin as I was still not feeling 100%) and it showed exactly the above....my testosterone was high, my progesterone was low. I have now started the herbal 'Agnus Castus' to re-balance these levels, and assist in my 'recovery'. I just wished I had done this test months ago.

Any doctor that is not able to link your symptoms to your hormone levels is not looking properly. See a doctor that specialises in womens health. A typical GP is unlikely to look deep enough.

Good luck and big hugs to all.

Post your symptoms since stopping Yasmin!!!

Hey everyone it's Kay21 here and I just wanted to post my 3 month off Yasmin update. Because stopping the pill is a hard decision, I figured we should all post are updates here to help/support those who are planning to stop or who have recently stopped Yasmin.

I have been off of Yasmin since April 17. As some of you already know, I was experiencing horrible side effects while on Yasmin for 3 years (particularly stomach problems, vaginal dryness, muscle cramps, increased blood pressure and heart rate and anxiety).

The first 1 month off of Yasmin was okay. In fact, I felt the best I had ever felt in a while. My blood pressure and heart rate decreased and the migraines and muscle cramps went away. But when I hit the 2 month (8 week) mark, I felt HORRIBLE. I was severely depressed and anxious. I was crying all the time and felt a severe sense of DOOM! The physical symptoms also started to become problematic. The acne increased and I started growing more facial hair. The worse symptom, however, was that I started losing a ton of hair. I would lose stray hairs all day (probably about 200 a day). Since I have hit the three month mark, the hair loss has gotten MUCH WORSE! Now I am losing CLUMPS of hair all day. I have seen several doctors about this. Some say it's because of stress and a few (a derm, GYN and endo) say that hiar loss is common after stopping bcp. I have already loss about 1/3 of my hair.

I am also really concerned, because I have not had a period since April 22. So my doctor has put me on provera for 10 days to induce a period.

For those who have stopped Yasmin, what have your symptoms been (i.e. increased acne, weight gain, anxiety, etc.). Has anyone experienced hair loss? How long did it take to get a period???

Thanks...