Short luteal phase and agnus castus

[elettaria]

Well, my gynae's taking me off the progestogen (Cerazette/desogestrel) for the PMS as it doesn't seem to be doing me any good. She sounded worryingly like she's not going to try any other treatment on me, though she's going to consult my GP to weigh up the risks of putting me on cyclical Prozac

Comments

[tritsy]

how strange that you mention this -- i was *just* discussing this with a friend of mine who teaches the creighton method (very similar to fam). she's noticed a trend in her clients who suffer from intense PMS symptoms -- ALL of them have short luteal phases (less than 10 days). she's looking at the results of her clients that take oral supplents versus those that use natural progesterone creams. supplementing progesterone in any form, although capsules of prometrium (here in the states) taken by mouth seems to give the best controlled response, both increase luteal phase and lessen the symptoms of PMS

[elettaria]

How interesting about the luteal phase/PMS connection. I didn't really get a chance to ask my gynae about it, she seems to be rather scornful of FAM charting. It's really annoying me, because from what I've picked up it's a significant hormonal disorder, and were I trying to conceive they'd have to be paying attention to it, I'd presumably be miscarrying continually. Do you know anything more about this? I've only been charting since Feb, so I don't know what my luteal phase was like before the PMS hit (which was a year ago

[tritsy]

it is unfortunate that most physicians seem clueless to the female cycle and how things really work. it's sadder that most people take what a physician tells them as rule without doing any research themselves. i've also found that many ob/gyns wrongly think that charting is the same as the rhythym method and give an unfavorable response. it is very frustrating

[elettaria]

The vitex is in capsules as I'm crap at taking tinctures (proven enough times by now), but it's a reputable brand at least. It's 1033 mg of the calcium, will it really matter if I take it all at once? With my memory problems, we're doing well if I take it at all.

It's probably a good thing I'm not using FAM for contraception (apart from anything else, I wouldn't be suited to it), my gynae would have a fit.

My mother had trouble with repeated miscarriages when she was my age, and she was put on progesterone injections so as not to lose me when she was pregnant with me. She later had perimenopausal oestrogen-dominant breast cancer, so I have a strong feeling that hormonal problems of this sort are running in the family as a luteal phase defect apparently causes oestrogen dominance.