Norethisterone III

How does synthetic progesterone, Norethisterone, affect my mood? I can only find out by varying what I take.

My retired doctor friend said an option would be to take norethisterone all the time. When my levels change, then my moods will. I could cut it out, continue on the current regime of twelve days in every four weeks, or take it all the time. The GP was happy to prescribe norethisterone: it is oestradiol which causes the elevation in risk of deep vein thrombosis and so heart attack, stroke, pulmonary embolism etc. I can do what I like with norethisterone.

The norethisterone I take is licensed as a contraceptive. I did not think my risk of pregnancy was that high, but there you go. It is a dose a third of what I was taking, so I have to take three pills: I heard that contraceptives had far higher doses of hormones than HRT, which is not true of these pills: you have to go into these things in great depth or just do what feels right, and trust. I don’t know that an in depth understanding of current endocrine theory would help me make better decisions. I also see that norethisterone is used to delay bleeds or mitigate heavy periods, which might seem to contradict what I had heard, that it is used in HRT to precipitate a bleed; but different doses may have different effects in different situations.

The first thing I decided to do was take it all the time. I wanted greater control; and I wanted to see what effects altering what I take might have; but I am not sure I want to reduce my emotional lability. When it’s good, it’s really good. My friend said that menopause was a relief, as she got her analytic mind back. During her period, it left.

I want the intensity of feeling, because it feels good, and may help me understand my desires. I find myself swayed by attraction and aversion rather than calm analytic thought, and that feels like me making the decisions.

And on Sunday night I sent off an email. I reacted rather than responding. I did not improve the situation, and may have made it worse. I made a politic decision: rather than saying “I am angry” I wrote “I am distressed”, because that gets more sympathy, even though as I read on facebook “Angry is Sad’s bodyguard” and my choice of word was calculated- analytic enough. The communication I had received was badly expressed, but it was a lot less offensive when it was explained to me than it had seemed. That is, there are risks; however my feeling angry sad or fearful is usually a good thing, and not to be feared.