Hi Seakat,

It's highly unlikely that your gaining weight in your middle area is due to progesterone.  I don't think that you will find that you lose weight by taking it less often.  As to side effects, it depends on what your menopausal symptoms are.  If you were having issues with sleep and/or mood, you may have a return of these by going to fewer days of the capsule.  If you are taking it only for uterine protection, you probably won't notice a difference.

The weight gain is more often related to estrogen and is something that we all struggle with in menopause.  It becomes easy to gain and hard to lose.  Your best course of action is to be on the lowest estrogen you can tolerate and a transdermal (patch) is a better route of delivery (you can use much lower doses and it is safer with regard to heart protection).  Watch your carbs especially, as they are most likely deposited as fat around your middle.  Make sure you're getting plenty of proteins as well as doing exercise to build or tone muscle.  Both of these will increase your metabolism which slows in menopause and must be raised to lose weight.  Finally, what really helps raise metabolism is to eat small, frequent meals...each one balanced with a little protein, small amount carbohydrate and a little fat.

Good luck to you.  It will be a slow process, but you can do it if you hang in there!

Sandy

seakat

7/ 1/09 9:40pm

Yes, I believe the prometrium was for uterine protection.  Transdermal (patch) for premarin .45 or for the prometrium??

Sandy Greenquist

7/ 2/09 6:54pm

transdermal patch of estradiol (bioidentical estrogen), comes in various doses.  you can use a much lower dose with patch than with oral.

Sandy

livestrong

5/19/10 9:41pm

Sandy--

She is not talking about regular weight gain.  She is talking about abdominal bloating which is a known side effect of prometrium.