Always use Progynova patches exactly as your doctor or pharmacist has told you. If in doubt, consult your doctor or pharmacist again.
Your doctor should always consider giving the lowest dose and the shortest duration of treatment. If you think that Progynova's action is too strong or weak, tell your doctor or pharmacist.
Adult women, including the elderly.
If you are hysterectomised (your uterus is partially or completely removed), you can start treatment at any time.
If you have an intact uterus and still have menstrual cycles, treatment should start within 5 days after the start of menstruation by combining Progynova with a progestogen.
If you do not have menstrual periods, your menstrual periods are very infrequent, or you are in the postmenopausal period, treatment can be started by combining Progynova with a progestogen at any time, provided that a possible pregnancy.
Posology
Unless the doctor tells you otherwise, treatment is started by taking two Progynova 1 mg tablets without chewing daily, after a meal. After a certain time, your doctor may reduce the dose to one daily 1 mg tablet.
After 6 months of treatment, it is recommended to stop the medication to check if the discomfort still persists.
Administration
After each 20-day treatment cycle, the coated tablets may be paused, usually for a week or less (cyclic HRT), or the coated tablets may be continued without interruption (continuous HRT). In the latter case, a new container is started directly at the end of the previous one.
Combined guideline:
If you have an intact uterus, the concomitant use of an appropriate progestogen is recommended for 10-14 days every 4 weeks (combined sequential HRT) or with each estrogen-coated tablet (continuous combined HRT).
Your physician should make an adequate provision to facilitate and ensure proper adherence to the recommended combination regimen.
The tablets should be taken without chewing, with some liquid.
It does not matter what time of day you take the tablet, but once you have selected a specific time, you should keep it every day.
Adding a progestogen is not recommended in hysterectomised women unless there is a previous diagnosis of endometriosis.
Change from other HRT treatments (cyclical, continuous sequential, or combined continuous):
if you switch from other HRT treatments, you must end your treatment cycle before starting Progynova treatment.
If you think that Progynova's action is too strong or weak, tell your doctor or pharmacist.
Like all medicines, this medicine can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them. For more information, please refer to the Patient information leaflet. The following diseases occur more frequently in women who use HRT compared to women who do not take HRT:
- breast cancer
- abnormal growth or cancer of the inner wall of the uterus (endometrial hyperplasia or cancer)
- ovarian cancer
- blood clots in the veins of the legs or lungs (venous thromboembolism)
- coronary heart disease
- stroke
- probable memory loss if HRT has been started after 65 years of age.
The possible adverse effects are listed below, according to the part of the organism that they affect and their frequency of appearance, which have been reported in users of different oral preparations of hormone replacement therapy.
Common side effects (may affect up to 1 in 10 people):
- Weight gain, weight decrease
- Headache (headache)
- Abdominal pain, nausea
- Skin rash, itching (itching)
- Vaginal bleeding including spotting
Uncommon Progynova side effects (may affect up to 1 in 100 people):
- Hypersensitivity (allergic) reaction
- Depressive mood
- Dizziness
- Visual disturbances
- Palpitations
- Dyspepsia (difficult digestion)
- Erythema nodosum (inflammation of the skin with the appearance of nodules, usually located on the legs)
- Urticaria
- Breast pain, tenderness in the breasts
- Edema (fluid retention)
Rare Progynova side effects (may affect up to 1 in 1,000 people):
- Anxiety, increased libido (sexual desire), decreased libido
- Migraine
- Intolerance to contact lenses
- Bloating, vomiting
- Hirsutism (excessive hair growth), acne
- Muscle cramps
- Dysmenorrhea (painful menstruation), vaginal discharge, premenstrual-like syndrome, breast enlargement
- Fatigue
