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[Sarlou]

Hi all

I'm new to this site and desperate for help and advise.

I am 42 years old and in early menopause. I started taking Fermaston 1/10 last Sept and to start with it changed my life, I felt like myself again! No sweats, thin skin, going to toilet 5 times a night ect, I had my life back!

Then in Dec three months after taking it, they stopped working. No period for three months and the sweats ect slowly started creeping back. Doc said prob needed a higher dose so put me on Fermaston 2/10 but asked me to see a gynocologist just to check all was ok. I started taking the new dose and eventually 2 months later I started feeling ok again. In the meantime I had a scan which showed a polyp and thick womb lining of 9mm.

I went in for a hysteroscopy, with biopsy and polyp removal under general. Three weeks ago - I was told to stop HRT immediately when I came round and that gyno would see me in 6 weeks, yes 6 weeks in clinic to see what to do next.

He called me after a week to say the results were non cancerous and no pre cancer either which was a relief and that they couldn't find the polyp??? and he said we will discuss options when I see him on the 9th Sept.

In the meantime my head is running wild with why? How?  and ifs??

If it's not cancer or pre cancer, what is it and what caused it? If it's HRT that caused it, then if I switch to a different HRT, why wouldn't it happen again? If it wasn't HRT, how will I get rid of it and make sure it doesn't come back?

Also being taken off HRT so appruptly has left me really down, sore boobs, and with what I can only discribe as a brain fog, I can't think! But weirdly, my sweats have not come back yet? Is this normal?

And help or advise would be greatly appreciated. Sarah

[Dancinggirl]

Hi and welcome to MM Sarlou
Don't panic - all the tests are clear and the womb thickening can easily happen in peri meno.  Whilst you were diagnosed as having an early menopause, you were probably in peri menopause which would mean you were still producing some hormones yourself but these hormones were fluctuating.  In other words your own hormones had probably started to work again and this would result in the womb lining thickening and would also explain why your flushes haven't returned as yet.
I suspect they may suggest having a Mirena fitted as this would keep your womb lining thin and you could then use oestrogen alongside - preferably as gel or patch and you would be able to adjust the oestrogen dose to the level that stops the flushes. 

You are young and if your oestrogen level is rising an dfalling then you do need eorogen to protect your heart and bones for the long term. 
See what the gyane suggests but do read all the info on this site to get clued up so you are armed with the right information and questions when you see him.
Dg x

[Sarlou]

Thank you dg for your reassuring words,

I'm just so down at the moment ( prob the lack of HRT) what you say makes lots of sense, but if my hormones are fluctuating and I have estrogen to stop the flushes how will I know what is the right amount? The Fermaston 1/10 was enough for a short while and then didn't work anymore. So while it fluctuates up and down like you say, how can I be sure it doesn't happen again? And become something more serious.

It's got me down as I am young and I feel like I'm old before my time- and I had irregular periods for two years before I started HRT and hadn't had a bleed for 11 months. And already I'm fed up with still not just being normal -also  is there anything else other than mereina coil that can be offered? I know I'm not going to get pregnant lol but I had an ectopic pregnancy about 8 years ago whilst having a mereina coil and so really don't like them....?

[Dancinggirl]

Sarlou - these fluctuations are a common part of peri meno.  You know you are on the right amount of oestrogen if your symptoms are under control - but the peri stage is tricky because of the fluctuations.

I had an early meno which started in my mid 30s.  I started HRT at 36 and found it difficult to find the right balance because of those fluctuations. I kept to a low dose fro some years and just put up with these symptoms coming and going until I just new I needed a slightly higher dose.
The Mirena is often used as part of HRT (not as a contraceptive) as it usually means all bleeding stops after the first few months (which is great).  The Mirena will prevent or shrink things like polyps and fibroids and maintains a thin womb lining - and you then can use oestrogen alongside and use the amount you need according to the flushes - so this has flexibility which can be great.  The alternative would be to use oestrogen as gel or patch ( there are different strengths of patches but the gel is very flexible on dosage)  - you could then take progesterone as pills and use either Provera or Utrogestan for 12-14 days each month but you would continue to get a withdrawal bleed every month - again this combination would give more flexibility.
Here is the link to the page on this site that explains these options:
http://www.menopausematters.co.uk/to_progestogens.php
I'm afraid HRT is trial and error and while your own hormones keep kicking in and out you will get problems. Once you are into post meno then you can then find a balance that works for the longer term.

Serious complications from using HRT are still very rare and at your age lack of oestrogen can be serious for the your term health - so HRT is important for you. Thickened womb lining and erratic or problematic bleeding are very common in the peri meno stage whether you use HRT or not. Try to relax, get clued up on all the info on this site - please don't read too many of the horror stories - most women do really well on HRT but there are some that really struggle with side effects, so they are often the ones who visit this site.
Go to your next appointment with everything written down so you get the most out of the appointment, print of stuff from this site if need be as well - hopefully you will get a gynae who is clued up and up to date - sadly we often have to lead the way when it comes to getting the treatment we need. DG x

[Sarlou]

Thank you so much! I really appreciate you taking the time to reply to me in such detail.

I suppose I'm more paranoid as my mum had a hystorectomy at 40 as she had thick womb lining and while they tried to get the right balance she then got abnormal cells so had to have hystorectomy!

A small part of me thinks maybe I should  just have a hystorectomy as I'm so paranoid about the same thing happening to me right now 😕 But I know this wouldn't solve the other issues and is a big deal.... And don't know if they would even let me???
Why is it so difficult being female! 🙈