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[Meeka]

Ajanee,

lots of foods contain calcium, i'm sure you have already googled it but here is some info

http://www.ouh.nhs.uk/osteoporosis/documents/calcium-for-dairyfree.pdf

Its usually vitamin D3 that needs to be supplemented as many people have low levels, your GP should provide a blood test to evaluate this.   Calcium carbonate supplements supplied by the NHS are usually from inorganic products (limestone and chalk)  and research has shown that calcium supplements from organic sources like algae are safer and more effective.  Unfortunately they are expensive.   Calcium can usually be obtained from diet without need for supplementation.

I also have osteopenia and after reducing my oestrogen to one pump of oestrogel I found via a subsequent dexa scan that this was not enough oestrogen to maintain my bone density.   I have had to up the dose of oestrogen to 3 pumps to protect my bones.   When taking one pump I was not experiencing any meno symptoms and felt quite well but this was not enough to maintain my bone density.

I agree the NHS doesn't seem to prioritise meno or bone health. 

[Hurdity]

ajanee - hopefully now you are taking oestrogen this should help with ME/CFS because low oestrogen and testosterone can lead to some similar symptoms. Sorry to hear about all your problems but hopefully things will improve re your bones now you have started HRT.

Hurdity x

[anais]

Thanks for your replies. Meeka, I'm familiar with all the non dairy sources of calcium. My daily intake is well above the recommended daily intake according to MyFitnessPal but this has not protected my bones at all. I don't have my results of my recent DEXA scan. My previous scan showed that I was only one decimal point away from the diagnostic threshold for osteoporosis. My vitamin D levels have been measured twice since then, both times the tests were taken during winter, and both times my vitamin D levels were optimal. I don't have my most recent DEXA scan results but from I could see on the screen afterwards the numbers do not look good at all. Haemochromatosis is another complication. 66% of people diagnosed with haemochromatosis have osteopenia or osteoporosis according to the research, which isn't good.

Hurdity, thanks very much for your welcome. You seem to help a lot of people on this forum with your wide knowledge of all things menopause. As for ME/CFS I've had this condition since I was in my 20s. When my consultant asked me about symptoms like 'fatigue' I had to say that I have ME and because of that I don't live a 'normal' life like most women of my age, so I don't have any prior 'normal' to compare with. Fortunately he was ME aware and was understanding of its severity too. He said that HRT can't help with pre existing symptoms, so if my sleep was disordered before the peri/menopause for example, taking progesterone probably won't improve it.

Many conditions can have symptoms that can overlap with ME which makes it difficult for someone to recognise something else is going on besides ME. They will just feel "worse". Typically, treating the other condition is just that. The ME symptoms don't necessarily improve, but the person feels less "worse" when the other condition is treated or improves naturally. Of course I live in hope that HRT will improve my overall quality of life but I also know that realistically speaking it's probably not going to have all much impact on my ME symptoms.

[Clovie]

Can I just ask something on this thread please?

I've recently changed to estrogel from oral tablets.

Does anyone know how many pumps are in one of these canisters?

The GP I got my initial prescription from had no idea how many pumps a day a woman should have, clueless and admitted it, but he put 2 pumps per day on the label.

I've been using 3 pumps a day after reading up on here, and because it seemed to me that I wasn't getting enough oestrogen. (Quite rightly it seems, because I feel so much better since starting the gel at 3 pumps so I'd be reluctant to reduce it to be honest)

My other GP who I saw yesterday and gave me a repeat prescription seemed to think I was on 2 pumps but I didn't correct her as it was said in passing, and am wondering now if I will have enough of the gel to last me until I'm allowed to ask for more.

Argh.
I hope she doesn't say I can't use 3 pumps. 

[Cassie]

My canister lasts me over 2 mths but I only use one and a half pumps....

[Tangerinedreams]

Well I have done 11 days now with my Utrogestan tablets and have just been taking 100mg orally at night. I am prog intolerant so can't bear the thought of taking 200mg  (I am wary or using them vaginally as I suffer from weak bladder problems and don't want to make it any worse) .  Although I might give it a go next month to see if it's ok this way for me.  I feel quite good mood wise on these much better than on Femoston.  Waiting to get my bleed at the beginning of next week and see how it goes.  I've been getting stomach cramps but they are no where near as bad as on the other HRT tablets I have tried. 

The first half of the month when I was just having the Oestrogel 2 pumps per day I felt amazing, can't remember feeling this good in years!  I actually felt like I was in my 20's or something.  Hoping I get this every month.  Looking back I should have gone on this years ago, as I reckon my peri symptoms started about 4 years ago.  But better late than never I say.

I will be due to go back to the Dr's next month to get my prescription renewed.  Can anyone tell me how many months do they give you at a time 3 or 6 months? 

[Trufflecat]

Targeting dreams that sounds very good! Have you been prescribed the 100mg of Utrogestan?
My GP seems to give me only 3 months worth of prescriptions at the moment

[Tangerinedreams]

Hi Trufflecat, no I was prescribed 200mg by my Dr, but luckily the chemist gave me 100mg x double the amount of boxes, as this was all they had in stock.  I have read the messages about self medicating and taking less than you should, but decided to take 100mg as I don't think I could handle 200mg per day.  I will see what my bleed is like and maybe talk to my Dr about a yearly scan.  I am only with the NHS so not sure they will provide this.  Hoping you feel better after finishing your Utro, that sounded bad.

[cherub0308]

Hi
I'm looking for some advice please.

I am 48 years old and had my ovaries removed in 2014 due to severe PMS. Was prescribed anti depressants since 2009 for pms symptoms. I also had a fibroid and endometriosis under my belly button and on one ovary. I am also unable to tolerate progesterone in the merina coil and the everol conti patches.

I was prescribed livial due to feeling very anxious on the patches. My mood is up and down and still get hot sweats, night sweats and  no energy. By sat I am very tired I sleep for 5 hrs during the day. I was thinking  asking my dr about trying the estrogel and utrogestan.

Many thanks

Jenny

Ovary removal 2014
2 teenage daughters
A supportive husband of 23 years

[Hurdity]

Hi cherub

Sorry to hear you are struggling. If you've had your ovaries removed then you will be depleted in oestrogen and possibly testosterone and this could account for your fatigue - unless you have thyroid problems or iron/vitamin deficiency? Sleeping for that long is not normal  in the daytime and there is most likely to be a physiological explanation - it's a question of finding and treating it. Sounds like livial is not really working if you are getting these symptoms.

If you have endometriosis then you would have to take continuous progesterone - and I imagine this would have to be monitored if you do take HRT at all?

Are you able to ask to be referred to a specialist meno clinic in view of your history - ie ovary removal and endometriosis?

Hurdity x

[cherub0308]

Hi Hurdity

Thanks for your reply. I was discharged from the menopause clinic and was told to just continue seeing my GP. His field is gynaecology.

It just seems to be at the end of the week I sleep for that long. My anti depressants were upped about a month ago as my mood went low and I was back to  feeling very emotional. Thought I would be offered a different hrt but  looking at what's available I don't think Ive got much choice if I'm intolerant to progesterone.

I had endometriosis at the time of the operation. Don't know about now.

When I had the appt with the gynaecologist prior to the OP nothing was discussed about hrt and I was so anxious as I was coming up to a period I wasn't completely with it. In fact I just burst into tears because she told me I could be worse as I would go straight into menopause. Which I realise it's just brought it forward rather than continuing how I was and then the menopause.

May be this is as good as it gets Hurdity for me.



Cherub x

[Peterspots]

So if you have the urogestan for 10 or 12 days then you wouldn't need a scan but if you have it for only 7 days you would .....even if you have a bleed each month

[Cassie]

I thinkyou should have a scan annually if you are not taking it continuously....

[Clovie]

Thank you Cassie and StellaJane for answering my question from earlier, about how long a canister of estrogel lasts/how many pumps. 

[Tangerinedreams]

Hello ladies, I am so fed up! and annoyed with myself really.  I decided to take 100mg of Utro orally for the last 12 days of my cycle as I react badly to progesterone and didn't want to be feeling rough.  Well lo and behold I stopped the Utro almost a week ago and I have no bleed!!  I wished I'd taken 200mg now!  or tried it vaginally.  It did make me feel tired and dizzy though so not sure if I would have been able to stand 200mg.  For the last 5 days I have been in agony with stomach cramps and it kept feeling like my period was going to start and then nothing.  I had to take ibuprofen and paracetamol every 4 hours to cope with the pain.  Lost a lot of sleep as the cramps are worse at night.  For the last 2 days they seem to have eased off, so hopefully they will go away completely.

So now I am wondering if I am going to get a bleed this month or not?  Obviously I didn't take enough Utro to sort this out.  I am on 1.5 pumps of Oestrogel per day, and doing well on that.  Just wish the bleed had happened would have been out of the way by now.