HI
Newbie to the board and to HRT. My head is buzzing with questions but I will try to keep it simple. I am 51 and haven't had a period in just over a year. I think I might have had my last one in July 2016 but I took the mini pill in December last year and had a never ending period that started 6 days later (red at first, then brown) and lasted for about 3 weeks after. I stopped the pill by the time it ended. Not sure if you can count this as a period or a withdrawal bleed?
Anyway, key things to mention are that I have a fairly serious medical condition that started a couple of years ago and seems to be linked to menopause and although there is no official position on it, the research seems to suggest it could be caused by the drop in estrogen. Some research has found that estradiol seems to help. Either way, estradiol 1.25mcg a day plus vaginal progesterone at 100mcg per day has been found to be safe for those with my condition.
Having said that, I've suffered histamine intolerance for the last 18 months. I have only just realised, since looking back over my menstrual history, that it started roughly after my periods stopped being regular in July 2016. Despite this serious condition I am supposed to have (debatable...but that's an argument for another day), my main probs are histamine intolerance, hot flushes, insomnia. The latter is a real problem, but I've always had trouble sleeping, especially around the time my period was due.
My symptoms weren't too bad but as mentioned, I thought HRT might help in a number of ways, and I had also developed a patch of melasma on my face during the summer about a fortnight after I started the mini pill again (at that point, I wasn't sure if it had been a year since my last period due to my confusion over the bleed in Nov, so I thought it best to take something). I had no bleed after I stopped. Flushes increased a bit if I remember right but it was summer and I've been putting the increase in flushes down to histamine intolerance, so they could have actually been going on for a while.
In the past, the only combined pill I could take was Logynon because I got breakthrough bleeding with anything else, plus I had a massive fibroid in my early forties that shrunk a bit after I had an arterial embolisation. Around that time, I was also diagnosed with hypothyroidism, which i take levothyroxine for.
Ok, so - to the questions:
I tried a progesterone cream vaginally for a couple of days. I felt tired when using it but it seemed my hot flushes got worse so I didn't sleep any better. Woke up drenched a couple of nights after only a few hours sleep. By that time, I'd done my research on estradiol and realised I could benefit from it in multiple ways. I decided to go to the GP armed with the info I found here (thanks). He prescribed Estrogel and I started on a lower dose of just one pump a day. I am watching for any negative symptoms regarding my condition and my histamine intolerance before I increase to the recommended dose.
Problem is, the flushes have become more frequent and intense and the insomnia has worsened. I know everyone says to persevere and/or increase to the recommended dose. That seems counter intuitive to me but I am willing to try. Before I do that I want to know if it is triggering more flashes and histamine intolerance, is that likely to calm down once I add progesterone?
Second question - doc knew I wanted a vaginal progesterone so gave me clynogel 200mcgs to use for 15 days a month. From what I read, I don't need to take this much for so long if I stay on the low dose of Estrogel. I want to follow Professor Studd's protocol of 7 days @100mcg. Or maybe 10 days if that is recommended. Can I cut the pessaries in half length ways to do this? Can I use it at night?
Do you think Clynogel will be as good as Utrogestan? I would take the latter vaginally for the same amount of time. I am not averse to taking it orally but am mindful of the health/histamine issue. Doc put it on my prescription first by mistake (we got confused about the fact the capsules could be used vaginally, I guess) so I think I can get some ready to start on day 14.
I hope all of the above makes sense and I didn't waffle too much. Thanks in advance for any advice you can share.
Finally, I see Prof Studd talk about taking the progesterone for first 7 days of the cycle. Seeing as I am having no periods so dont know when that is, can I just start taking it now for a week? Will it help with some of the issues I am experiencing? And would you recommend a cyclical dose because I am early meno?