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[Hurdity]

Hi karenja

You may not feel better immediately you back to the oestrogen only patches - because women often suffer pmt during the progestogen withdrawal phase, even those who can tolerate the progestogen itself.  If so you should begin to feel better shortly after your bleed starts and the progestogen has cleared from your system.

Hurdity x

[karenja]

hi hurdity Im on my third patch today, but even before I put it on I woke up with a headache and a bit of nausea, the nausea has passed but the headache hasn't assume this maybe pmt I used to get headaches before a period x

[Hurdity]

Hi karenja

There are two types of pms really - those who are progesterone intolerant start to get unpleasant side effects as soon as progesterone starts to rise after ovulation - in the second half of the menstrual cycle.

While most of us experience some effects of progesterone at this time - perhaps tiredness, a bit of bloating maybe, perhaps some sugar cravings etc - for those who are intolerant the side effects can be much worse and include headaches, fuzzy/foggy head, fatigue rather than tiredness, and very low mood.

Those who are generally OK during the progesterone phase, maybe suffer from pmt when the progesterone (and oestrogen) levels drop dramatically just before the period - and sometimes when they rise just after ovulation. I talked about this on another thread today - that this is probably due to physiological changes and leads to headaches, tension, irritability - that many of us are familiar with! This dispappears once the period starts - or at least after a few days. I remember feeling the tension drop away as the progesterone cleared from the system, and my head would clear. It was such a relief!

If you are getting headaches during the whole of the progestogen phase then it could be that you are intolerant to this progestogen as has been said already. As others have said these side effects may disappear as your body gets used to this new hormone, which is why 2-3 months is suggested.

Some women feel nausea when oestrogen levels increase rapidly but this should settle hopefully!

I hope I'm not repeating myself too much or what everyone else has already said! Also that your headache clears up - a persistent headache can be debilitating.

Hurdity x

[karenja]

Hi Hurdity, thanks for your reply, its actually the first time Ive had a headache since Ive been on the patches and as its my last week, (one more to go when I change to it on Tuesday) that's not too bad, had headache most of the day though, its cleared now x

[karenja]

just to add I was told I have quite sizeable fibroids a few years back when I had to have a scan I was having a lot of urine infections, I was told these would shrink when I went through menupause but will this change now Im on hrt? x

[karin]

Dear Hurdity after reading what you posted i would associate myself as intolerant,my brain turned to mush, i couldn't concentrate , i flushed, felt sad  and had insomnia for 5 consecutive  nights. Having a full career this makes like very hard to tolerate. This is completely not me and i found it scary. My GP is happy to work out options after month 2, please can you advise best progesterone options to give me something to take to my GP , tablets are least preferred and im ok with a coil if nec. Thank you so much

[karenja]

Hi Karin

Ive read that Estradot patches (changed twice weekly) and a separate progestogen for example Utrogestan  is meant to cause less side effects, or Utrogestan 200mg taken at bedtime is meant to cause less side effects (monthy bleed hrt)worth looking up or chatting to the dr about, Im going to when Ive tried this for two months as well.

Hopefully the second month will be better x

[Hurdity]

Hi karenja

Here is the information on fibroids and menopause from this site:


Fibroids   
    Fibroids are benign smooth muscle tumours of the uterine (womb) wall and are dependant on estrogen. They tend to shrink after the menopause but shrinkage may not occur, or they may even increase in size with HRT use. Increase is thought to occur in 25% of HRT users and mainly occurs in the first six months of therapy. There is some evidence that transdermal (patch or gel) but not tablet HRT nor tibolone may promote fibroid growth. [ref 24] Fibroid size can be monitored by regular examinations and sometimes by ultrasound scans. There is some evidence that the use of the progestogen releasing intra-uterine system, Mirena may cause fibroids to reduce in size. Mirena is often used in the perimenopause by women who have heavy periods and/or require contraception and can provide the progestogen part of their HRT.

http://www.menopausematters.co.uk/atoz.php#GlossF

Hi karin - as karenja says - you could try Utrogestan which at least is the same as our "natural" progesterone, rather than a synthetic one. Re the Mirena coil - this seems to affect some women negatively but others swear by it - and I think it will depend how much of the progestogen is absorbed into the body and how you react to it. It contains the same progestogen as Femseven patches ie levonorgestrel.

Hurdity x

[berniebh]

Hi have been on Evorel sequi 50 g for three months , started to feel better but been really down and feeling anxiety , getting a little scared.