Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Poppyflower]

I was wondering if anyone who has issues with their progesterone part of HRT can list some of their side effects/symptoms. Am trying to sort myself out and am wondering if I am having issues with estrogen or progesterone part as they are taken in one patch. Thanks

[dazned]

Poppyflower just came back from specialist gynecologist and going to post so have a look might help you.

[Sunnydays]

I was given the following information on good authority...

'Oestrogen related side effects include breast tenderness and leg cramps. Progestogen side effects can vary, but may include headaches irritability and bloating. Unusual bleeding may also be a sign that the dose of HRT needs to be adjusted'

[Hurdity]

What patch are you on Poppyflower and are you taking both the hormones at the same dose all the time or as a cycle? If so it's difficult to determine. What symptoms are you experiencing? Sometimes low oestrogen can give the same side effects as too much progestogen - especially the synthetic ones which will more likely to cause adverse side effects than "natural" (ie bioidentical) progesterone like Utrogestan (that I use).

Hurdity x

[Poppyflower]

 The patch I take is the ortho evra patch which has 0.15 mg of norelgestromin (norgestimate metabolite) and 20 micrograms ethinyl estradiol. These are both synthetic and usually used for birth control. When I went to my specialist, she recommended the use of trying birth control to control symptoms as is supposed to over ride own hormones, so do not have any fluctuations. After trying three different types of pills for three months each, now is suggested to use this patch. My main wonder is if the amount of hormones I am getting from this patch is something like 10-15 times stronger than HRT, if that goes for the estrogen as well as the progesterone. The symptoms I am experiencing are not as bad as when I took the pills, and seem to last only a few hours to a few days. Symptoms are weakness, depression, feeling uneasy, mild panic attacks, intrusive thoughts, muscle twitching, diarrhea, GERD, waking every morning at about 3-4 am and anxiety. The mental symptoms are the most troublesome and I have never experienced any of them before in my life. Each time I stopped taking the birth control all mental issues went away, then whole bunch of other stuff would come back. Have been on this patch for only 6 weeks now, not sure if I should keep going?

[dogdoc]

Poppy... I have exact same and I think we're at the same stage of this trip. I can't take bcp due to migraine with aura but did start hrt a few months ago. Started with patches 25 ug and now on 37.5 ug with prometrium 12 days each cycle. I'm still early peri so I'm assuming I'm an absolute roller coaster of highs and lows with estrogen. I did however have some obvious symptoms of absolute low levels of estrogen ( vaginal dryness, flashes, sweats). So I know I still have a normal level of estrogen at times in my cycle, or variably between cycles. Probably sometimes too high and sometimes too low. Definitely an overall drop though as the dryness was pretty consistent.

BUT the goal of estrogen hrt in peri is to 'flatten' the ups and downs ( negative feedback loop with your brain), not override completely as with bcp. If you use a high enough dose of hrt estrogen though you will override your ovaries ( I think 100ug can do this in some women.... That's why Dr stud uses this for pmdd). I want to jump from one dose to the next to fix things NOW NOW NOW but it doesn't work that way. Feeling markedly improved ( but not perfect) so far at 37.5. Dr currie suggests 3 months at each new dose before changing as its time dependent. Sigh. Going to take awhile.
Tara

[Poppyflower]

Hi Dogdoc,

Yes, it does seem that we are at the same stage of this awful trip and I do take comfort in sharing with you and the other ladies on this forum. I am just like you in that it was not until my gyne at the mature womens clinic finally said I was in perimenopause, that i could say to myself it was all going to be ok. Until that time i could not wrap it around my brain that I did not have a terrible illness that was being over looked. I am certainly not saying that I still do not think like this at times, however am usually able to ignore it and just try to go on with my day......this is very difficult at times. I think that at my next visit in May with my Gyne, i will talk to her about trying HRT instead of BCP. Perhaps it will be tolerated better by my body. I find it so funny that as I age it seems my body is less tolerant. I have been on BCP over the years off and on with no problems, and now it just does not feel right. Sigh....back to the drawing board.