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[Jane44]

Hi there going through a bad time having an exaggerated immune response to something hospital querying auto imune disease or an immune response to something! Have got painful swollen ankles uveitis inflammation in both eyes and borderline blood results for kidney function !! Gp says hrt may help as it may be my body out of sync going through meno ! But he prescribed me continuous hrt is this right ? Thanks friend for any advice or similar journey

[TropicalVon69]

Hi Jane, not totally up on hrt to be honest but I'm sure you would need to be on sequential hrt so you would have a bleed.....I'm sure more knowledgeable ladies will help you out soon though...good luck 

[Limpy]

Hi Jane
Sorry things aren't going well for you. Sadly, I'me not an expert but here are my ramblings.

Having conti HRT seems a bit early given your last period was in March.
I think the normal guidelines are 1 year after the last bleed if you are 50 or over.
Sorry to be intrusive but how old are you? But perhaps your Dr is just thinking of trying it as a short term thing........

Mind you, I got conti HRT after only 6 months of not bleeding, but I was 54 and had, had consistent FSH readings of over 100. Do you know where you are in meno?

[claude66]

I am on HRT and started taking it while still having regular periods due to horrendous hot flushes and night sweats. (I'm 49)

I use Oestrogel daily and take progesterone for 12 days in the month.

not sure if that's a help or not but it's not uncommon to be prescribed HRT while still experiencing regular cycles.

[Dancinggirl]

Hi Jane44 - If your periods have only recently stopped then a sequential HRT would be appropriate. It still staggers me how ignorant doctors are about which HRT to give their patients!!!! do read up all the info on this site and perhaps print off the relevant bits to show the GP - I'd ask for a sequential HRT or you could have problems with erratic breakthrough bleeding. I would also suggest you try something like Femoston 1/10 as the progesterone is kinder and is well tolerated by many women.  HRT could well help you - it's worth trying.  Keep us posted.  DG x

[honeybun]

It is perfectly acceptable to take continuous HRT at your age.

I was put on it due to breakthrough bleeding by my GP. I had read on the forum it was not the done thing and I was worried my GP had got it wrong.
I emailed Dr Currie and she confirmed that what my GP had prescribed was the right thing.

I suppose if you think about it ...many women are on the mini pill...ie, no bleed. The progesterone keeps the womb lining thin and there is no need for a bleed.
So why can't menopausal women do the same.

I have been on a conti patch for three years now...I'm 54 and after the initial spotting I have been fine.

Honeybun
X

[Limpy]

If your periods have only recently stopped then a sequential HRT would be appropriate.

Dancinggirl - Perhaps the type of HRT depends on more than just the length of time after last period.
It did for me, after having emailed Dr Currie for advice......

[Dancinggirl]

Jane44 - we don't know how old you are but I think I read on another post from you that you are still getting the occasional period?
Many of us choose to use sequential HRT well into post meno because of the negative effects of progesterone taken continuously. It is often a good idea to take HRT in sequi form to start with so one can gage whether a particular progesterone is suitable or not. 
There may be a good reason why your GP has prescribed conti HRT but knowing that GPs can often get this wrong I would still question whether the GP has prescribed the right HRT.
Honeybun - you were lucky that your conti patch suited you - if the progesterone hadn't been suitable then you might have felt awful. Sometimes a conti HRT can actually cause breakthrough bleeding - a colleague at work had awful trouble with this. We are all different and finding the right HRt preparation can be trial and error.
DG x

[honeybun]

Yes trial and error. I did start on a sequi patch....Evorel, but after a couple of years I was having random heavy periods.....so then went onto the conti version. I'm fine with that kind of progesterone although I did try Utrogestan vaginally. I had horrendous bleeds and a very painful bladder so was happy to return to my original HRT.

Honeybun
X

[Jane44]

Thanks girls I am 52 in June ! So my last period was March this year had a gap of two months last year. Just not sure if my gp thought I would be better without a break don't know his rationalle. Maybe he thought with all this going on a continuous night be better it's so hard to know. I am still reluctant to take it till I have spoken to a few experts and listening out on here . I just want to go back to normal whatever that was. My back pains and ankle pains only started when periods becam irregular. This is the worst period of ill health I have ever had and an sure it is meno related. Has anyone else had their symptoms improved with hrt and how long does it take !

[Dancinggirl]

Jane44 - What HRT has your gP given you? The issue many women have with HRT is around progesterone.  Most of us feel really good when using oestrogen only but if you still have your uterus you need to keep the lining thin and this means progesterone has to be included.  You periods may be erratic for some time yet as you are clearly peri menopausal so your own hormones may be fluctuating. Taking a sequential HRT would mean you would have a couple of weeks on oestrogen only and then a couple of weeks using progesterone with oestrogen after which you would get a withdrawal bleed that would shed your womb lining - this would give some predictability to your cycle as it would control things. When using continuous progesterone with oestrogen this, in theory, would stop your womb lining from building up and after a few weeks/months there would be no bleeds at all.  Negative side effects tend to relate to progesterone and it's often about finding a progesterone that suits you. By using HRt in a sequential format you can tell whether the progesterone in that particular preparation is causing any side effects as you get the weeks using oestrogen alone to compare the difference.  If you find you feel good on a particular progesterone you can then move onto a continuous HRT is you wish.
As you are hoping to stabilise the way you feel, I still think a sequential HRT like Femoston 1/10  might be better but maybe you need to go back to your GP and talk this through and perhaps there is a good reason why he has given you a conti HRT.
Do read up all the info on this site and print stuff off so you can show the GP why you are asking these questions. I think HRT could realy  help you so it's worth trying but I do think you need to try the right type of HRT from the start.  Dg x