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[Misty22]

Hello everyone, I'm 43 and have been going through the menopause for a year now.Doctor put me on Prempak c,but kept getting stomach problems.Tried evorel 50 patches but I felt so sick!Now I'm on Femoston 1/10,was great for the first 2 months then started 3rd pack and 4 tablets in felt awful!bone tired,can't sleep,depressed and I started bleeding second week in when it should be at the end of the pack!Im so confused!Is it the tablet not agreeing with me or my symptoms coming back?Im so miserable I feel like I'm moaning all the time!

[Hurdity]

Hi Misty22

 

Sorry to hear you are feeling miserable.....When you say "going through the menopause" what exactly do you mean ie what has been happening to your cycles in the past year - how often have they been, and have you skipped periods?

Nausea is common with starting HRT - usually a temporary symptom due to sudden increase in oestrogen. This will settle if you give it time. It is generally recommended to give each HRT type 3 months to allow for side effects to settle - unless you have such a bad reaction that you can't cope. Otherwise you are not giving the HRT time to do its work.

If you are well advanced in your menopause then you may well need a higher dose especially as you are so young. When you are peri-menopausal it is common to experience bleeding at the "wrong" time due to your own hormones taking over.

Depending on where you are in menopause I would either consider the CCP Qlaira which will suppress ovulation and regulate your cycle - the oestrogen is the same as our own (estradiol) and as found in most HRT types. Information here: http://www.menopausematters.co.uk/contra2.php . Alternatively I would try an oestrogen patch (like Estradot) with separate progesterone (Utrogestan) - although this can sometimes lead to nausea when taken orally (mitigated by taking at night). These are listed here: http://www.menopausematters.co.uk/treatafter.php (scroll down) and here: http://www.menopausematters.co.uk/to_progestogens.php .

Hope this helps!

Hurdity x

[Misty22]

Thank you so much for your reply!Periods were regular up to a year ago then just stopped,have not had one since.A month later I got oral thrush,a water infection constipation,aching joints and depression oh and heart palpitations all in one week!Thought I was going mad!Had a blood test which confirmed menopause.Have given each hrt at least 3 months except the evorel,I just could not cope I work 12 hour days xx

[Hurdity]

Hi again - I presume you have been given cyclical HRT because of your age or because of erratic bleeding on continuous combined HRT? If you are post-menopausal this is usually given although many women remain on a cycle either because of the erratic bleeding or because they are sensitive to progestogens to some extent.

As you are so young I think you need a much higher dose of oestrogen to feel good - and you may well not be getting enough to protect your heart and bones.

I would strongly suggest you either go onto Qlaira - the CCP - although this has high doses of progestogens for part of the month so it depends if you can tolerate this? Alternatively go for oestrogen only patch (Estradot is the best as it is so small) or gel with separate progesterone (Utrogestan).

Another suggestion is to increase your dose to Femoston 2/10 although the progestogen dose for this one is the same as for 1/10.

Final suggestion is to have a Mirena coil (which gives localised progestogen to the womb lining where it is needed to keep it thin)  and then have separate oestrogen patch or gel as above.

Any initial nausea should subside.

All the products are listed under oestrogen or progesterone at the Treatments tab above. You will need to read about them, decide which one you want to try (or to up your dose) and then go to your doc and be assertive!

Re the erratic bleeding - some women do find their cycle resumes after 12 months without a period and this is apparently more likely with premature menopause - although yours wasn't exactly that. If this happened then your own hormones could upset the HRT cycle.

Whatever you decide  you should increase your oestrogen somehow!
Hope this helps

Hurdity x

[RedFraggle]

I'm also 43 and the GP started me on the 2/10 straight away. She said at my age I needed the extra oestrogen. I'm getting on really well with it (6 months in)

[Misty22]

Thanks Hurdity,yes was given cyclical HRT because of my age.My doctor has suggested several times to have the Mirena coil fitted because it will not give me the headaches when I'm on the progestogen tablet.Dont know if it is just me but I find it hard to get my head round it all!I suppose I just want to find that magic pill (if there is one!)to feel normal again!Im going to the doctors again tomorrow,will keep you posted xx

[Mary G]

Misty22, sorry to hear that you are not getting any relief from the Femoston.  I was on Angeliq and had very similar problems to yourself, mainly because the oestrogen dose was way too low and the progesterone way too high - a lethal combination for someone like me.  Whenever I tried a new HRT product, it always started off well and then it would either stop working due to lack of oestrogen or the progesterone content would build up in my system and cause migraines.

I would suggest you try the higher dose of Femoston first and if that doesn't work, try the Oestrogel/Utrogestan (micronised progesterone best used vaginally) regime.  I have been on this regime for 3 years and it is the best I have used by a very long way.  This is Professor Studd's tried and tested regime and it might be worth checking out his website.

If you are sensitive to synthetic progesterone in any way and/or suffer with headaches or migraine, I would steer well clear of a Mirena coil.  Although most of the progesterone is localised and confined to the womb, enough of it gets into your overall system to cause side effects - breast pain, low mood (while reproductive) and once menopausal, migraine in my case. 

The problem many women have with HRT is that the oestrogen component = feeling great with good mood and for many women progesterone component = low mood, breast pain and feeling strange/dreadful - I really wish there was an alternative. 

Therefore, if you are at all sensitive to progesterone, you really need to limit its use otherwise it have a drag down effect and ruin all the positive effects of the oestrogen.  Sadly, this causes many women to give up on HRT completely which then leads to all sorts of other health problems in both the short term and long term. 

I hope that helps.

[Misty22]

Thanks Mary G for your advice,I'm so pleased I've found this site sometimes you feel so alone and nobody understands how you feel.Will ask for the higher dose of Femoston tomorrow,fingers crossed it will work xx

[Vanessa1]

Hi Misty, I'm on Femoston 2/10 and doing great;  I started on the 1/10 but after 3 months upped it to the higher dose of oestrogen.  So far, so good!  Good luck xx

[Peroxideblader]

Hi did you get any side effects the first week on femoston like nausea I know every9nes different and have you noticed much weight gain or bloating thanks

[Misty22]

Hello,no nausea in the first week,started getting that after 2 months!Ive been lucky had no weight gain and no bloating xx

[Peroxideblader]

Nausea after 2 months oh no....I'm glad to hear no weight gain or bloating I try so hard to keep slim as it is and the tummy and hips are already fatter without hrt adding more lol 

[Misty22]

Hi there again,you may not get any nausea!It may just be the right one for you!I try hard to stay slim too,but it is difficult I only have to look at a bar of chocolate and I gain 5 pounds!xx