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[Belladonna]

In your experience, is it the estrogen or the progesterone that causes weight gain?

I have now gained 6 kilos in a couple of months despite dieting, from changing from a 50 mcg estradiol/250 mcg patch to 30 mcg ethinyl estradiol 3 mg drospirenone pill. This can't go on, I am depressed and miserable from the weight gain. I don't know how much is fat and what is fluid as I feel generally swollen but diuretics don't seem to help much.

I am going to call my gyn today and ask for something else, but what? Should I go for lower estrogen, lower progesterone or both? Different types of e/p? I am only 34 so I can't go too low either. Thee patch dose was too low and gave me acne and muscle wastage esp on my butt which totally shrunk. It has come back now and my skin is great but I can't handle the weight gain.

I am looking for something in between the patch and the yasmin bcp. Can anyone recommend something?

There is a lower estrogen, same progesterone avaliable called Yaz but I sort of feel it would be smarter to go back on the bio identical estrogen as it's supposed to have fewer side effects?

With estradiol there is a pill called Angemin/Angeliq that has 1 mg estradiol and 2 mg drospirenone.
And Femanor containing 2 mg estradiol and 1 mg norethindrone acetate.

[Hurdity]

It's difficult to say Belladonna. I think it varies from woman to woman.

I always find I'm bloated ( fluid retention) when on the progesterone phase of my cycle but the synthetic oestrogens may well cause weight gain too.

Some weight gain at menopause is expected due to metabolic changes (meaning diet needs to be modified and exercise increased) but I don't know whether this is the case with very early menopause as well?

Sorry I can't help further.

Hurdity x

[Belladonna]

Back when I still had functioning ovaries I was on yasmin for birth control and I didn't have weight gain. But I just realised that of course I was 3 weeks on 1 week off back then. It could be the constant supply of large doses of hormones without a break that's messing it up.

At the moment I'm so fed up with it and have crazy migraines that I have decided to take my last pill today and tomorrow I will go back to my patch.

Do you or anyone else know if it's possible to add a bit more estrogen when on a combination patch or pill? Or does that offset the progestogen effect?

I think I read about someone here who adds more estrogen but can't remember who it was.

If that's doable I could ask for estradiol gel or an estradiol patch in addition to the combi patch.

My other alternative is wearing two combi patches which would be 100 mcg estradiol and 500 mcg norethiserone acetate.