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[anj]

I've been a lurker for a while so I'm hoping some of you lovely ladies can advise.

I'm 46 and struggling with symptoms which seem to be hormone related.  My periods have become irregular and when I skip one my symptoms appear much worse,  main symptoms are poor sleep and low mood.  When my periods are regular I feel I get these symptoms for a few days, period cones and bang I feel normal again.  But the times when I have a longer cycle or skip a period I feel terrible until that period comes.  Not really having hot sweats (yet), bit achy bit not sure how much of that is busy life related.

I saw GPs last week and he suggested I start hrt and has prescribed elleste duet 1mg.  I haven't started it yet as he advised me to wait for my period to eventually arrive and start it on day 1.

I've read quite a bit now and I'm worried about the effects of the combined (green) tablets on my mood.  As I already feel terrible before my period and am concerned that it could make this worse.  I have taken norithisterone in the past briefly (to delay periods when volunteering  abroad) and seemed OK on it but still frightened to death of feeling worse than I do now.

Would you give it a go?
Go back to gp and ask for another form of hrt?

If I do give it a go when would any low mood effects of norithisterone be likely to show their face? 

Thanks for any help you can be.

A

[Dancinggirl]

Hi and welcome to MM
If you were fine on Norithisterone before then you'll probably be OK with Elleste.  Only a small proportion of women are sensitive to these progesterones - they wouldn't be on the market if they caused problems generally. It is worth giving the HRT a go as it may stabilise the fluctuating hormones (so typical of the peri meno stage) and make things better.  DG x

[Cazikins]

  anj

It's usually a bit of trial & error with HRT.

It took quite a few goes for me to find the right one, even then as I progressed through the menopause & my circumstances changed, I had to try different combinations. For me the key was having a GP that was willing to listen to me - everything I learnt was from this forum, in fact I taught my young female doctor a lot from info on this website.

Try it for about 2 - 3 months, keep a diary/notes, then list the symptoms that are better against the ones that are not.

Cazikins x

[bella mama]

hi Anj

Just noticed your message and thought I would let you know how I am getting on with Elleste Duet.  I too was worried about starting hrt.  I was 40 when peri menopause hit me....I thought hrt risks were scared and I worried  the green tablets would give me pmt symptoms.  I started taking the 1mg at age 42.  I have also had a year off from hrt and now just started back on hrt elleste duet 2mg about 4 weeks ago and I am now 45. 
 Looking back on life with hrt compared to without it..
Well my experience With hrt is this...the brain fog clears and memory better, mood swings more stable, my joints and muscles feel so much more eased, my frozen shoulder symptoms going....anxiety calms, heart palpitations hardly there, headaches much better...I could add a few more things on here!
It doesn't clear everything up! But makes life so much easier to cope with.  I no longer feel like I am 85!
It's may be worth a try for you if your benefits of taking it outweigh the risks.
The first time I took it I had about 7 weeks of my body ...getting used to taking it. But this time around I have no side effects yet apart from the positive effects.
Good luck with it all

[Dancinggirl]

A wonderful and positive post bella mama - all too often we get very negative posts and it's good to hear a positive experience.  Dg x

[Hurdity]

Hi anj

  from me too.

Can't add anything to the already great posts except to say got for it girl!!

Keep us posted

Hurdity x

[anj]

Thank you so much for the lovely replies.  Think I will give them s go.  Just got to wait for that period to finally arrive now lol!

Will keep you posted

[dazned]

I was on elleste duet for 5 years and did great on it ! As others have said sometimes it's just down to trial and error but you have to start somewhere