4 years
After refusing mirena, I did 3 months on pop (cerazette and femulen (now discontinued)) which I did not get on with - chest like rugby footballs which was painful and did not go down, added 3 more days to constipation issues, and swollen nethers. I was spotting constantly on the cerazette. I wasn't expecting such a lot of problems from the change - it has never been more than a passing thing before. Anyway, I was sure I was past meno and decided to chart and use condoms.
Then my periods came back
, I charted for 18 months and started using vagifem as the VA problems came on bit time following a rectocele repair. During this time, I was getting bleeding every 2/3 weeks which could be randomly heavy at times and I expect this was caused by oestrogen withdrawal bleeding from my charts - I was not ovulating, so bleeding when oestrogen levels dropped, or when the lining got too thick.
What worried me was my joints - they were always a bit stiff, but I was waking up one morning in pain, and it would take several days to wear off. Also, the vagifem was not enough and I had some catastrophic bladder incidents. I saw a retired gp who used to be a partner and was working as a locum and asked if I could try full hrt. She said yes, and said that she thought I was doing the right thing. This was ok but the 3rd month the pain was worse so I changed to femoston 1/10 and had some arthritis tests, which came up with vit D deficiency. I gradually got settled on these but was still having some issues. Unfortunately, my surgery suddenly decided my son and I were 'out of catchment' and I had to move from a practice with a choice of about 10 doctors to the local village practice where there was only an overworked part time female gp, a male gp who 'does not do womens stuff' and the prescribing nurse.
So now I am on Femoston 2/10 with vagifem. The new practice are less stingey with the vagifem so I am now much happier in the nethers and bladder. I want to try transdermal, but the patches available do not have the right sort of progestogen available and I guess I would have ask to see a consultant to get gel/uterogestan prescribed and am probably not a bad enough case to be referred. I am letting sleeping dogs lie. I am ok at the moment. I take vit D all year round, magnesium when I feel I am getting too stiff. I wish I bled less but I have always been a bleeder
but at least it is confined to 4 weekly. Also, no night sweats which is a blessing - had these for years on femodene with realising what it was!
I am putting on weight
and need more exercise and bigger bras
Since I came off Femeston I have woken up with my teeth and muscles clenched. I have never got to the bottom of this and it won't go away. I am sure it is the tight muscles that make my connective tissues round the joints sore. I do yoga and stretching which gives temporary relief. Coffee makes it worse and gives me palpitations/ adrenaline surges. I also have dry flaky greasy skin and spots.
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Topic: Can you replace HRT with the pill (peri-meno)? (Read 6760 times)