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[DebsMK]

Is bad scalp tingling and hair shedding a symptom of low estrogen?  It was one of the many reasons I went onto HRT in the first place 2 years ago and it vanished very quickly afterwards on Femoston 1/10.  Over the last week it has returned as before and my hairdresser commented that there was a lot of hair in the sink after washing it yesterday.  Although on the grey pill part of the pack, I remembered my previous experience and this morning took a white estrogen pill a few days before I should - the terrible tingling vanished almost immediately!  So now I'm left wondering if I need a higher estrogen dose or more estrogen throughout the month and less progesterone?  Does anyone have any advice?  I am 56.

I did move to Femoston 2/10 for a while last year and developed bad eczema which disappeared when I went back down to 1/10.

[Nin17]

Hi Debs, I  a newbie to the forum, have just been to neurologist and heading to a menopause expert in a few weeks as a blood reading has shown low estrogen plus I have some additional sympthons eg dryness and occasional night sweats so at 45 I am on the slippery slope.
One of my sympthons are certain times ofy cycle would be the sensitive and tingling scalp, at its worst even to lift hair is tender, always on the right side where I get head and eye pain. I believe for me its related to low estrogen as when I had migraines at younger age, this was never a sympthons.
One thing I take when its bad is extra strength disprin, for some reason it works very quickly and gives relief to the tingling.
Hope you get some answers soon and get some relief take care xx

[Hurdity]

I would say the tender scalp rather than just tingling is part of the migraine Nin17. I often get this in the later part of my 3 day migraines - the back of my neck and then the same as you the whole top right hand side of my scalp is very painful to the touch - as if the pain focuses just on that area. For me this is nothing to do with oestrogen - just my migraine symptoms.

There are all sorts of reasons for hair shedding - but I gather low oestrogen is one of them. Some progestogens (in HRT) cause this (althoguh the one in Femoston is the least androgenic type along with progesterone), as does underactive thyroid, low iron and some vitamins!

You might benefit from a change in HRT although if you tolerate Femoston and are feeling generally well, it might not be worth risking something different. If you did go for a change then yes separate oestrogen and progesterone could be the way to go, and you could then increase the oestrogen without having to increase progesterone too - although I note that the progestogen dose in 2/10 is the same as for 1/10 ( ie 10 mg dydrogesterone).

Hurdity x

[Nin17]

Hi hurdity, I think the scalp is part of my migraine, I think I am still wondering how I got here, to a point where I have so many sympthons now that I didn't have before my acute attack last June.
I went to a neuro last week and he diagnosed chronic migraines made worse by hormones, because I had headaches and some menstrual migraines, he advised that my body was ripe for what's happening now. When I told him my estrogen was low on one reading, which is not strong data on its own, he more or less advised not to go down hormone route so I left him feeling a little deflated.

I plan to see a doctor with expertise in hormones and migraine nonetheless. I long for a time when I just get a few migraines over the year, he did say once I go thru meno it will improve. My primary issue is migraine but I know that hormones must be my smoking gun for this new world of migraine and worse sympthons.

Debs , really sorry to jump in on your post to hurdity. Hope the pain in the scalp improving xx

[Hurdity]

Hi again Nin17

Having hormonal migraines is not a contra-indication for HRT! Once your hormones levels have stopped surging about you may find they diminish considerably and if you take HRT - your hormone levels will be much more stable. Have you thought of the CCP - there is one with estradiol - bio-identical with your own hormones, although I think any CCP even the gentle ones may be contra-indicated if you get migraine with aura? If it is the classic type ie without aura I think you would be OK.

Otherwise depending on what your cycle is doing then a low dose HRT may help? Whatever you decide if you are experiencing dryness then local oestrogen is advised before the worst ravages of vaginal atrophy set in.

How are you DebsMK?

Hurdity x

[DebsMK]

Hi Hurdity!  Sorry for not seeing this before .  The scalp tingling has stopped but I am still shedding hair, getting night sweats, not sleeping and just today had breakthrough spotting so I think you are right I need to up to Femoston 2/10.  I shall try this and hope it solves the problem.  Thank you for replying everyone!