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[ohnowwhat]

Hi all, hope you're keeping well out there.

I'm 47, been on the mini-pill forever and not had a period since just after my daughter was born c 9 years ago. A couple of years ago I started to get night sweats and feel very tearful and foggy-brained.  About a year ago I initially started on femoston conti 1/5, but felt like I had permanent PMT so stopped and then went onto Indivinia 1mg/2.5mg tablets which was just as bad!  On my third go I had a great appointment with one of the female GPs at my local practice who sent off for some specialist advice about whether or not I really needed the progesterone as I was pretty convinced this was what was causing the PMT symptoms.  She called me when she got the advice back and said that the gynae expert had said that I was okay to take just oestrogen and not progesterone but that she disagreed and prescribed estradiol gel (starting with 1mg per day but upping to 2mg per day if no improvement) and micronised progesterone 100mg capsules to take every night. 

Having started on this within 3 weeks I was feeling the same again plus I was really thirsty and getting up to wee 2-3 times a night!  So I had another chat with another GP who after a long discussion said that I would be okay to drop the progesterone because I was still taking my POP.

So now I am taking 2mg of estradiol gel every day as well as my standard mini-pill (POP) cerelle which just has 75mcg of progesterone in it.  Apart from sore, swollen breasts (which having looked up the side effects I expect to ease off once I get settled) I had been feeling pretty good however about a week ago I had a sort of achy pelvic floor feeling and having sex was uncomfortable, this seemed to settle down but then today I have some spotting.  So of course now I'm worried about whether this means I am not getting enough progesterone, or if I'm taking too much oestrogen, or whether this is just something else that will pass?!?  I've been taking the oestrogen only for around a month now. 

Obviously trying to chat to the GP about it would be the ideal solution but I'm loathe to bother them unless I have to given the current state of the world and really hoping that you wonderful women on here might be able to offer some advice.

Thanks so much in advance for any advice offered.

[CLKD]

Hopefully some one will be along .......

   didn't want to cut and run ;-)

[Hurdity]

Hi ohnowwhat

You've been a member at least since Sept last year I see so not a new member!

Anyhoo. The thing is the POP you describe has not been tested for its ability to protect the womb lining when used as part of HRT and is not licensed for this purpose. I think there have been one or two others who have been prescribed it off licence who were in a similar position ie on POP already. One member I recall I think was prescribed two POP tablets  (off licence) when using it as part of hRT so that it was sufficient to protect the womb. I wouldn't have thought the lining would have thickened enough to bleed after that short a time though? Maybe you are not yet post-menopausal if you've been on the mini pill all that time, as you are still young at 47. That could lead to bleeding. Also if the bleeding happened within a week or so of stopping the added progesterone it could just be a bit of a withdrawal bleed from that?

Ideally you should be on a product with evidence to show it works to protect the womb. Have you thought of the Mirena coil which acts as contraceptive as well as protection of the womb when using hRT?

The other alternative is one of the COC pills designed for menopausal women. QLAIRA is one of these. It contains estradiol like the tablets you were taking, together with a different progestogen, and only has two tablet free days.

I know the world is in a state but women are still becoming menopausal and more than ever need to be able to be in a position to cope!

Hope this helps

Hurdity x

[ohnowwhat]

Thanks Hurdity.