Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Bobbie]

I feel like I have so many questions at the moment! Have been struggling for a while with various symptoms of perimenopause and have only recently added two and two together. I saw a specialist who has put me on a low dose of HRT (one pump of Oestrogel, progesterone and very small amount of testosterone) but I'm still nervous due to a family history of breast cancer. So I have a couple of questions...

Is going on the pill an option instead of HRT? Does that also increase the risk of BC?

My oestrogen levels were middling but my testosterone very low. Is it possible to just. take testosterone?

To lessen the risks, is it better to use Utrogestan vaginally than orally? I have a couple of weeks before I start the Utro so thought I would check people's thoughts!

Thank you

[Sparkler]

Hi there

Can you speak to the specialist again to ask your questions?

As far as I am aware the hormone doses in HRT are lower than those in the contraceptive pill. I take estrogen via patches and add 200mg utrogestan 12 days a month orally. I am fine with the Utrigestan, it just helps me sleep better! It took a couple of weeks for me to feel the benefits of HRT and I increased the estrogen after 3months - have now been on the same dose for 14 months and feel ok. I still get occasional flushes and crying episodes, but nothing like the same frequency as before.

Good luck. How long have you been taking HRT?
Sparkler
X

[Bobbie]

Thank you so much for responding!

Yes, I'm sure I can ask my specialist, I just didn't want to bother them when I thought people with more experience than I here might know the answers. But yes, for sure.

Interesting about the pill - I haven't ever been on the pill but I don't think I'd ever have thought about the breast cancer risks with that - yet here I am worrying about it in regard to HRT. Do you think it's much more known simply because people taking HRT are older and those on the pill are generally younger?

You are taking the same as I though I'm due to pick up some testosterone also - waiting on the prescription. I only started yesterday so very early days!

Thanks again,

Bobbie

[sheila99]

Most of the scare stories are based on oral hrt using using horse p*ss. Transdermal is much safer. You have a greater risk from smoking, drinking or being overweight so it's worth maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Most contraceptive pills work by using a high dose of progesterone whereas in meno you need to increase your oestrogen levels, progesterone is only required to keep your womb lining thin. There is one sort that can be used instead of hrt, I think it qlara (or something similar) but not sure. If you are deficient in oestrogen I think testosterone is converted so they will not usually prescribe testosterone until you're stable on hrt. There should be fewer side effects if you use utrogeston vaginally but I don't know about the risks.

[Sparkler]

Ooh day 2!!

At that stage I found the estrogen made me mildly nauseous, but it passed. I do know a lady who has breast cancer related to HRT ( she didn’t follow advice or attend proper checks) and another lady who developed endometrial cancer ( caught early and treated). I am not really sure why there are so many scare stories out there, but it may well be that with our hormones all over the place we end up accepting symptoms as ‘normal’. I feel SO MUCH better though, so I will just aim to be vigilant with my health.

I didn’t answer your vaginal utrogestan question - some ladies have side effects from oral utrogestan and use it vaginally, which seems to help. I have also read here that vaginal application avoids your liver having to process the meds. I am sticking with oral for now to avoid the ‘mess‘ and because it suits me well.

Are you feeling ok?

Sparkler

[Bobbie]

Thank you both so much!

Sparkler - I am feeling better than I was a few days ago, I'm sleeping (with the aid of Phenergan) when I hadn't slept for nearly a fortnight and my anxiety, though present, is less all consuming. Not sure if that's the HRT or psychological, so hard to tell! This pandemic doesn't help I'm sure as my whole lifestyle is different which obviously has an effect as I don't have my usual baseline day to know how much of this is connected to the stresses of that! Just trying to take it one day at a time at the moment. We don't have it easy do we? How are you? Bobbie x

[Sparkler]

Thanks for asking Bobbie. I am currently on summer holiday ( I work in a school) so generally calmer than I have been for a long long while. The lockdown thing has been immensely stressful, especially now we are grading GCSE and A Level ourselves!

I am tons better on HRT. I do wonder if I need to increase to get rid of the latest hot flushes and low libido, but I am trying to manage on evorel 50. I could increase but then I might gain more weight - I am already a good 3/4 stone heavier than when I started HRT.

I honestly think I would have had to give up my job if HRT didn’t exist! ideally I would like to lose some weight and regain some libido, but we can’t always have everything. At least I don’t cry all the time and I can sleep:)

Post an update in a few days So we know how you are doing.

Sparkler
X