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[Shannonplussed]

I've read a couple of times on this forum that "too much estrogen is as bad as too little". But what does that really mean? In general, symptom-wise, and at a physiological level. Do the receptors get bogged down and nothing works, or something like that?

My estradiol test 2 weeks ago was off the charts at 3126 pmol/L. I immediately stopped the estrogel and testosterone until I can see my OB-GYN (appt in another 2 weeks), and did a 10 days of oral progesterone 200mg (after taking 100mg continuously) to induce a bleed and basically reset things. Right now, I don't feel much different. Still no sex drive  . Energy somewhat decreased but it's stupid hot here and I just donated blood, so I can't chalk up energy to the hormones right now.

How quickly does estradiol level drop off after discontinuation of HRT? (Stands to reason that it's a while, as it can take a while to ramp up levels when beginning treatment.)

[Sammiejane]

hi there

i’ve been told to reduce mine as was taking 2.5 pumps estrogel and 100mg utro daily started to feel like myself but my level was 1238 pmol so said to high

can i ask have you had hairloss on the estrogel and utro ?

[sheila99]

You can get symptoms such as palpitations and feeling jittery if you have too much. I don't know about levels though as I've just been treated according to symptoms. You should have the least amount that keeps your symptoms under control. You may need testosterone for libido.

[Gnatty]

It's interesting Sheila99 that you mention you should take the least amount of hrt to keep your symptoms under control. I have been mulling this over as I have noticed that Louise Newson and Menopause Barbie suggest that you need to take more than what just gets rid of hot flushes  - in order to reap the long term benefits of reducing the risk of other diseases such as Alzheimers, heart disease and osteoporosis. For example one pump of oestrogel might eliminate hot flushes but it wouldn't be enough of a therapeutic level for the other benefits to kick in. I wonder what others think?

[Kathleen]

Hello ladies.

Various GPS have told me that HRT is very good at controlling vaso motor symptoms such as  hot flushes but less so at dealing with the emotional symptoms of the menopause.

Many ladies here report that the flushes go very soon after starting HRT and if that is your only symptom then perhaps a lower dose is adequate. If however you are further into meno and have other issues as well then an increase is likely needed. There is also the belief that women were never expected to live many years without oestrogen and this is why we succumb to things like heart disease etc as we age.

Take care.

K.

[Joaniepat]

I understand serum estradiol level of at least 250 pmol/l is recommended to avoid osteoporosis.
JP x

[Shannonplussed]

can i ask have you had hairloss on the estrogel and utro ?

No, I have had no hairloss.

[Shannonplussed]

You may need testosterone for libido.

I had been taking testosterone for 6 months and it didn't seem to help.

[Shannonplussed]

I was hoping @Hurdity would have some input here on the science of "too much is as bad as too little".

[Sage 🍃]

Don't ask me to explain it but I know the answer is related to estradiol up-regulating progesterone receptors and exerting an apparent opposite effect. This is tissue specific though, it doesn't apply to all parts of the body.

Maybe you can understand it better than me.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5865215/

[Salad]

I had super high levels on Oestrogel - I wasn’t absorbing it correctly.
I swapped to patches and had much better levels 

[Shannonplussed]

That’s super interesting. How did they know that high levels meant you weren’t absorbing properly, as opposed to say a burst of your own hormones? Did you take a break between the gel and patches? Did they retest on the patch and find a better level?

[Salad]

I was using 4 pumps of gel in the morning and my symptoms were all back by 4pm in the afternoon.
My GP did a blood test mid morning and my level was 2600 pmol/L.
She thought I was absorbing too quickly then level was plummeting.
I swapped to patches and was only needing 75mcg to feel well 

[Shannonplussed]

Thanks for that, that’s really neat. I’ll discuss that possibility at my next appointment.