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[MadameOvary]

Hello

I'm new here. I'm 44 and suffering from terrible peri symptoms. Well, they're terrible for half of the month. Basically I have completely out of control PMS/PMDD which seems to get worse with every cycle. I can't sleep for the fortnight before my period and I veer between rage, anxiety, and general low mood/depression. My memory and concentration are awful. I feel vague and foggy headed all the time. I get very sore breasts for the two weeks before my period too. I also have very bad periods. They've always been heavy but are getting heavier and more painful. They have generally always been regular but are becoming a bit erratic - just a few days late.

Basically I'm a bit of a mess and I feel like I can't cope  .

So I've been researching options and I'm thinking of asking my GP to prescribe Qlaira. I'm a bit scared though as I haven't been on hormonal contraceptives since I was in my 20s and I'm terrified of doing something that will increase my risk of breast cancer. But I'm just at my wit's end.

Does anyone have any positive experiences of the pill - particularly Qlaira - for peri? Any words of encouragement about the breast cancer risks?

I've also thought about the mirena coil but that scares me as I've read lots of stories of women finding it makes their symptoms worse and it's obviously not as easy to remove a mirena as it is to stop taking a pill if it's not working.

[CrispyChick]

Hi.

I think it's worth a try. I tried it for 10 months... Lots of different ones. I'm same age. Unfortunately it hasn't worked for me.

I had a call with the meno clinic, and that is what they recommended trying first at age 44.

I now have a prescription for hrt... Yet to start.

Sorry, no advice on the breast cancer issue, but like you, I'm at my wits end. I need quality of life....

There are low dose estrogen ones. There is also the progesterone only pill, similar to mirena, but pill obviously, so more control.

I never got around to trying qlara. Tried everything else near enough 🤣.

[MadameOvary]

Hi.

I think it's worth a try. I tried it for 10 months... Lots of different ones. I'm same age. Unfortunately it hasn't worked for me.

I had a call with the meno clinic, and that is what they recommended trying first at age 44.

I now have a prescription for hrt... Yet to start.

Sorry, no advice on the breast cancer issue, but like you, I'm at my wits end. I need quality of life....

There are low dose estrogen ones. There is also the progesterone only pill, similar to mirena, but pill obviously, so more control.

I never got around to trying qlara. Tried everything else near enough 🤣.

Thanks CrispyChick. Good to know I'm not alone! I hope your HRT prescription works for you.

[Kelrob12]

Hi,

Im not peri as Ive had my ovaries removed and Im 41. But Ive been offered the coil and Im nervous too - with a patch or a pill its easy to stop or change but the side effect of the coil scare me - I don't want to add more shit to a shit situation 😂

Do you know why they recommend the pill for peri?

Kellyx

[MadameOvary]

Hi Kelly. I'm not sure they do recommend the pill. I think they tend to recommend HRT but I've read that Qlaira is pretty similar to HRT but has added benefit of contraception so I thought it might be a good option.

I feel the same way about the coil. If it doesn't agree with you, you can't just whip it out! You're stuck with it until you can get a doctor to remove it.

No easy choices 

[CrispyChick]

The meno clinic recommended pill for my issues. I think because you are young enough to take the pill, it provides contraceptive avd it takes over from your hormones so should, in theory balance things out. Whereas hrt tops up your own hormones which may be fluctuating wildly.

It's the combined pill that was recommended. Mini pill or more a are prog only. I'm pretty sure I'm low estrogen.

[sheila99]

If you're worried about the cancer ask for transdermal hrt as the risk is less. You're at greater risk if you drink, smoke or are overweight than from transdermal hrt. You can lesson you risk by maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

[Alicess]

Qliara  isn't the same as a 'normal' birth control pill; it contains estradiol valerate and it's a 4 -fase pill. You will have four different fases in one cycle with different amounts of estrogen and progesterone. Estradiol valerate is a bioidentical oestrogen like estradiol in HRT but a bit less potent.

'Normal' birth  control pills contain ethinylestradiol which is a more potent estrogen and it will surpress  hormonal fluctuations and your cycle like Crispychick mentioned.

I think menoclinics recommend birth control pills because HRT is often to low to surpress the fluctuations in peri.

Alicess.