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[Floo36]

We are all so different but what you're going through I do understand.  My bloods were fluctuations and tests are of no use for me personally in peri because it tells you nothing about what you are absorbing.  It sound like you need to increase your dose of estrogen.  We are the only ones that can really work it out with the help of the Meno specialist unfortunately.  i have been trying for over 2 1/2 years, up and down constantly.  My low estrogen makes me seriously ill mentally and physically so i have to keep trying to get it right.

You still have  along way to go with dosage and remember we are only trying to replace what we have lost, nothing more nothing less.  We have to believe better health is ahead.

[juliemargaret]

Hello Floo!! Thank you so much for replying. I totally understand as know you understand me ! It’s hard isn’t it. Fluctuations are the worst at times! Not worrying about bloods more focused now on how i feel. I feel rather  crap at the moment just moody and quietly irritable and all the rest of it plus my breasts are both very tender at the sides still  and wondering what I need to do next- to recap im on 100mg Estradot, cyclical utro (eve 2 this eve of 13 nights cycle ) and I’ve recently added daily testosterone- Androfeme. - so I don’t know whether I need to reduce my patch in case the testo has now kicked in a bit more and I may not need as much estrogen OR increase patch!

[Floo36]

It is very much trial and error. You could try increasing and see if it helps, it only stays in your system for about 24 hours so you can always reduce again. 

[pollywollydoodle]

Morning Jmargaret - I’ve been where you are and it’s not much fun. My advice would be, tempting as it is to add and subtract, pick a dose of E&P get really stable on it, then add the T. I wouldn’t add another hormone into the mix until you’re stable on your existing hormones. If you don’t feel great on the E&P, tweak those doses until you are. So I’d stop the T and work on the E&P, otherwise you’re not going to know what’s causing each side effect. Drop the T and wait a week, keep short notes daily of where you are each day and you’ll see a pattern emerge. Tweak from there.

[juliemargaret]

Hi Floo and Polly - thank you both for responding - and very different responses! Floo - it’s hard isn’t it and decrease or increase 🙈 Polly - I’m not really wanting to stop the testo right now as I’m a good 5 weeks in. My progesterone and estrogen levels I’ve been on for a while and both were ok and stable as we think could get them- didn’t feel amazing and something was definitely amiss (not querying the progesterone as that won’t ever change and is 100mg for 12 days each month) which is why the testosterone was added to see if that was the missing link for low mood no motivation lack of energy etc.  It’s the estrogen I think I need to tweak ... so would rather just try this but it’s whether to reduce patch to 75  or increase patch to 125. Hope I’ve made sense! X

[pollywollydoodle]

Apologies JMargaret, I thought you’d recently started T. If the symptoms of sore breasts are there all the time not just during prog phase, then it points to oestrogen level. It might settle in the next few weeks, but my experience has always been, it doesn’t take weeks/months to know something isn’t working. As floo says, oestrogen levels drop very quickly when reduced/stopped, I had an endo confirm this. So that seems to be your choice, increase/decrease and see what happens. With sore breasts, personally  I’d decrease. Hope you find your balance.

[juliemargaret]

Hi again Polly! No apologies needed - I’m just grateful you reply!  Yes testosterone 5 weeks today. I’m only 4 nights into my progesterone cycle this eve and boobs started over a week or so ago... we’re ok until added the testo- well about 3 half weeks in I noticed they were both tender at the sides. My lovely friend had been helping me and she too thinks perhaps I need to decrease as sounds maybe don’t need as much estrogen now the T is there (plus like you said the boobs sore can mean too much estro) but I was saying my bladder also feels weaker too which can mean low! Also been going for a wee so much more but that may just be a side effect of the testo?! Minefield x is - hope YOU are well x

[pollywollydoodle]

Hi JMargaret - the bladder is probs the vaginal utro, it’s powerful stuff. You could try using some local E when you’re using utro, that might help. I think you’re symptoms sound like too much E. I used a patch at 100 and 125 and it was way too high, with similar symptoms to yours and as you say, adding the T into the mix may have nudged your levels slightly too high. It seems to track with introducing T. Reduce a bit at next patch change, you’ll notice a difference within a day or 2 and can take it from there.

[juliemargaret]

Hi again Pol! Thank you. Did you suffer similar to me then yes? Forgot about the utro possibly causing loo visits! But can’t recall also if was same just the kat week and around same time as boob tenderness started (no utro at the time!) guess just have to wait and see. You know what else - I’ve not had many headaches at all I suffer left eye type migraine sometimes it’s calm now thank goodness ... but I’ve noticed last few days ...no headache as such BUT I have like ... trying to explain ... sometimes little bubbles float by my eyes and above - happening now as we speak. Any thoughts on that ? It’s patch change day today ! X

[VictoryV]

Hi JMargaret, I keep starting to reply and then work takes me away.
It’s difficult to make HRT choices when you feel wrong/ bad / lousy. I didn’t wait to change E or T as I was unable to work at all. I could not function with the aches, anxiety, nocturia, insomnia and brain fog oh and tears and depression. Off work meant staff were at risk of redundancy.
I took a chance and increased my gel and introduced T together after about a month on 2 pumps of gel and Utrogestan 200mg x 12 days. It worked and on Day 2 I was able to work.
I’ve done tons of research and found loads of women who got their energy back and lost brain fog after taking Testosterone. The time it takes to fully work is really varied so I would keep taking it since you’re 5 weeks in already.
Getting up numerous times in the night for the bathroom was one of my worst symptoms and I’m sure the T got rid of that.
I’d be tempted to try and not change anything for another month. Are you on 0.5mg or 1mg of AndroFeme? I wouldn’t decrease the E.

Good luck, it’s all really confusing.x

[juliemargaret]

Hi victoria!! Thank you for joint my chat. Ohhhh so much different advise! Some say more e some say less e you say stay same. 😫😂 I’m
Trying so hard to listen to my intuition but it’s not speaking .... hence my ‘desperation’! Going for a wee in night isn’t something I need to do really - I mean more of late the last few days - could be the utro but I’m sure (can’t fly in remember these days as it’s all so up in the air!!) the more loo trips started just few days before utro so can’t blame that if so! Breasts still tender. I’m aware testo can take time so that was my initial plan to usut stay with all as was - 100mg patch, 0’.5 daily Androfeme and the cyclical utro but then just after  3 weeks in (of added T) my boobs started and I had a weird week of awful low mood etc and as explained - that’s lifted a bit but boobs same and I just have no go on me really. Flat as a pancake and ... meh x

[sweettooth]

Hi Jmargaret, not sure if you are peri or post.  I am post and had my estrogen increased quite a bit due to problems after Covid vaccine and I found I felt really low so I’m now in process of lowering again.

It’s trial and error I suppose but perhaps best to get other hormones right before adding T x

[sweettooth]

Polly great info on Testosterone which I hope to be trying soon!  Thank you x

[juliemargaret]

Hi sweet tooth - I’ve been in the other hormones for a good few months before we added the T.  100mg Estradot  .. was stable but something amiss and my doc said we try Androfeme . Hence where I am now and my current dilemma of whether to increase estro given now in T too or decrease x

[VictoryV]

Hi JMargaret,

I know what “meh” feels like too, just had a few days of that. I don’t know anything about patches, I hear Estradot is good. If you want to decrease E can you cut a bit off the patch rather than changing the prescription? I’m thinking that if you reduce and feel worse at least you can go back to the full patch quickly, without the faff of getting new prescription etc.
I’ve never had sore boobs so am not much help here, sorry!
I don’t know anything about Androfemme apart from the doctor can increase the dose but I don’t know when that’s done.
I would follow your gut instinct, if it’s not talking to you wait until it is! Or follow your M.S advice.

Hope you’re not ‘meh’ tomorrow 😘