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[RebJT]

Hi ladies

I'm back after my hideous experiences on the pill (long story!).  I'm now back to trying regular gel and utro.  Last cycle was my first attempt.  I finished my utro on day 27 but didn't get a period for another two weeks (so 6 week cycle) - I then counted first day of bleed as day 1 and counted to day 14 to start utro again, however I think I've got in a muddle.  I think the late bleed was because my estrogen was too low?  I've now upped the gel to 3 pumps.

If you are on sequential HRT, and your period doesn't come, do you just start utro again 14 days after you finished the last phase? ie my period started 14 days into the next month, should I have just started the utro again at the same time, or counted 14 days from that first day of bleeding? ie) in effect pushed it back a fortnight?

Reason as I ask is today is Day 15 since last bleed (so if we add two cycles together, as I'm normally 28 days on the nose, if I'd had two regular 4 week cycles, my period should be starting today), but I only started utro last night, and I think I've got in a pickle?  I have spotting and some bleeding (have since my period stopped) and think I've got out of synch.

I know if you start bleeding on utro, you finish the course, but count day one of bleed as day 1 re timing of next course, but unclear if your bleed is late what you then do?

Hope that makes sense, bloomin shattered, hard to think straight!

Cheers

Rebecca

[RebJT]

Bump, anyone?

[sheila99]

It's normal for your own cycle to vary in length in peri. If your other meno symptoms are controlled by your oestrogen dose you shouldn't need to increase it. If you can tell when you ovulate I find it best to wait til then to start the utro then the hrt cycle is in step with my own. Since doing it this way I haven't had the problem but if I bled before finishing utro I stopped using it. The thinking is there's no need for it because I'm already bleeding and it may interfere with the flow. And it saves messing up the next cycle.

[RebJT]

Thanks

My cycles aren't normally irregular, I'm just having other hideous symptoms, hence trying various types of HRT.  I'm in Nick Panay's clinic.

What do you do if your period is late?  So my period took another two weeks to start from end of utro.  When do you start the utro again?

[sheila99]

There's going to come a time when they are irregular regardless of what they've been, and that can be shorter as well as longer. I wait at most another 2 weeks then take it anyway though I don't always bleed when my body doesn't contribute. As long as you have a proper bleed I don't think it matters too much if the cycle is a bit longer. I have a natural 6 week cycle and lining was thin before I went on hrt. Whenever I bleed I start counting again from day 1. Peri can be really difficult when your own hormones are all over the place.

[RebJT]

Sorry I'm still confused, I stick to the calendar or I move it back to count from day 1 of bleeding (my periods are not irregular)?

[sheila99]

The first day of your bleed is Day 1 so you hopefully keep the hrt cycle in step with your own.
You say your first cycle was 6 weeks so it sounds to me as they are becoming irregular? It's different for each of us of course but it would be very unusual for you to have regular cycles until they just stop. I find my own cycle is always stronger than the hrt one.

[RebJT]

Hi

Thanks, I've never had an irregular cycle until now. Anyway, I've read up on John Studd's website (I first saw him before Nick Panay) and have been back through my gynae's emails, and read everything on here, and online, including mumsnet and it's by the calendar, not the bleed.  If you normally have a 28 day cycle, you stick to the calendar regardless of bleed and it'll eventually settle.  So I did do it incorrectly which is why I'm feeling so bad.  It is possible to tweak your cycle if your period keeps arriving at the 'wrong' time but the regime I'm on will suppress ovulation (which is what is causing my symptoms) so irrespective of bleeding, you just take the utro on the scheduled days.  I found a long post by Hurdity on here which explains it very well.

So, you stick to the regime regardless of when day 1 bleeding arrives.  Obviously if women are having a six week cycle (which I've never ever had) then you adjust your regime accordingly, but typically you just stick to a 28 day calendar.  Studd recommends just starting from 1st day of calendar month, but at present I want to try and keep it in line with my natural cycle.

R

[sheila99]

Best of luck with it, it didn't work for me but maybe it will for you. Seems you'll have to find out for yourself but unless you have no/very weak cycle of your own this regime isn't going to override your own. Expect bleeding from your own cycle as well as (sometimes, sometimes not) a bleed from the hrt one too. I have never felt so bad as I did when they were out of step.