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[Rebecca80]

Hello! New too here, have had a awful week but will try and keep in brief ...

I'm 42 and was confirmed as peri menopausal last year. I started HRT in Aug - Oestrogen gel and Mirena coil fitted. Initially I felt a bit euphoric/buzzed but then it started to border into feeling manic and I found it harder to concentrate and prioritize at work. This did settle down but after about a month a had a massive attack of anxiety in bed at night and felt so scared I had to wake my husband up. I decided to have the coil removed. Perhaps I should've given it longer but I was due to go on holiday and I didn't want anything to spoil it.

I stayed on gel and was prescribed Utrogestan orally. I did notice some differences in how my body felt both physically and mentally when I took the Utrogestan but this was subtle until in Dec things came to a head. I had awful bladder irritation and ended up on 2 lots of anti biotics and terrible digestive issues which I went on Omeprazole for. I felt very fragile. I did try taking the Urogestan vaginally at one point against my GP's wishes but that did not ease the symptoms I was having at the time.   

I saw the GP in Jan and decided I'd stop taking everything to be reviewed in 2 months. Bladder symptoms got better rapidly and so did digestive issues. I started to feel robust again and was happy to be off HRT but into the second month sweats started up again and my sleep started to get disrupted.

When I had my GP review we decided to give HRT another go and after some careful thought decided to try Femoston 1/10 as I'd read the progesterone in it is often better tolerated. I went in with an open mind, feeling motivated, made adjustments to my diet, exercising, using some yoga techniques I'd learnt and feel great the first 2 week ... even lost weight yippee! Week 3 I felt bloated, a bit discombobulated and riled up but tried to write it off as some frustrations at work. Week 4 terrible! Weight back on, bloated, sore breasts, the shits, constant hunger pains, restless, finding it hard to concentrate, crying, unpleasant thoughts, anxious, jittery, broken sleep, early waking and struggling to be alone.

I sobbed my heart out to my boss on Tuesday. She said if I wanted to take a couple weeks off she'd support me but that's not what I want, I feel much better getting up and having a purpose, even if I don't feel in the flow. I'm not feeling bad all the time but when these waves come I feel like I can't go on and feel exhausted for lack of sleep. I'm starting to think that HRT is not for me and the physical symptoms of peri menopause I've been experiencing are no where near as bad as how I've felt mentally this week. I've had a bleed today so it feels like what I was experiencing is some kind of extreme PMT.

People say give it 3 months before you decide if somethings working but I'm really not sure if I can weather this storm. I feel like for the sake of my sanity I should just abandon ship       

 

             
             
                     
 

[Flossieteacake]

Hello Rebecca and welcome to the forum. I am so sorry to hear of all you have been through. For some women it can be so difficult to find a suitable progesterone. I was wondering if it would be an option to go at a slower pace. I was thinking, try the lowest oestrogen patch for a few weeks and see how you feel on it. If you feel okay then you will know taking oestrogen is fine.

There is also the option to take 2 desrogestal pills as part of the progesterone part of HRT. Some women also take a combined patch. So what I am saying is, do not worry as there are other options for you.

I know in peri anxiety and low mood is very common and it is such a horrid part of peri to have to deal with.

[SarahT]

Hello Rebecca
I too am sorry how awful you feel right now.
I am pretty new at hrt and all the options and tweaks, but I remember how difficult it was when I first started hrt. I felt the times worse, the receptionists in my drs surgery became very used to me sobbing at their desks and (like others here) my first post on here was I think I am going mad...

[SarahT]

Sorry, cut myself off in mid flow.
Sounds like you have a very supportive boss, that is a wonderful back up for you.

Whilst I know everyone is different, and my hrt regime is different to yours, I am so glad I persevered. Those first few month felt like hell, but after a tweak of medication, a ton of advice and support from this forum I am so glad I persevered. I still am not my old  self, but for me, I am so much better on hrt than without it, I know that for a real fact.

Am sure others will be along, I can only say how it felt (and feels) for me. You are not on you own, women here so understand.

My body can be sensitive to hormonal changes, so as Flossie suggests, maybe go slowly? If I increase my patch, like  others, I cut a tiny bit off to get my body gradually used to changes.

I wish you well
Hugs to you

[CLKD]

I would take the time off.  Give your brain and body time to readjust.  Why do you need HRT?  R symptoms bad, mayB tell us what you are experiencing?


Bladder issues - we have a thread here as well as on vaginal atrophy.  The latter mimics urine infection-type symptoms really really well.  ABs are not require though they will ease symptoms: your GP should have sent a urine sample to a Lab to be 'grown' to C if there were bugs.  4warned is 4armed ;-).  Make notes.

Let us know how you get on. Many find the progesterone part of replacement can be bothersome.  Do U feel supported by your GP?

[Rebecca80]

Hi All

Thank you so much for your replies it's reassuring to know I'm not alone and despite having difficulties you are all finding/have found your feet through this. Some further experimentation might be better suited listening to your advice. 

Do you know what Sarah T, one thing I have been more than aware of this week is that I am surrounded by kindness 

Poppytoast - sorry to hear you too have struggled with the progesterone side of things, hope your new regime works. That interesting re the Black Cohosh ... knowledge worth banking!

CLKD - I like this direct line of questioning! Symptoms were irregular periods (I was very happy to not be having periods for 80 days at a time tbh), joint pain and I feeling a bit lack lustre and less energy. Also intermittent day/night sweats which disrupted my sleep, lasting for a couple months at a time. More recently brain fog, like getting words mixed up or losing my train of thought when I speak. Why do you need HRT is a good point! I think there's been so much buzz for it recently off the back of the Divina documentaries, saying the research shows it protects your brain, bones, etc and to get on it as early as possible when you become peri. I spoke to some of the gynaecologists I work with and some colleagues who are also very pro. I think I really bought in to this, thought I should take it and would go skipping off into the sunset never looking back . It certainly does beg the question, are these symptoms worth the pay off for difficulties I've been having whilst on it and how they are impacting my mental health.   

Bladder issues - that went of for about 5 weeks; one night I woke up thinking my bladder was going to explode! Didn't have any prior to being on HRT and they stopped when I came off it. As you say the antibiotics didn't clear it up totally only took the edge of it. I did the dip tests at work and they showed as having protein in them so indicated an infection was present. My GP also took samples but lost the first and then had to do a second. Because of it being persistent and around Christmas they didn't want me getting caught with a nasty UTI so gave antibiotics prior to having results. I'll check out the post.   

I've just started with a new GP so don't know her well but she seemed very amenable and I felt very listened to by her when we did speak. My previous GP was reluctant to put me on HRT because I have fibroids and another told me I was far to young to be peri, when I was suspicious in 2021. We don't have any NHS specialists in our area but there is a private specialist in the not too far away vicinity.                               
       

[CLKD]

Hi!  no one is ever too young to go into peri 

Lack of energy can be due to low VitD levels and thyroid function disfunction.  So maybe blood tests to check levels?  We shouldn't blame peri on everything little issue: we have a thread about that too  - but I can't remember the title 

Brain fog - we have a whole thread about that, you'll fit right in.  'doing stupid things' ;-).  You'll C that I stepped into the bath in my socks last night 

Does protein etc. = infection?  Did U have a temperature?  I find that when my VA begins to bite = the need to up my oestrogen, I get the chills as the urine flow shuts off at the end of a pee. 

At least with warmer weather on its way we can at least sit out to top up VitD levels.