Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[mimsy75]

Hi!

I'm new to this forum and wanting to glean wisdom on HRT for perimenopausal eczema and severe endometriosis. I've got eczema on my face (around mouth and eyes) and neck since September 2022 which has got progressively worse. I had been on Noresthisterone for 5 years for severe endometriosis which I ceased mid September 2022. I also had the Merina coil for 5 years which was removed in Dec 2022. I've researched online and found that the drop in estrogen results in thinner skin and results in eczema particularly on the face and neck. Some people have documented that going on HRT has improved their perimenopausal eczema so I'm going to give it a try. My concern is that the increased estrogen will cause the endo to flare up again which I definitely do not want. Does anyone have any experience/expertise on this? Which HRT might be best to avoid endo flare? Has anyone had any other successful solutions to any of the above?
Also the eczema starting seemed to coincide with ceasing the Noresthisterone. Could it be the progesterone levels that are causing the eczema or is it just coincidental?
Many thanks in advance!

[CLKD]

Morning.   

Hormones can certainly upset 'the norm'    .  How is the endometriosis behaving, R U under the care of a Specialist on a regular basis?

As oestrogen levels drop the body may become dry and thin: inside and out as well as muscles may become lax = aches and pains.  The Change - does what it says on the tin. 

Some find that keeping a mood/food/symptom diary of use.

A few ladies here have skin problems hopefully they will be along with advice.

Keep asking!

[Ermin2trude]

Hello,

As a fellow eczema sufferer, I was made aware that histamine is the issue and oestrogen exacerbates histamine. Increasing my progesterone has cured the eczema problem (and other histamine issues……no hayfever so far this year…..yay!). Unopposed oestrogen might well be your problem, especially as the excema coincided with your Mirena coil removal.

Is there a reason you haven’t replaced the Mirena? Progesterone helps with endometriosis too.

[joziel]

Hello - fellow endo-sufferer here, although not severe. I had a lap in 2013 where it was lasered out and then was on desogestrel for about 10 years before hitting peri-menopause and every low estrogen symptom that exists.

So if you have endo, the recommendation is to use continuous progesterone even if you are in peri. And one utrogestan a night (which is the usual continuous amount) might not be enough, you might need 2x utrogestan capsules a night continuously. The Mirena coil is also another option. You can take utrogestan as well as the Mirena if needed, which would give you more progesterone.

Whilst doctors will say that the Mirena by itself is sufficient, I'm sceptical about that. Because it largely works on the uterus and is said to have little to no systemic effects. And of course with endo, we have it outside the uterus and in other places. So I believe we need to have systemic progesterone to counter deposits elsewhere and not just the Mirena or vaginal utrogestan. You can also add in a mini pill with HRT, including desogestrel or your norethisterone, if more progesterone is needed. So basically you have loads of progesterone options but you might need more than other women and you probably need it continuously. To stop breakthrough bleeding, the Mirena or a mini-pill would work, alongside the utrogestan if you like.

I started out on continuous utrogestan but got some breakthrough bleeding because I'm in peri. Whilst my Newson doctor wasn't worried about that, I decided to give sequential a go and see if my endo would be okay with it. So far it has been totally fine, although I only had it mildly in a few spots back in 2013 so perhaps I wasn't a severe case. I am on 2 pumps of gel now with 2x utrogestan from day 14-25 of my cycle and I'm not getting any endo pains. However I need to increase my gel and it remains to be seen if this continues but so far so good.

One theory is that endo is activated not so much by estrogen alone but by hormonal fluctuations. So keeping everything static and stable can suppress it even if you are adding estrogen in with HRT.

It is really worth getting sorted with a menopause clinic like Newson Health I think, for particular situations like this. General GPs have been completely useless for me.