Hi Smorzando I’m new here too, however I have been on and off with HRT for several years, the side effects can be awful.
Oestrogel made me very dizzy and gave me vertigo. I couldn’t tolerate it at all. I switched to a patch and the dizziness/vertigo went. But I subsequently went to a menopause specialist who told me that because my periods were really heavy (and getting closer together) my progesterone level had dropped first and therefore I probably didn’t need to supplement with oestrogen at all or if I did, a 25 mcg patch would be more than enough.
During peri menopause our own hormones are fluctuating in the background, often wildly. A patch gives a much steadier dose of oestrogen, so switching to a patch with a lower dose might help.
Some people are also really sensitive to hormone changes, maybe starting on 2 pumps of gel is just too much for you right now. If you want to stay with the gel, perhaps start with half a pump and build up over several weeks to a level you can tolerate that alleviates symptoms.
Good luck. There will be an HRT that suits you. It’s very much trial and error. In my case, lots of error.