Print

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

[WildOtter]

Couple of weeks before I can speak to my GP and no idea what any of this means

SHBG 32.4 nmol/p
Serum oestradiol 562 mol/l
Serum testosterone 2.1 nmol/p

I know testosterone is a little bit high. Symptoms-wise, after a few weeks of feeling better, I  absolutely shite, fatigue depression, palpitations. I'm on 150 evorel and a small blob of testosterone. No idea what to do from here once again.

[Nas]

Hi WildOtter
Sorry to read you are feeling rubbish. Is it possible that you are not absorbing the patches?

Are you peri or post meno?

I can’t help with numbers, as during my HRT days, I was guided by symptoms only.

Would it be worth swapping to a gel, to see if symptoms calm ?

Could there be another reason for these symptoms? Thyroid, low vitamin/ iron levels?  Have you any additional stresses in your life? Maybe your own
levels have dropped?

Some women need higher doses of oestrogen to feel better; which may include a combo of patch and gel/ spray/ oral oestrogen.

Menopause can be a tough nut o crack and just when you think you’ve nailed it, bang, you are hit again.

Hopefully the ladies on here, will have some useful advice.

😊

[WildOtter]

Sorry, I should have said. I'm in surgical menopause following total hysterectomy in March 2022.  More than a year later I've never been able to achieve any more than brief glimpses of feeling better.  I've tried the gel, it gave me crippling symptoms of anxiety and heart pounding. Initially the patches were ok but now they seem to be stopping working again.  I don't think I absorb them consistently well but I don't seem to have any alternatives. I can't take the pill as I have a history of blood clots.

[Nas]

Ah okay, surgical meno is tough. Are you under a specialist or just GP? Have you tried lenzetto spray?

[WildOtter]

Just GP. Menopause clinic waiting list is a year, I can't afford private.  Haven't ever tried a spray. I'm just so fed up of always feeling tired and anxious and sad and ill and achey. I'm only 43.

[Nas]

Yes I can imagine it’s hard.
Maybe try addressing each symptom separately instead?

How is your diet? I’ve read that reducing sugar and caffeine can help reduce anxiety ( going to try this one myself!) Eating foods  which are high in the omegas.

Getting plenty of exercise and fresh air can help. Do you live near the sea? Someone told me about cold water swimming.

Apologies if you’ve heard it all before and it doesn’t work for you.

Have you tried starting the gel at a low dose, or does it still make you anxious etc?

[WildOtter]

I've had to cut out caffeine much to my woe as coffee made the palpitations worse.

My diet is ok but my weight has ballooned, I've gained about 3 stone in 8 months and feel like a whale.

I walk every day and I cold water swim.

I'm just getting so tired of the lows. I had a scare recently that my cancer might have recurred and it was almost a disappointment to find it hadn't. I wanted this to be over. Every time I've found a dose that seems to work it only lasts a short time before the same symptoms recur. I just don't know what to do any more.

[Mary G]

WildOtter, that's a good level of oestrogen but from what I have read on here, women who have surgical menopause often need very high doses of oestrogen, particularly if they are young.

Am I right in thinking you suffer with migraines?  Migraines and depression are closely linked and low levels of seratonin are one of the causes of both conditions so you might need to consider antidepressants.

[WildOtter]

I don't have migraines, no. I have tried an SSRI in the past but it didn't help and was hell to come off. But all of this happened simultaneously with surgery and going through chemo so I honestly have no idea what was doing what to me at this point. I've never experienced "normal" since then, nearly two years now. 

I did add testosterone about a month ago and for the first few weeks it was better but now I feel as bad as ever again. Any time I think I've seen an improvement and cracked it, it's gone again.

[WildOtter]

My feeling from my symptoms was my oestrogen was still low so it surprised me it was as high as it was. Any dose increase just spikes my anxiety and palpitations, no matter how gradually I try.

I badly need to be at least stable enough to get back to work, I can't work at the moment and money is running out. I have a job offer but in my current state I don't see how I can take it.

[Nas]

I was going to say that women who are in surgical menopause
( particularly younger women) often need higher doses in order to feel well.

It sounds like you could do with the guidance of a menopause specialist. I know you said you can’t afford it, but some clinics have payment plans. Is that a possibility, just to get you back on track?

I’ve been through cancer and chemo myself, so understand what a turbulent time it would have been for you. Now that this has passed, maybe consider requesting a low dose anti depressant, it may just be what you need at this moment in time. Some are better than others I think. Maybe do a search and see what the general school of thought is.

[GraceM]

I'd trial reducing the oestrogen as 150mg is very high.  High oestrogen levels can have similar negative symptoms to very low levels.  While you don't need progesterone for womb protection, there are plenty of women who take utrogestan regardless as it can help with sleep, moods.  Unfortunately many gp's are reluctant to prescribe it but a menopause specialist might.  You could try your gp though.

[WildOtter]

I don't seem to absorb very well which is why I'm on such a high dose, I assume I'm not actually getting the full 150mg.

That said, I am going to try reducing a bit, if that doesn't work at least I know what direction to go in.