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[Bandango42]

Hi all

Wondered if anyone can advise please?

Been on conti HRT for 5 months now, since switching from sequi. 100mg evorel patches & 200mg utrogestan daily. Had quite a bit of bleeding for the first 2-3 months on 100mg utro daily so upped to 200mg in the hope it would control that. Since then I've not had a period but I do have brown staining almost daily. I can probably count on 2 hands the number of days I've NOT had this. I feel fine otherwise. No period pain or sore boobs, just this constant brown discharge.

Any ideas why this is? I had an internal exam in September and all was fine, gp said looked pink & healthy. I have no dryness, soreness or irritation. No pain during sex.

It's starting to get on my wick tbh, I have to always use a pad. Some days it's slightly heavier than others but never red/pink, always brown.

I have an HRT review in April so will mention it to the GP but wondered of anyone else had experienced this?

I'm 44, no idea if peri or post at this point. Started conti on advice of GP due to erratic bleeding on sequi after a year & a half.

Sorry for long post.

[Donna69]

Just wondering why they changed you from sequi to conti at 44 especially as you don’t know if your peri or not the conti is usually for women that are menopausal so if your still having a cycle of your own that could be the cause you might be better back on sequi

[Bandango42]

Thanks for replying.

I don't think I am having a cycle of my own. I used to get strong ovulation signs but I've not had these for a long time. Maybe once or twice over the last 2 years? My periods had stopped for 3 mths when I started sequi.

My GP isn't overly clued up. When I saw him at the end of last summer to complain about erratic bleeding on sequi (after having regular withdrawal bleeds for months) he suggested conti "to see if that will help". I do feel much better symptom wise on conti. I'm just fed up of this constant staining and wish I knew what was causing it.

[Donna69]

I was on sequi til last summer they moved me onto conti and I just bled constantly so came off hrt all together i am 54 turns out I am still peri I went 5mths and had a period so bloods done and came back peri.so I’m guessing I would have been better off left on sequi.but they do say it takes up to 6mths to settle into conti and bleeds to stop

[Bandango42]

Yeah, I wanted to give it the full 6 months before switching back to sequi, just so I can say I gave it a good go. And like I said, I haven't had a proper bleed for 2 months so I was hoping the conti was working but this staining is never ending 😕

[KaraShannon]

I haven't changed over to Conti yet but as I understand the theory behind it, it encourages a more gradual shedding of the womb to prevent buildup, but I also read that usually it would not be enough to really notice as it's done over time. 

[Bandango42]

Ah, that would make sense. But I wonder if it ever stops then? Or does the gradual shedding continue indefinitely I wonder? I don't want this to go on forever so if it doesn't stop soon I guess I'll have to go back to sequi and deal with possible erratic bleeding. I definitely don't want a mirena coil.

[KaraShannon]

If you feel well on it I'd give it a few months (depending on whether you feel you can of course), as I definitely did read that it would not be noticeable as it's so gradual and all the time, so it might just need time to become like that. 

I've no idea what I'm going to do atm, still on sequi, was good on it, not so sure now but need to get thyroid sorted before I decide and then hopefully see what the newson clinic can suggest.  I don't like the idea of a coil.

[Bandango42]

Thanks. Yes I will give it a bit longer, I do feel well on it so seems a shame to stop it and go back to sequi which I never really felt that great on.

What's changed for you? You say you did feel good on sequi but now not so sure? Have you had a return of symptoms?

[Hurdity]

No there should not be continuous gradual shedding on conti HRT once it has settled. This is not how it works. What happenes is that eventually the progestogen interferes with the oestrogen receptors in the uterus somehow, to prevent the lining growing under the influence of oestrogen. If there is bleeding after a long time even if only slight then this is abnormal. That being said, if the bleeding you had before was partly due to the build up of lining, then changing to conti could cause gradual shedding until the lining thinned down. However if you've had a scan and all is well, and the lining is thin then who knows?!

Any bleeding/spotting should settle after 6 months but that is average and in some women it may take longer.
As Donna says if you are still peri then you will continue to get bleeding/spotting. OK you used to get signs of ovulation but maybe these are not so apparent once on HRT? At 44 you are more likely, on average, still to be peri unless you are experiencing an early menopause, which of course does happen! If ovulation only happens rarely though, it would be unlikely to cause continuous staining I wouldn't have thought, but a breakthrough bleed now and again....

What was the thickness of the lining when you had the examination, as that is also an important measure of likelihood of bleeding/spotting?


Hurdity x

[Bandango42]

I've never had a scan, only an internal examination at the doctors due to some bleeding after sex. She said everything looked perfectly normal, I also had blood tests and swabs taken to rule out any infections and they came back clear. I don't get the bleeding after sex anymore. That was in October or November I think.

I could still be peri, I have no idea. My mother & grandmother were both post meno at 40 so when my periods stopped at 42 it was no surprise to me. I'd been having symptoms long before then too.

I haven't been on conti for the full 6 months yet so I'd like to give it a bit more time. I'm off on holiday in April so my plan is to stop the utro for a week before hand to give myself a proper bleed if I need it, I have bled for the last 2 holidays I've been on so trying to avoid it this time. If I bleed heavy then I guess I know the utro isn't working to keep the lining thin and I will go back to sequi.

It's a shame as like I said I feel great on conti, better than I ever did on sequi x

[KaraShannon]

Hi Bandango42

Are you back from your holiday yet?  If so, how have things been?

I'm thinking of changing from Sequi to Conti soon so I'm interested, especially as you say you feel better on conti compared to sequi.


I hope all is going well and you had a great holiday. 

[Bandango42]

Hi Karashannon

Yes, got back last week, it was absolute paradise! Thanks for asking.

I started to spot about 2 weeks before my holiday so I stopped the progesterone to have a proper bleed as I did not want to bleed on holiday. I didn't bleed at all while away and started to spot again on the first day back so this time I stopped the prog for 3 days. Think going forward I'm going to use continuously but have the 3 day break to let my body bleed if it needs to.

Best of both worlds, as like I said mood wise I feel soooo much better taking progesterone every day but obviously my body still needs to bleed. They're not heavy bleeds either and only last 3-4 days.

Hope that helps xx

[Scottish lass]

I have near constant light bleeding/staining and like you always have to wear a pad or liners and will admit it is definitely affected my mental health and self confidence.

[Bandango42]

Yes, it definitely got me down too, it was pretty much never ending.

However, since I stopped the progesterone to have a proper bleed I haven't had any breakthrough bleeding at all so I guess it was my body's way of telling me I still need to bleed. I like how conti makes me feel though so the 3 day break is fine for me.

Are you on conti hrt or sequi?