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[kittydaydream]

Hello wise ones, I’m peri and 5 months into mirena (had before three yes ago & was ok) and on 100 patch. I just seem to get worse and worse…. Chronic fatigue, lower back/abdomen ache, anxiety/depression! I’ve heard people say mirena can take 6months + to settle but I’m so so fed up, it all started when I stupidly had mirena out in April, tried several progesterones (all awful) before getting the new mirena - from the little I understand the symptoms can be low or high oestrogen? Is oestrogen dominance a real thing? I’ve got a gynaecologist appointment Friday but she’s not that great!

Any advise would be greatly appreciated 🙏

[CLKD]

When did U have a full blood count including thyroid function and VitD levels?

Many find the progesterone part of a regime difficult 

Could U C someone at a dedicated menopause clinic?

[kittydaydream]

Hi, thanks, I had full blood count and vit D in December and all were ok, thyroid was ok about 6 months ago, I’m getting hormone bloods next week but I know that’s just a snapshot, I am considering a meno specialist too

[CLKD]

Do let us know how you get on!

[Elissa]

I am also in peri, had a Mirena inserted in August and started HRT in November. I've done a little experimenting with altering my dose in the last couple of weeks and have decided a lower dose of estrogen is better for me.

Starting HRT (1 pump of Estrogel/Oestrogel) resolved the night sweats, poor sleep as a result, and itchy skin very quickly (within a fortnight).  Definitely a good result and I was very happy.

At Christmas time I was very upset and crying a lot due to relationship issues.  I wondered if hormones were contributing so decided to up dose to 2 pumps.  I was very conscious that I was doing this before my 3 month review and without the okay from my Dr but felt anything was worth a try considering how I was feeling (hopeless etc.).

I only tried the 2 pumps for less than a week as after a few days I had terrible fatigue. Wanted to sleep for 2 days straight and felt like I'd been drugged.  I couldn't continue like that with 2 young kids so reduced to 1.5 pumps.  On 1.5 pumps, the fatigue disappeared but instead I started having night sweats again and my breasts were tender and felt very full by the evening (like my bra was suddenly too tight).  I was also more irritable than usual.

I reduced back to 1 pump after a few days and have felt great ever since (back to no night sweats, no breast tenderness and much less irritability).

I know this is not a very long 'experiment' to conclude anything but for me I feel that the extra estrogen (above 1 pump) did me no favours whatsoever.  I assume the night sweats returning etc was due to estrogen being too high for me.

I'll be heading back to my 3 month review pretty confident that my prescribed 1 pump is good for me just now.  I also feel my emotional symptoms were likely not hormonal, just life, as now my relationship is more stable I feel fine again emotionally.

Hope this helps and you get the assistance you need!

[CLKD]

   Elissa

[Holsy]

Hi Kittydaydream

I have been going through exactly the same thing as yourself recently. I have a post on here regarding being on hrt (patches) for 5 years, then after a 5yr coil replacement in March 24, (having had the coil since 2008) suddenly not absorbing from the patches any longer. Nothing had changed other than the coil. I didn't discover the lack of absorption for about 4 months and feeling dreadful.

I was on Evorel 50, GP informed me that the coil releases more progesterone in the early days of insertion, so thought I needed more estrogen. I stayed on Ev50 and used Lenzetto daily for about 6 months. When I came off that, I just plummeted, all symptoms back, estrogen levels extremely low (45). GP thought it could be a bad batch of Evorel which she had experienced with other patients, so I went onto Estradot 50, still not feeling any better, so tried Estradot 75, still not absorbing from them either. So I'm now on the gel 3 pumps a day. I still don't think it's working, not due another review for a couple of weeks, but have another blood test booked on 27th to test estrogen and testosterone levels. I think GP will suggest tablet next and even though I don't really want the tablet, I am desperate to get my life back again. The patches were just so easy. 

So I would ask for a blood test to check estrogen and testosterone levels. Perhaps you are not absorbing from the patches either. Worth checking. As I suspect that the coil should definitely have settled down by now. Reading other posts on here, my iron levels are also not great, so I have started to take an iron supplement, might be worth having that checked out too.

Hope you get to the bottom of it and discover what is going on, it's not great being in limbo like this. Very best wishes.

[kittydaydream]

Thank you so much Elissa and Hoisy! (&CLK) I’m getting bloods next week so hopefully that will clarify things! i.e whether to go up or down on the E! I’m desperate for improvement xx

[joziel]

You probably need more E kitty. But if you are already on 100mcg patch, your GP may not support you going higher and you might need to go private....

[kittydaydream]

Thanks Joziel, I’m getting blood test Tuesday would it be an indicator either way or irrelevant?

[joziel]

If you are still in peri, it might not be accurate - you might end up testing during a spike - but you might also catch a low and get some indication.

Really, unless you have explored getting your estrogen way up, you can't rule out needing higher levels. Under the NHS I was repeatedly told that my estrogen levels at 270pmol and 350pmol were perfectly fine and therefore my symptoms really couldn't be due to menopause and had to be something else.

It was bollocks - going private with Newson Health, I could trial higher estrogen and got up to 880pmnol for a massive improvement in my symptoms.

Now, as for WHY I need my E up there, I have no idea. Because for most of my adult life I've been on progestin only pills to suppress endo and I've had pretty low E levels I'm sure (that was the point of taking the progestin pills), so why I suddenly can't tolerate low E, I've no idea. I can only think it is either due to weird fluctuations or it's due to some communication between ovaries and brain which is going wrong and which we really know nothing about yet.

[kittydaydream]

Thanks Joziel! Actually I’ve not tried to reduce from the 100 patch, I’ve been on that dosage two years! Xx

[joziel]

It's really far more likely you need an increase, as you progress further into peri/meno and your own body makes less E...

[kittydaydream]

Ah ok thanks Joziel

[kittydaydream]

Hey all I had my oestrogen bloods back and it’s only 120 which explains why I feel so bad! So seems I’m  not absorbing the estraderm patch, my question is before dr tomorrow….. will I absorb a different patch like estradot? Or is it better to ask for gel or spray? Thank you! X