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[mcgalel]

Has anyone tried BCP with Bio identical Oestrogen?

Been on BCP for 20 years and now having major peri symptoms past few years. Doctors told me I cant have HRT as only 41 and when I mentioned another BCP they said the one I am on is the same as others, and that HRT is the same as BCP.

I came across two forms of BCP with the bio identical Oestrogen, Qlaira and Zoely and was wondering whether to try one of these.

Do I need advice from a GP on what type of BCP to go on or can I just go ahead and try?

I figured maybe my BCP isnt suiting my hormonal needs and that I need something different[/size]

[bombsh3ll]

I am on Zoely and I love it.

I have no periods, no hormonal ups and downs and no perimenopause symptoms even though I am nearly 46.

If you are thinking of a pill with body identical estradiol I would recommend Zoely above Qlaira as it is monophasic, which means it is better suited to skipping the dummy pills to remain bleed free.

The chaotic dosing of Qlaira is designed to mimic a menstrual cycle, so for someone like me taking it for menstrual suppression that would be particularly undesirable. I don't see the point of using something that can get rid of your periods yet still having withdrawal bleeds every 4 weeks. It is like having a Ferrari and only ever driving it in first gear.

You can choose any pill you like provided it is medically suitable. Not all are funded by the NHS - I have to pay for Zoely as I live in Scotland. I believe it is available on the NHS in England at least in some areas.

One thing I would pick up on though is you mentioned suffering from perimenopause symptoms whilst you are taking a birth control pill.

This is only really possible if either you are on a progestin only pill such as cerazette which contains no estrogen, or you are on a combined pill but only taking it for three weeks out of 4.

If you are on any of the standard combined pills and taking it every day ie no dummy pills or pill free week, in theory it shouldn't be possible to experience hypoestrogenism as the doses of ethinylestradiol are supraphysiological.

It may be that you are noticing reduced androgen levels - think reduced libido, loss of muscle mass and strength - which is a side effect of birth control anyway but can be more pronounced as we age, however this is still an issue on a combined pill with body identical estradiol.

I take DHEA to combat this.

However there are still good reasons to consider switching to a body identical pill, as they have a lower risk of blood clots (although this is minuscule anyway in healthy users) and contain more modern progestins that have fewer unfavorable metabolic and off-target effects.

Zoely in particular is preferred by women with hormone related mood disorders such as PMDD.

[mcgalel]

Hi

Thanks for your response.

I take a combined pill but only 21 days, but take no sugar pills. Could this mean perimenopause symptons still show?

I did think about the side effects of the pill as I have been on it for so long. I am suffering severe insomnia and brain fog to include low mood past few years. I see Zoely is not available on the NHS here in Northern Ireland so would have to pay for it.

Just wondering whether to try different birth control pills or manage to get a GP to prescribe me HRT. I have been advised that the birth control pill should be balancing my symptoms if I am in perimenopause but they are still synthetic.

I know I can try other pills just ensure of where to go

[bombsh3ll]

If you are happy with your current pill, the first thing that I would suggest is taking it every day.

No medication works optimally if it is only taken 75% of the time.

If this is unsuccessful then an estradiol based combined pill such as Zoely would be my next option - it's not that expensive and better than HRT as it gets rid of your periods which HRT does not.

In fact most women who are perimenopausal are given cyclical HRT which exacerbates rather than eliminates your menstrual cycle.

I would rather pay for the option that is best for me than have something less suitable just because it's free.

Combined hormonal contraception also reduces the risk of more types of cancer, and to a greater degree, than HRT.

There's also the Nuvaring which I have used, I just changed it every 4 weeks instead of having a break every 4th week and was really good but more expensive if you have to fund it yourself and also not body identical.

The Evra patch is also an option but I don't do patches as they don't stay on anywhere near as long as they claim to and aren't reliable.