Print

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

[FreidaB]

Hello all! I've been having something of a confusing time with the medical advice I've been getting over the last 2 years and while I am now going to go to other doctors for additional advice, I'd really love to hear your thoughts 

I'm nearly 55 years old. I was on cerazette for years as contraceptive and never had periods. When I was 53, during my regular check-up my gynecologist said I should come off cerazette and instead start Femiston low as given my age, she assumed I would be going through menopause. So that's what I did. All fine for 6 months taking Femiston and then I started getting regular, heavy, monthly periods (which was a shock after 25 years of not having them!).

So after a few months, I went back to the gynecologist who said to come off Femiston so we could do a blood test to check hormone levels. Which I did. After 3 months with no pills (and still periods), the blood test showed hormone levels as being pre-menopause (my GP who I also asked said 'be careful you can get pregnant'). My gynecologist suggested going back on cerazette but I decided not to do that so took nothing.

Then about 2 months later the hot flashes started. Really bad. I was awake every hour of every night, couldn't sleep, terrible leg cramps as well. I lived with it for a month hoping it would calm down but it didn't. So I went back on Femiston and a month later the hot flashes stopped. Periods also stopped for about 4 months. But then came back.

I just saw my gynecologist and she's suggested to stop Femiston and instead use Ostrogel (which is a gel with 0.75g of oestrogen) as well as Cerazette. I don't know what to do now - from what I read, even if I'm 54, I shouldn't take Femiston low unless I'm actually menopausal which I'm clearly not yet. But I don't want to swap again and get the hot flashes back and from what I've read online, it's not good to take the pill together with oestrogen.

I've made an appointment with a different gynecologist to get more advice, but I'd love to get any thoughts or opinions or experiences you have had.
Thank you!!!!!

[Dotty]

Hi welcome to the forum.

If you are peri menopausal then you can take Femoston in a sequential format.  There is a specific pill for this . I think it’s just called Femoston and comes in two strengths.

You can take the mini pill with Oestrogel if you need contraception but you would need to take another progesterone as well….probably Utrogestan.  I think Cerazette can be taken off licence for the progesterone part of hrt but you need to take two a day.

[sheila99]

There are many options. You could try a combined BCP such as zoelly. If you want to be bleed free a mirena does both contraception and the progestin for hrt, alongside any oestrogen. Or there's 2xPOP plus oestrogen but it's off licence for hrt so your GP may not prescribe it. Or any of the more usual hrts but they don't provide contraception.