Menopause Matters Forum
Menopause Discussion => All things menopause => Topic started by: Dierdre on May 07, 2018, 09:21:23 AM
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After six months on conti HRT, 3 months Femoston conti tablets and the last 3 months on Femseven conti patches, I have decided to stop. The bleeding, depression, PMT and many other side effects have outweighed any benefit, if any. My only symptom is atrophy and I have decided to try and manage this with just local again, which I have carried on using throughout. I took off the patch Thursday, was still spotting and today have started another full bleed, hopefully the last. My mood has lifted almost instantly and my family are glad to have me back!
How long do I wait for this to stop before it becomes a worry and will need checking out please? Before Conti I had been period free for 8 years with no problem and had a scan in October 17 before starting and lining was thin and all ok.
Dierdre x
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Hi there Deidre
Sorry to hear your HRT is not suiting you. The bleeding is a sign of the oestrogen/progestogen balance not being right yet and that the womb lining had built up while you were taking the HRT. Unfortunately many women do find also that they get side effects from taking progestogens all the time as in continuous combined HRT, which is eventually designed to be "no-bleed" but this should settle after 6 months ish -although side effects may continue.
The other alternative is to try cyclical HRT - but this does mean having a withdrawal bleed every month but means you only have the progestogen part for half the month - or less if under medical supervision and taking separate oestrogen and progesterone.
Hopefully your bleed will finish soon? We can't say when you should get it checked out but if it carries on longer than a couple of weeks in the absence of HRT I would go to the doc, but do go earlier if concerned. The fact that your lining was thin 6 months ago is a good sign though.
Hurdity x
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Thanks Hurdity, I'm going to try and have a break and manage on vagifem, ovestin and Yes for a while. I've been bleeding on and off for the last 3 months, quite heavy at times and it doesn't help the atrophy using tampons and pads and going to the toilet every half hour. I don't think I can tolerate much progesterone very easily, it causes PMT and i become like Jekyil and Hyde with my mood swings and feeling so angry, my family noticed the change in me too. Feeling much better now and I've got an appointment in July with my vulva specialist so can review my options then if needed.
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Glad that you have a) discovered what is causing your moods and b) that you have decided to stop as it seems that your body needs a break, however, do keep up with the vaginal atrophy treatment as this is a different type of HRT . Do you keep a mood/symptom/food diary?
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Hope things go well for you. Just also to give a useful tip - when using tampons I smear estriol cream around the end at every insertion and this helps keep the vag area oestrogenised even during bleeds.
Hurdity x
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Hi CLKD, Yes, I write everything on my calendar so can see at a glance where I'm at with things (but so can everyone else!) and this has made me notice the changes and helped me make the decision. I've stopped bleeding today and just spotting a bit, that's a relief and not feeling too sore this time as I've started using the YES vaginal moisturiser each time I got to the toilet. I've also started using Ovestin inside, only used on the outside before with vagifem inside, maybe this suits me better, I'll keep experimenting.
I've actually been laughing at work today and my colleagues have ask if I'm OK now, think I've been a bit of a pain in the ****
Hopefully I won't need the cream for the tampons, Hurdity, but I'll be ready next time if I do and will keep posting, hopefully with a progress report and also join in on the lighter topics.
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Well, it's been a month now since I stopped the patches and wanted to give a positive update as I'm doing very well. I know a lot of us use Vagifem and it's great on the inside but doesn't seem to reach the outer bits so good, which is why we have Ovestin for the outside. I'm now using Ovestin inside and out, as well as Vagifem and the improvement has been amazing. I was surprised as I thought this was weaker than Vagifem but for me it is working much better. I read something about A and B receptors and maybe I'm now hitting the correct one with Ovestin. My mood is back to normal and I'm not feeling down anymore since stopping the patches and I'm much more positive about coping with atrophy now I've found this combination that is working for me.
I wish I tried this years ago but got there eventually. :)
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That's really good news.
Lanzalover
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Sometimes hrt side effects outweigh any benefits. Hrt isn't right for everyone. DG x