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Hi

I've been on HRT for 5 months now. I started it at 51 when i had to come off the birth control pill (as requested by my GP). This caused my interstitial cystitis to flare up. I started on 25mcg Estradot which initially helped then stopped working, and then went up to 50mcg. I was initially taking the utrogestan orally (100mg) - but changed to vaginally about 2 weeks ago due to acne and tiredness. In the last week or so I've felt almost ready to burst into tears several times - and felt really down. It's possibly the utrogestan - in which case is it worth carrying on to see if this goes away? Another possibility is that my AD has stopped working - they have a tendancy to do that with me.

Hi, sorry to hear you’re struggling. I take 100mg continuously and find that before and during my period it can make me feel a bit sedated and lethargic. So twice I have switched to taking it vaginally which helps but after 1-2 weeks of taking vaginally my sleep and mood really suffer and so I switch back to oral. So your symptoms could be due to switching to vaginal. I’ve decided to stick
With oral and put up with the lethargy as it’s much better than anxiety and exhaustion that I get when I switch to vaginal. I hope this is helpful.x

Are others in perimenopause taking Slynd, (especially combined with some for of estrogen)?  Has it been helpful? 

After having two periods and lots of bloating on continuous combined hrt in perimenopause (46, .1125 estradiol patch, 200 mg progesterone nightly, small dose of testosterone cream), my doctor is recommending I change from micronized progesterone to Slynd (drospirenone).  I have my pill pack and am ready to start, but feeling concerned after reading reports of problems, but those reports may all be from pre-menopause people.  Since synthetic progesterones seemed more associated with cancer in many of the hrt studies I read, I was really trying to stick with micronized progesterone, but it's just not working well, although I feel it is helping with sleep.

Appreciate any experiences others are willing to share.

Warmly,

Kara

I think you have Oestrogel and Utrogestan? The usual way is to use the Oestrogel in the morning and the Utrogestan at night, as the latter often cause drowsiness.
JP x

Thanks Hurdity for the really helpful advice. Still a bit of a juggling act and I have booked a Drs appt to talk about different options as I started bleeding after taking the utrogestan vaginally and it is now subsiding after taking orally again.
You’re right, I think the alcohol intolerance might be down to age rather than menopause, and how our bodies process it. A glass of wine does me nowadays but that’s not necessarily a bad thing!

Many people use a pet or a scenic picture. It's your account, your choice. I had a friend thought I'd blocked them because I removed a profile pic. You could easily go stir crazy over thinking it.

Hi ladies,

I’m taking 3 pumps of gel per day except in the few days before and during my period when I take 4. Although it says 2-4 pumps on the Oestrogel bottle my gp was concerned that I was might not be absorbing it properly when I mentioned the 4 pumps and suggested a blood test. I feel good so long as I get plenty of sleep and look after myself during my ‘good’ time of month but I sometimes struggle the week before and during my period with anxiety, low mood and fatigue. Basically lower mental and physical energy. I’m worried that if I have a blood test and it shows ok or too high orstrogen levels my gp will reduce my dose. Do they make decisions on dosage based on your blood results or how you feel. I would like to know my levels but worried I won’t be able to have 3-4 pumps anymore if I do.

It will probably protect them now but if they come off it post menopause when their symptoms may reduce that could be a problem and some still need local estrogen even with systemic. I never needed HRT during peri, one of the lucky ones, not so lucky post meno with atrophy.
I wish they would do more research why some women get this and others don't, why some sail through menopause and others suffer so badly. I know we're all different but what is the difference in this case?
I know the adrenal glands have something to do with it as they take over after the ovaries stop producing estrogen. Maybe we should be targeting and stimulating these glands.  I'll perhaps start a thread on this or check there's one already.

I’d love to know this too.

I learned something like cholesterol makes pregnolenone, which makes dhea, which then makes estrogen, progesterone and testosterone.

But cortisol caused by stress uses up pregnolenone (called cortisol steal) which causes sex hormones to dip. No wonder we go worse when stressed.

 So I read some women are on pregnolenone as an hrt alternative but under supervision of a functional medicine practitioner. Their approach is to provide the body with the “grand mother” hormone to help the body make the sex hormones it needs, instead of simply adding estrogen because there are certain metabolites that estrogen alone can cause.

Something like that anyway. I may be wrong with the details.

Sorry for late reply. I have persevered  and still feel rubbish. I am waiting to see my Dr but I think I’m way down the list in terms of priority, so I’ll probably get seen sometime next month! I tried utrogestan vaginally for a week and I started bleeding so back to taking orally and the bleeding subsided. Not sure if this is a standard reaction?

HI,
   My gut is a bit funny, sometimes having dairy make me bloat and go to the toilet. Other days is ok. BTW, I am only allowed to use Tranexamic acid for five days. Have to wait another month to use it again.   Can I take fish, cod liver oil, will this increase bleeding and I think it helps inflammation? 
Most people post about Peri and heavy periods. I wonder how long will I last when menopause finally comes. Have to top up my sanitary towels all the time!
Chat soon.

Thanks for your replies. 

I have used YES VM internally as well as externally on nights that I don't use a hormone treatment - can it stop the hormone being absorbed?

No I would say its ok to do both, I use Yes moisturiser when using Ovestin (Estriol) and it doesn't seem to have any effect on its efficiency.