Menopause Matters Forum
Menopause Discussion => All things menopause => Topic started by: Stellajane on March 28, 2014, 04:45:25 PM
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I'm feeling pretty chuffed today. My GP has agreed to prescribe Oestrogel to go with the Utrogestan I'm now using, so I now have my preferred and well researched combo on the NHS - fantastic!
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Good for you Stellajane. Always helps when your GP is on the same page.
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That is so good to hear Stellajane.
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Oh well done :) It really is the gold standard of HRT. I just love it, it is so easy to tweak the dose of Oestrogel and I feel fabulous on it.
How many pumps of Oestrogel are you on? I am on 3 which is roughly equivalent to my Femston 2/10mg. I will try 4 pumps though as I have the odd hot flush. I will ask my utterly lovely GP for another tube of Oestrogel next I see him.
I am sure he thinks I am nuts because I am always raving about fantastic it is!
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Did you have a problem getting it and if so why? I don't understand why some drs are so odd about this....if it comes down to cost you ( or anyone) can always try asking for a private prescription as a last resort and the cost is not much more than a prescription.
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What annoys me the cost is no more than Patches when you work it out. I just cannot understand why some women on here and on Dr Annie Evan Facebook group have such a hard time getting it. It can't be costs as its the same price as Patches. It is fabulous HRT. My GP is just utterly wonderful and happily prescribed it
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Did you have a problem getting it and if so why? I don't understand why some drs are so odd about this....if it comes down to cost you ( or anyone) can always try asking for a private prescription as a last resort and the cost is not much more than a prescription.
My doctor got shirty with me when I asked for this.
She told me that if my current hrt doesnt work, and I am not prepared to try the alternative with the norethisterone then I will just have to go through the menopause on my own.
She seemed exasperated when i asked about it, as she had never heard of it.
Some GP's are out of date with their meno info and are too arrogant to look new info up.
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What annoys me the cost is no more than Patches when you work it out. I just cannot understand why some women on here and on Dr Annie Evan Facebook group have such a hard time getting it. It can't be costs as its the same price as Patches. It is fabulous HRT. My GP is just utterly wonderful and happily prescribed it
ITs because some GP's think that it is too risky even though the studies which said this were flawed.
I think my doctor thought I was just being greedy asking for more oestrogen than 2mg pills.
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There is no extra risk with Oestrogel- all the transdermal forms of oestrogen are in fact safer than tablets. There are no studies which show that Oestrogel is not safe. The studies you refer to- the MW and WHI studies were not about patches/gel v tablets.
It's possible with gel to adjust the dose up to 3mgs. But this is no different from someone taking 2 tablets instead of 1 to get a higher dose, or using 2 patches! Your dr would still be able to monitor how quickly you were getting through a pump of gel when you asked for a prescription, because 2 pumps a day ( 1.5mgs) last for 32 days ( a month) and 4 pumps would only last for half that time.
Most GPs don't prescribe it simply because they have not heard of it- I assume.
StellaJ - you can adjust the dose easily- I found 1 pump enough to control all daytime symptoms, but I still had some insomnia and hotness at night - so I upped it to around one and a half pumps; if you press the plunger just half way down then you can use just half a pump. I also divide the dose between morning and evening. Using the whole dose in the morning initially gave me nausea. I'd suggest you start with 1 pump and see how you feel on that.
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I think what is annoying for you is that consultants take a different approach: mine offered me gel as 'his' choice of what was best /safest and also ease of adjusting the dose- he thinks it's wonderful stuff. It's also the first choice in France where they are much more pro HRT than the UK. It's very annoying that GPs are so stuffy, a bit out of touch and patronising if that is what it comes down to.
I do think that menopause is the poor relation when it comes to most GPs' interests and professional development.
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Are you taking the Utrogestan orally or vaginally if you don't mind me asking? And would this be on a sequi or a conti basis?
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I am phasing my estrogen only patch out now, I have Estrogel and have started to rotate it by dabbing on ear lobes ( very enriched blood supple) and inner wrists.
Using after my morning bath, I don't have to worry about my half patch coming off and ending up in the plug hole as it has on many occasions.
I am post menopause and don't need to take progesterone to protect my womb, with the gel you do have the ability to tailor it to your needs.
If my GP was reluctant to prescribe, I would certainly ask for a private prescription.
I certainly feel well though I don't rely on estrogen only. Preventative health care along with NHS care is the answer.
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Not sure about using it near your face or on your wrists- the instructions are quite specific about where it should be used for a) safety and b) best absorption.
Being post-meno doesn't mean you don't need a progestogen: all women need a progestogen if they have a uterus, regardless of if they are peri or post meno.
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It suits me and as I said I feel very well.
I have had a hysterectomy and don't need to use progesterone, I have said this countless times in my posts over the years. I do have natural progesterone cream if I felt I needed progesterone, it does calm and help with sleep. I have more lee way then a women who has not had a hysterectomy.
I have educated myself about menopause since my thirties and worked with women with hormone problems, the information is out there, it was even before the internet.
I have a regime that works for me., you will find that French women will have a regime that works for them. I have read a lot of articles and books about French women's use of HRT and taking care of themselves' and have posted about it in the past.
As far as I am concerned topical hormones get into the blood stream wherever you apply it, if you apply in the very fatty areas it may take a bit longer and could accumulate, so the thinner blood enriched areas are better, I only use a tiny dab and probably much smaller dose then the instructions say but that is the beauty of the gel , it can be adapted to needs. My Doctor first prescribed me Estrogel about 10 years ago, I had patches too, over the years I have come to feel I need less estrogen and now using the gel suits this purpose.
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That's fine then. But what you said was that women who were post meno didn't need a progestogen- which is not correct and might confuse people who are reading your post. That's all :)
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I am post menopause and don't need to take progesterone to protect my womb.
Was what SL said. I think she makes what says pretty clear. She was referring to herself not women in general.
So no confusion.
Honeyb
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Honey- this is what she wrote : I am post menopause and don't need to take progesterone to protect my womb,
She doesn't need to protect her womb because she doesn't have one. SL statement implies she has a womb, but because she is post meno she doesn't need progestogens.
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Yes that's exactly what I said.. :-\
Still thought it was perfectly clear.
Honeyb
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You are splitting hairs Sarah2 you know very well very what I meant,
"I am post menopause and don't need to progesterone to protect my womb" meaning I don't have a womb to protect, and as I am prolific poster and have talked only recently on a thread about natural progesterone cream , that you and I different views on, you will know I have had a hysterectomy. Most posters know too.
I never inferred that women who are post menopause don't need to take progesterone, I was talking about myself!
If any poster had any queries I am sure they would have posted themselves.
I should have put a comma after "I am post menopause"
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Perhaps Sarah is a member of the correct grammer club.
Slapped wrist SL don't forget that comma ;)
Honeyb
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;D ;D
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Nothing to do with a comma.
Anyway- whatever.
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Sorry but if someone who was just perusing the forum had read the statement "I am post meno and don't need progesterone to protect my womb" they could quite easily misunderstand although, of course, all of us on here do know that you have had a hyster SL.
It's one of those occasions where the way something is written can be interpreted in different ways. I guess "I am post meno and as I've had a hyster I don't need to protect my womb" makes it clearer.
Taz x
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Taz I did forget to put hysterectomy in brackets as I usually do.
I did say "my womb" not "the womb" its semantics.
I also said "I am phasing my estrogen only patch out now" my first post was not read correctly by Sarah2.
I was not giving incorrect information.
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As Sarah so eloquently put it ---- whatever.
Reminds me of what my teenagers used to say. ::)
Perhaps because some of us have been around so long we are inclined to forget that others do not know our backgrounds so well.
Honeyb
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The thing is Honeyb is that's so easy to forget things that have been said in the past.
I think I remember SL saying she has had a hysterectomy but I'me not entirely sure, my memory is not good. ::)
When I see "I am post menopause and don't need to take progesterone to protect my womb." I could well take it at face value.......
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Why would I be using an estrogen only patch then, to me my post was quite clear and self explanatory, I would not be using estrogen only if I have not had a hysterectomy.
Sarah2 has a habit of wanting to find fault with what I post, and to be honest I am more then a little tired of it she has used the term "What ever" before to me, its rather infantile.
Its important to read posts properly. If all the post had been read properly "I am post menopause and don't need to take progesterone to protect my womb." would make perfect sense and not be misconstrued. Maybe though if you were looking for faults though .............
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I'm in the post hyst club and just assume that estrogen patch or ERT means post hyst. As an aside, I've tried 'natural progesterone' twice and it knocked me over with a migraine each time.
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I'm feeling pretty chuffed today. My GP has agreed to prescribe Oestrogel to go with the Utrogestan I'm now using, so I now have my preferred and well researched combo on the NHS - fantastic!
Have been off the forum for a while so just read this and wanted to say - great news Stellajane and hope it works for you!! :)
Hurdity x