Menopause Matters Forum
Menopause Discussion => All things menopause => Topic started by: Spadger on August 20, 2016, 08:09:32 AM
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Hi ladies,
I began taking Femoston Conti low dose in March & thrilled to finally be rid of dreadful flushes/night sweats/vaginal dryness...
All was going well until spotting began in June, and seems to have happened every 2.5 to 3 weeks since and is more like a light period. Coming up to the six month line I'm wondering if this will actually settle down?
I was checked out at the hospital last year after a short time on Prempak-C (prescribed in error by inexperienced GP) following a heavy bleed, so I'm not too worried that it's anything "nasty"' just wondering if I need to change to a higher dose?
I'm 54 (& 5 years post-meno).
Love Spadger x
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Hi Spadger
If you are still bleeding on the conti HRT then it could be insufficient progesterone compared to oestrogen - or it could be due to variability in absorption maybe eg due to digestive issues? Sometimes too much progesterone can cause over-thinning of the endometrium but that particular progestogen is not known for doing this as part of HRT as far as I know - it's usually the stronger ones like norethisterone or the Mirena which lead to this sort of bleeding/spotting (ie if too much prog).
If you feel well generally then sounds like the oestrogen dose us about right. The advice is usually to give a conti HRT 6 months to settle but from what I've read sometimes it can take longer. If you have been checked out recently and not worried then perhaps give it a couple more months and see if it does settle before going to the doc?
Hurdity x
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Unfortunately this kind of spotting or problematic bleeding is quite common on a conti HRT. Even women who have a Mirena, which is the best option if you want to have a bleed free HRT regime, will sometimes get some bleeding. A higher dose HRT may actually make things worse.
If it doesn't settle then you may need to have a scan done to see if fibroids or a polyp are present. Many choose to use a sequential HRT regime as it is else likely to give these problems but you do have to put up with a monthly bleed.
You could consider having a Mirena as this is less likely to give problematic bleeding and if you do have fibroids it will actually shrink them. DG x
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Thank you for the replies, I do have fibroids but the gynae still said a conti hrt was fine for me to take.
I think I will carry on as I am for a while longer and see if it settles down, I feel 'better in myself' than I have for ages :-)
I really appreciate you both taking the time to reply - hope you're both well & having a good weekend, love Spadger x