Hi Shellb
Sorry to hear of the problems you've been having with HRT.
When was your last period before you went onto HRT? Usually you are put onto conti if you haven't had a period for 12 months as you are considered to be menopausal at this point. Not sure how yours was confirmed? Blood tests are inaccurate.
So are you feeling bad on the oestrogen only part of the Femseven - if you are on sequi - and if you only started last week?
Did you have anxiety and depression before you started going through the menopause? If not then HRT alone should alleviate your symptoms if you choose the right product and if there is nothing in your life that would cause the anxiety other than menopause ie hormones.
Unfortunately your experience of progestins is typical and I would really like to ban all non bio-identical HRT!! So many women suffer like you do - from the artificial ie synthetic progestins.
For women in your position ie progestogen intolerant, what I always advocate is the regime I use or something similar - which is bio-identical HRT ie estradiol - as either patch or gel - delivered transdermally ( ie through the skin rather than orally) together with micronised progesterone - marketed as Utrogestan. If you administer these separately, and start off with a cyclec, you will easily be able to distinguish the symptoms caused by progesterone - if these are the problem. There are many women who cannot tolerate the synthetic progestins but are fine on the bio-identical progesterone.
If you were OK during most of the second half of the menstural cycle - but maybe suffered some pmt just before your period ( anxiety, irritability, headache etc) - then it is likely you will be OK with the Utrogestan, apart from a few pmt symptoms when you stop taking it each month - and hopefully these will be no worse than the pmt you are/were used to.
Some women are unfortunate to be completely progesterone intolerant and felt bad for the whole of the second two weeks of the cycle - and therefore usually benefit from going to a meno clinic where a specialist will prescribe a reduced dose of progesterone and monitor them reguarly to check the womb lining.
Hope this helps and we can help you work out how to feel better soon!
Hurdity x
