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[Kathleen]

Hello ladies.

I've just finished my first packet of Evorel Conti 50 mcg patches and I thought I'd send in a report for those that are interested.
I am 58 and it's been four and a half years since my last period. At the beginning of December I was using oestrogen patches and taking Utrogestan orally but continued spotting was worrying me. A month ago I changed to a Conti patch which as you know contains oestrogen and Norethisterone, a synthetic progesterone. Well good news, the spotting has stopped. In fact the discharge such as it is resembles the kind I was getting during the three years I was period free but not using any HRT.
Generally I feel about the same, my emotions are still all over the place, anxiety, slight palpitations, tiredness and generally feeling cr@p. Time will tell if the new regime helps any of those things and I'll keep the forum informed.

One point I did want to make is that I realised that I'd used Norethisterone in the past without problems, at least I don't think I had any problems! This would have been when I was in my forties and my periods were very heavy so I was given this drug to take for 15 days a month. Annoyingly I didn't keep a record of how I felt and after a while my periods became heavy again and I was found to have a fibroid. By this time I was 49 and the doctor thought I was close to the menopause so I could manage until my periods stopped, which of course they didn't for another four years!

The thing is ladies does this mean that I'm okay with Norethisterone generally or was I just okay with it when I was  younger and still menstruating? I believe this is the difficulty for us when using any HRT, the drug may be the same but we are changing so our responses may be changing too. It's not just HRT either. Smear tests have never been a problem for me but the most recent one was pretty uncomfortable and when I mentioned this to the nurse she said well what do you expect, the last one was five years ago. Of course in that time my body had changed, I just hadn't appreciated the impact that would have.   

Anyway ladies I hope all that has been helpful. Wishing everyone well and take care.

K.

[dazned]

Hi Kathleen thanks for sharing your experience,you say you had a problem with the smear test have you asked/thought if it could be VA ? My friend had the same problem and her bladder had dropped but nurse didn't comment but the gynecologist did! If she hadn't gone to see him 're hrt she won't have known .

[Kathleen]

Hello dazned.

Thank you for your comment. I hadn't considered VA so I'll mention it at my next GPs appointment.
thanks for the heads up!

Take care.

K. 

[Sunnydays]

How are you doing with these patches Kathleen?

[Dancinggirl]

Kathleen - I think being on any continuous HRT can give the fatigue and other side effects you are still having - would you consider going back to a sequi HRT?  I'm 59 and choose to use HRT in sequi form (though am very post meno) and have a monthly bleed to avoid the progesterone side effects.  I feel good on oestrogen alone and just use Utrogestan for 12 days each month and have a bleed.
You could also try gel or patch oestrogen with Provera progesterone separately (either conti or sequi) which is often tolerated quite well by many women.
The Mirena is another option with oestrogen as gel or patch - I had this for 4 years post meno and found it quite good as less is absorbed around the body so fewer side effects.
It is a minefield.  Good luck.  DG x