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[Hurdity]

Sorry Liz I didn't mean to worry you! Starting HRT early (when having periods closer together but not having missed any yet) would have meant that you would not experience the big dips (in oestrogen) that other women experience as your oestrogen levels would be more evened out. It also means that what you are feeling now you are definitely into peri-menopause - are the fluctuations in your own cycle - a pain yes, but understandable. At least you should be feeling better than you would do without HRT.

I would just keep on with the dose you were using but accept that you may feel rough from time to time if your cycle is doing its own thing - most likely this will be due to the progesterone if you are ovulating at a different time than at the end of the two week oestrogen only part of HRT.

Interesting that you experienced all the menopausal symtpoms at that early stage anyway - which just shows it's all a bit of a mystery and it's not an all or nothing stage - there will be a gradual move towards lack of ovulation from the frantic burst of activity when periods come thick and fast. Have you read this article about peri-menopause - I'm sure I will have posted it at some stage? http://www.menopausematters.co.uk/article-perils-of-the-perimenopause.php

I'm not sure whether Qlaira counts as a Pill in terms of risk factors because as I understood it, the risks of the COC (stroke, clots etc) are due to the high doses of synthetic oestrogens which Qlaira does not have. Briony will know more about this!

It might mean your cycle stabilises a bit more for the few years while you are peri-menopausal -until you are late peri (you'd have to guess at when this might be!), if you can tolerate the progestogen dose. Might be worth thinking about? Your doc may not have been aware of Qlaira?

Hope you feel better soon!

Hurdity x

[warwick01]

Hi

Really interesting post.

I have tried patches several times the last one was Everal 75 with separate prog. For 6 weeks I felt horrid esp the weird head feeling I had 24/7.

I have gone back to the gel (again) starting on 3 pumps. My next experiment will be to try adding Utrogeteron 1-25 days.

Mary G - may I ask what your blood tests were and how hold you are?? I am 56 and was doing well on the gel for 3 years up until 12 months ago (think I must be post meno) when the anxiety esp agitation and panic set in along with the vertigo. I wonder if trying progesterone will calm me down??

Wx

[Briony]

The risks with Qlaira are likely to be lower as the estrogen dose is lower than nearly all other BCPs (only 2 days of 3mg) and it's not synthetic, so again, less potent. It is for this reason that I am allowed it, despite my dad having had a stroke at a young age and me getting migraines (occasionally with aura). To be honest, the estrogen I take is similar to say, Femeston, so it worries me no more than when I took HRT. 

Given that many pills have the same estrogen but different progesterones - with different risk levels associated with each generation's - makes me think the progesterone plays a role in the risk factor too? (Either alone, or in the way it interacts with the estrogen). Qlaira has a 4th generation progesterone called Dienogest. Research on it is sparse, mainly because it's so new (and expensive, so therefore less popular - though as a BCP, you get it for free!) but from what I can tell, it's very much an 'average or lower' risk - hence reason I was prescribed it, but the doctor would not let me have a conventional pill. It's not a brand new product, just new to the UK . It's far more common place in France and the US.

As I have said before, it is not the perfect product. I suspect such as thing does not exist. Spotting was an issue for several months and I do have the occasional blip when I am convinced my own hormones are still playing silly buggers, but overall, it's massively better than anything else I have tried.

[Mary G]

Liz, I'm 54 and about 9 years post menopause.  When I have my check ups, I ask for hormone blood tests every time, I always tick the sheet that comes with the slip the doctor gives me and add on as many extras as I can!  Nothing ever really worked before the gel (patches, Angeliq), I always felt a bit tinny and creaky and seemed to sweat too much but once I started on the gel, it all disappeared overnight and I suddenly felt completely normal again.  I noted that the blood test results for the oestrogen went from 75 pg/mL when I was on both the Angeliq and patch (too low for me) to 190 pg/mL when I started the gel which is about right.  I had them done in Spain so the readings might be different. 

You may find the progesterone has a calming effect, many people react very well to it.  I am severely intolerant to artificial progesterone (which are in fact progestins and not to be confused with the stuff you produce yourself) so I have to limit the use of it.  Strangely, I have periods every month without taking any progesterone, I just get a natural bleed but over a longer period.  If I do heavy manual work like building, lifting, heavy carrying etc. it causes a heavier bleed and speeds it up.  No doctor has ever understood why I have periods without taking the progesterone and all my ultrasounds are normal.  I'm just odd, but there is no reason why you should experience anything like this and you may find the progesterone helps in your case.  You might want to try either Utrogestan (perferably taken vaginally for fewer side effects) or one of the natural creams like Serenity. 

Hope that helps!