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[Callisto]

Dear Everyone,

I am new to posting on this fantastic site although have read on it and elsewhere on the web extensively and currently trying to decide if (or more specifically when) I should start taking the Oestrogel and Ultrogestan.  I finally achieved these after a two and a half month pursuit which led to a private prescription with no NHS availability in my area for these bio identical preps. I am nearly 48 and had my last period in January, my skin has changed dismayingly rapidly over the last 5 months with bags under eyes and hair dry and weirdly electric; even my face is changing shape as cheekbones have vanished. I have had trouble sleeping for years but now am worse with anxiety thrown in. My worst symptom is that my memory seems to be impaired, my ability to concentrate, to read ( and I am normally a voracious reader) has become extremely tricky, I dip in and out of a book but my mind just spins away. Linked to this, I find it hard to take in new information, to learn anything new seems to defeat my brain which seems to have shrunk to the size of that of a wombat and this may be doing them a disfavour! I also keep forgetting everyday words, and their meanings as well as being scatty in everyday life. This is affecting my ability to do my job which is knowledge based and content led. I can hardly trust myself to recall anything and am worried that my ability to achieve an income is threatened.. I am freelance so there is no security..
Additionally my bladder appears to be weakening, my energy is low and I feel as if my body is suffering more aches and pains with my backbone developing a clicking at the base of my spine.


I am on the cusp of taking the hormones which are lined up in my cupboard  but I am torn that the symptoms I have listed may not justify this course of action as I don't have the physical sweats and flushes that others describe and  HRT successfully addresses. I wonder if I am making a hypochondriacal fuss about relatively little when I hear about many others far worse physical symptoms. My questions are really these 1. In your experience will HRT significantly help the symptoms I describe including improvement of my cognitive abilities or should I wait until if/when my symptoms become worse? 2. Do you think by taking HRT at this stage I may circumnavigate the worst and ameliorate physical symptoms before they arrive (there seems to be accumulating evidence that starting in perimenopause may be more effective)?
OR could the HRT's side affects potentially be worse than my symptoms? My doc prescribed 200mg of Ultrogestan per day for 12 days not the 100mg for 7/10 days that  Prof Studd seems to deem sufficient...Will I end up with heavy sore breasts and PMTlike symptoms because of this?   A bit nervous as the Ultrogestan appears to be really terrible in its side effects from what I've read on this site.

Oh dear I keep seesawing in my decision and it is driving me mad.
I am entirely in favour of HRT with a mother who was on it for 17 years until 65yrs old and swore by it before being foisted off by her GP in 2003 after the big scare.
I don't want to reach the age of 57 and be made to stop taking it by docs as will have been on it for 10 years by then if I start now, so confounded at mo. I imagine wanting to stay on it til I'm at least 65. Oh how odd it is thinking about being 65 when still 47 and trying to judge when to get my allowance of HRT.

Sorry for long selfish sounding post, if anyone has any advice I'd gladly hear it.

Thank you.
C🐾

[Lizab]

Welcome, Callisto! I can't answer all your questions, and I'm not completely well yet after a few months on hrt. But I can say with certainty that the cognitive part has improved! My ability to think clearly, concentrate, and remember things has come back. The Utrogestan may not be as bad as you are anticipating. My first round of it came with some weird effects, but they all went away quickly. I sleep so well on it I look forward to those utro days. My worst experience with it was a month ago when my daughter was sick in the night and I was so drunk on the Utro that it was nearly impossible for me to get up with her. Give it a try for a few months, if you don't like it, you can always back away. I was nervous as well, and reminded myself that the estrogen is less than what comes from a birth control pill. It's been ages since I've had the pill, and it didn't work out for me, but I didn't ever have any side effects from the pill except irregular bleeding. I don't know if starting hrt will prevent hot flashes from ever occuring. You may never have hot flashes anyway. I had hot flashes and night sweats as very early symptoms and all the cognitive stuff came later. Hope that helps!

[Callisto]

Thank you Liza,
For your swift informative friendly response. I have never been on a forum before and am amazed that someone can reach out so warmly across
the inter-ocean.
 I am almost nonplussed at the thought of being so fast asleep due to effects of Utro that you were worried you couldn't function properly to help your daughter( this must be why they advise taking it at night though I don't know how to comply to the other instruction, 'on an empty stomach' as my eating habits gravitate to food in the evening).
I wake up when a mouse looses an eyelash and
look forward to the idea of a long subterranean sleep like finding gold at the end of a rainbow.

I had 4 hours head down last night waking with a burning need to have a wee, the cystitus sensation is still with me now and having to force myself not to focus on its agony - been taking cranberry tablets that seem to help but forgot ( surprise, surprise) yesterday and feel very 'ouch.' at this exact moment.
I am encouraged by you saying your memory/mind has improved after only 2 months HRT.
Gosh it seems like a dream to imagine being able to concentrate properly again.
Thanks again for your reply and I wish you very well on this HRT journey.
Callisto

[Roadrunner]

Hi Callisto

If say go for it. I had those symptoms too plus started some vasomotor (flushes, palpitations) and lack of periods at Christmas. I've been taking HRT since January and I feel much better. Clarity of thought has improved - less woolly and more decisive. The change in my bladder has been magical (!) I didn't realise how bad it was until it got better ....

You seem to have the magic bullet combo that many here swear by.

The thing that I've realised is that it's different for everyone, and the only way you'll know is to try it and see.

Oh and give it time. You have to be patient and let your body adjust.

Good luck and keep posting!

RR xx

[Ju Ju]

I didn't start HRT until I was 60!

 I would have started years back, had my sister not died from breast cancer and I assumed that meant I couldn't. I didn't suffer from hot flushes too much and would never have considered HRT for that, but one of my main symptoms was extreme exhaustion which got worse as the years went by. CFS was being suggested by doctors. I eventually had to give up work, but thankfully my DH was able to support me. Had I started at your age I could have continued with my career. HRT has given me quality of life. I did struggle with progesterone, but some people get on very well with it. If your prescription doesn't suit you, you can try others. I went the private route in desperation as I couldn't access HRT at my age through the NHS at the time. I get my prescriptions through the NHS though. My gynaecologist says I can take HRT 'forever' as long as there are no health issues that get in the way. I feel I have my life back.

[CLKD]

 

What have you to lose?  GO for it! as it may need a hike in dosage B4 you find HRT that suits.  Some ladies find that keeping a mood/food/medication journal useful to chart this stage of 'the change'. 

Browse round.  Make notes!  Keep asking.

[CLKD]

Also, HRT can help protect bones and heart  and there shouldn't be a problem if you find HRT suits you - GPs are advised to ignore the 60 year old 'cut' off!

[Dancinggirl]

Hi and welcome Callisto
You have everything to gain by trying the HRT especially at your age as you are too young to be oestrogen deficient.
Prof. Studds approach with the reduced dosage and numbers of days on Utrogestan is simply for those who are very progesterone intolerant(quite rare) and this requires regular scans to ensure the womb lining doesn't become thickened. I use the 12 days of 200mg of Utro each month and feel really great when taking it - I sleep so well and feel energised through the day!!!!! Don't expect the worst. I would start with just one pump of Oestrogel each day for the first 4 weeks and only increase if you feel you need to.  You are still peri and sometimes too high a dose can bring others problems.  Basically it is trial and error.
All the symptoms you are describing could well improve over the first 3-6 months.
HRT won't solve everything and it's not a do or die option.  You do need to give it a good 3 months for things to settle - if I were you I'd definitely go for it - please don't look for problems and side effects as you will probably be fine - just enjoy getting your life back.  Dg x

[Mary G]

Welcome to MM!

I would have no hesitation in recommending you start HRT immediately.  Not everyone gets hot flushes or night sweats, I have never had them and neither did my mother or aunt.  All the symptoms you describe sound like the menopause and I really think you would benefit from the Oestrogel/Utrogestan regime.  I have been using it for a few years now and it is the best HRT regime by far in my opinion. 

HRT is not just about eradicating menopause symptoms, it is also about protecting yourself from the many long terms effects of oestrogen deprivation which kick in much later.  Unless you have a serious underlying health issue, I can't think of a single reason not to take HRT.

There is no way I could take 200mg Utrogestan for 12 days.  I have to keep my Utrogestan to a minimum because I am severely intolerant to all synthetic progesterone and to high doses of Utrogestan.  I am on the Professor Studd dose although I do stretch it to 5 weeks now.  I know I can do this because I have regular uterine scans which prove that I need much less than the standard dose. 

My advice to anyone who dislikes the Utrogestan phase is to take less (or the Professor Studd dose) then have a scan after a few months to see if the lining is clearing sufficiently.  You might have to pay for it but it's better than making your life a misery by taking too much Utrogestan for years on end and you can't possibly guess how much you need anyway.

[Hurdity]

Hi Callisto

  from me too!

I agree with everything that's been said so far and particularly Dancinggirl's recommendation to start low with the gel and build up if you need to. Maybe you won't get hot flushes, but maybe in your case the other symptoms have become apparent earlier? I only got hot flushes when my oestrogen started to dip really low and I had other symptoms earlier too. This means you may well still have some oestrogen floating around peri-menopausally (we still have some post-meno).

I am another in the over 60's club on HRT (50mcg Estradot patch), like Ju Ju. There is no longer a time limit. I still take progesterone (as I have a uterus) but I use it vaginally -although it does affect my bladder a bit. However to me that is a small price to pay, for all the other benefits of HRT, and using a bio-identical progesterone like utrogestan.

Go for it - what have you got to lose?!

Hurdity x

[ancient runner]

I've had a packet of Femoston sitting unopened since January for much the same reasons. I get VA which fluctuates and for a while (and since being treated for thrush I didn't know I had) my Estring has done the job. But like you my skin's going downhill, joints and back suffer after exercise and my memory and word recall is up and down. Am 54. No problems with the idea of HRT but GP is adamant that can't have the Femoston with anything local for VA and... well, sort of wonder what to do. It's not terrible... but it's not marvellous either. Perhaps we've been conditioned not to expect anything better than OK?

[Callisto]

 
Dear Liza, Roadrunner, Ju Ju, CLKD, Dancing Girl, Mary, Hurdity and Ancient Runner,

Thank you all so much for your advice. I was not only nervous about taking the oestrogen but even worried about posting; so heartened and hopeful having read your responses. Don't know about you but I had felt quite isolated in terms of not really having anyone (other than doctors) to discuss this with whom could give advice from their own experience and it is so great to hear a range of voices and I am actually delighted to hear that I won't necessarily be cut off from HRT before I am 60 if I start it now..( although I thought it was also how long an individual had been on it rather than how old they are ? Anyone been on it for more than 10years?)

I suppose one of the reasons I have been holding back thus far was that faint hope that it was not happening yet and a refusal to admit that it was. Also because I have hardly ever taken meds for anything but I don't really consider hormones as medication rather part of our biological make up that is denied us at a certain age due to an evolutionary hiccup!

It is fantastic to hear that I have hope of become less raisin- brained, more energised and the distant (day)dream of sleeping like Rip Van Winkle!
I have decided to go for it and feel extremely positive about this having wavered for months so thank you again for giving me the extra tools of your own personal perspectives to help aid my decision.
I will try starting with Dancing Girl and Hurdity's suggestion of 1 pump of oestrogel a day for first wee while (rather than my docs prescribed dose of 2pumps a day) plus 200mg Utrogestan for 12 days from day 15-26. As Mary says with the progesterone- I won't know until I've tried it how it will affect me so perhaps I should do the 200mg
( thanks DancingGirl for reassuring me about that dose at least being fine for you).
Gosh quite excited now!
C🐾X

[ancient runner]

Go for it woman!

[Hurdity]

Great - keep us posted

Hurdity x

[CLKD]

AR - your GP is talking tosh  ………. all symptoms require treating in order for Quality of Life.  Go back and ask for VA treatment, I couldn't have continued Life without it - it was like razor blades up there