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[Anjia]

Well said Lou and good luck girls Hrt can be a bit hard to sort out but not for everyone its tough for the first few weeks but you will  so feel so much better x

[Yorkshire Girl]

Good luck Sandy, it seems different from doctor to doctor, I wasn't allowed HRT until 6 weeks after my op, as there is a higher risk of DVT until that time. I'm sure you'll be fine, just rest lots & listen to your body, it takes time to recover.

Lou I'm on Estradiol 50 they stick really well, they can be hard to remove, hate being left with sticky residue after which easily removed with baby oil!! Never been on tablets, mind you think I would forget to take them! Keep us posted! x

[Taz2]

Hi Sandy - good luck with your op and I'm sure you will be fine.  Just wanted to ask why they are taking your ovaries? It is more usual to keep them nowadays unless they are diseased or you have a family history of ovarian cancer.

Read up on things as much as you can. Spend as much time as you need to recover properly too.

Taz x

[Hurdity]

CALLING ALL LADIES WHO HAVE EXPERIENCE WITH PATCHES.

I haven't had great experience with patches, tried Estraderm but that was before surgery to try and suppress cycle. After surgery almost 2 years ago, I tried Estradot and got into a right mess hormonally as it didn't stick well.

Please could you share your experiences of the best you have found, whether you find them more stable than tablets and which are the best at sticking. I wondered if a reservoir type would stick better but am unsure which brand this would be in the UK?

Thanks

Hi Lou44

I'm not surgical meno but use separate oestrogen patches as you will be doing. I have only ever used Estradot patches (with the exception of first 3 months when I tried the mahoosive Evorel 50!).

I do find they stick very well - so perhaps you had a bad batch? You need to make sure your skin is clean and dry and not used any shower creams or body lotions. I always stick them to my butt cheeks and hold them in place with warm fingers until they stick. I always use the same part of the body (alternate "cheeks"). Perhaps don't have too many baths and also when it's very hot in the summer they may slightly come loose if sitting in a chair in hot sun. Also I always make sure I have a feel every now and again and press them down again to make sure they stay stuck. Other women use Evorel and swear by them too!

Not sure that reservoir patches are prescribed any more - I think they are older technology perhaps?

Good luck anyway and let us know what works for you

Hurdity x

[sassy44]

Hi after an oopehrectomy and tubes removed I have tried a few hrts. Coil,sequi patches,conti patches an now on the femoston 2\10. Literally after the few days the anxiety has gone,the palpertations that I had whilst drifting of to sleep have gone,my mood has lifted and feel my sex drive Is also returning . I'm not sure if anyone else is o them but after a few rough months of trial and error I think I've got there. Anyone else on them. X

[Lou44]

Hi trying to catch up on here...

Thanks for the tips Hurdity...after frustrations with my new gp surgery and having a long chat with a lovely lady from the meno clinic I'm with (over 100 miles away)...they want me to try testosterone gel with the Progynova tablets I'm taking (2mg per day split morning and night). Because my gp will make things difficult, I'm driving there on Monday to collect it from their pharmacy! I had thought that testosterone supplementation didn't work with orals but I've been told now it does and it's Premarin it doesn't work with?!

Annie - are you now on testosterone and oestrogen gels and how's it going? Did you notice a positive change adding the Testosterone to Tibolone?

Like all of us trying something new, I'm so hoping that this is the missing link to rid me of the joint pains, muscle weakness, fatigue and lack of libido...even if I can start exercising without going downhill, I would feel better.

Will feedback on how it goes x

[Lou44]

Sassy that's great that you're getting relief    Am I right in that its a combined hrt? Don't think they'd give me that as I don't have a womb to protect.

I was wondering about whether I need some progesterone too and if I hadn't got the offer of testosterone to start next week, I was at that desperate stage where I was going to go private and try the compounded mix as I was just at that point of "I can't keep doing this" + need to try a different approach. I know it's controversial but there seems to be a lot of women who have success with the more personalised, compounded mix, but at a cost! 😕

[Hurdity]

Hi trying to catch up on here...

Thanks for the tips Hurdity...after frustrations with my new gp surgery and having a long chat with a lovely lady from the meno clinic I'm with (over 100 miles away)...they want me to try testosterone gel with the Progynova tablets I'm taking (2mg per day split morning and night). Because my gp will make things difficult, I'm driving there on Monday to collect it from their pharmacy! I had thought that testosterone supplementation didn't work with orals but I've been told now it does and it's Premarin it doesn't work with?!

Annie - are you now on testosterone and oestrogen gels and how's it going? Did you notice a positive change adding the Testosterone to Tibolone?

Like all of us trying something new, I'm so hoping that this is the missing link to rid me of the joint pains, muscle weakness, fatigue and lack of libido...even if I can start exercising without going downhill, I would feel better.

Will feedback on how it goes x

From what I've read oral oestrogen (estradiol) increases Sex Hormone Binding Globulin (SHBG) in a dose dependent manner and this presumably can reduce the efficacy (beneficial effect) of testosterone supplementation. A discussion paper on Intrinsa (formerly licensed T patches for women) that I read showed that although total testosterone did not vary between oral and transdermal oestrogen ( alongside T supplementation) the bio-available T was greater in the transdermal group - but because the group taking oral oestrogen consisted of women taking Premarin and also estradiol the  difference between oral and transdermal estradiol on the effectiveness of T was not clear. As you say - for those taking Premarin T had no effect.

Surely it is worth a try if this is what your specialists have recommended, but if you don't experience any benefit then transdermal estradiol would be the way to go based on its effects on SHBG above? My gynae also told me that the effects of T can take 4-5 months to be fully appreciated!

Hurdity x

[Annie0710]

Hi Lou

I didn't add testosterone to Tibolone.  Just took the tablet but halved the dose as I was getting the feeling of high oestrogen (racing heart/agitated etc) but halving the tablet gave me bad night sweats and joint stiffness/pain so I decided to quit altogether

One I've never tried is oestrogel, so started on one pump but night sweats started again so now on 2 pumps which seem ok along with a blob of testosterone

I've had such a busy week this week, literally if I wasn't at work I was babysitting but I managed really well, I seem to have stamina but also acceptable tiredness (which I don't mind if I've been busy)

Too early to tell re: testosterone but a bit of physical strength and wellbeing (and if course libido) are my goals

[Lou44]

From what I've read oral oestrogen (estradiol) increases Sex Hormone Binding Globulin (SHBG) in a dose dependent manner and this presumably can reduce the efficacy (beneficial effect) of testosterone supplementation. A discussion paper on Intrinsa (formerly licensed T patches for women) that I read showed that although total testosterone did not vary between oral and transdermal oestrogen ( alongside T supplementation) the bio-available T was greater in the transdermal group - but because the group taking oral oestrogen consisted of women taking Premarin and also estradiol the  difference between oral and transdermal estradiol on the effectiveness of T was not clear. As you say - for those taking Premarin T had no effect.

Surely it is worth a try if this is what your specialists have recommended, but if you don't experience any benefit then transdermal estradiol would be the way to go based on its effects on SHBG above? My gynae also told me that the effects of T can take 4-5 months to be fully appreciated!

Hurdity x
[/quote]

Thanks, yes definitely worth a try and may consider trying patches again in future.

Drove over 200 miles round trip today to collect the T!

Do you apply it on a night or morning? It's Tostran 2% I've been prescribed.. .one pump on inner thigh every other day.

[Lou44]

Hi Lou

I didn't add testosterone to Tibolone.  Just took the tablet but halved the dose as I was getting the feeling of high oestrogen (racing heart/agitated etc) but halving the tablet gave me bad night sweats and joint stiffness/pain so I decided to quit altogether

One I've never tried is oestrogel, so started on one pump but night sweats started again so now on 2 pumps which seem ok along with a blob of testosterone

I've had such a busy week this week, literally if I wasn't at work I was babysitting but I managed really well, I seem to have stamina but also acceptable tiredness (which I don't mind if I've been busy)

Too early to tell re: testosterone but a bit of physical strength and wellbeing (and if course libido) are my goals

Sounds promising Annie. Collected mine today. My aims are the same as yours along with getting rid if muscle and joint pains and stiffness.

Good luck x

[Annie0710]

I apply mine morning, leave it to dry then get dressed so it minimises transfer risk

[Julation]

Hello ladies, had hyster on July 2016 and still very angry about loosing one healthy ovary from endo surgery.  I am trying to get my hormones stabilized but its a painful rollercoaster. 

So after months of inappropriate Estrogel use (estrogel liberation mode is not good for E depleted hyster ladies, provoking intense plasma peaks after 4-6 hours, thing that we really need to avoid, unless we are already well balanced)  I was placed on Estradot .25 and Prometrium 100 (my estradiol bloodwork was 10!!!).  I am very slowly getting to .375 as I am super sensitive to Estradiol.  I can see small benefit of more constant liberation but have the feeling the estradiol is not high enough.  I still have meno vasomotor symptoms + estradiol side effects.  I also have the feeling that P is giving me that monstruous ear ringing (saw my ENT this week and he thinks its coming from still low E...).

I don't know.  Not funny at all.  I have the feeling they took part of my brain away during surgery.  And NO, they would NEVER do that to men.  I totally agree.

[abbyH]

Just jumping in here with my experience.

Started Testosterone Gel  (Tostran) in March/April am now on
25mg patch x 2 a week
two small blobs of Tostran once a day

I feel...

Much better!
on the whole, mood, energy and body have nearly recovered to pre-hysterectomy levels
My body fat composition has changed as in, my legs, abdomen and hips have returned to their normal size - although my weight hasn't reduced that much

My mood has improved: I don't feel depressed anymore

I think overall the T gel has helped me enormously
But it has taken just over a year to get balanced, Surgical menopause is hard

hope this helps...happy to PM

Abby xx

[Sandy1]

Hi Sandy - good luck with your op and I'm sure you will be fine.  Just wanted to ask why they are taking your ovaries? It is more usual to keep them nowadays unless they are diseased or you have a family history of ovarian cancer.

Read up on things as much as you can. Spend as much time as you need to recover properly too.

Taz x

Hi Taz,  I had them removed to try to get rid of the horrible migrains which were making my life a misery.

Well it's been 19 days since the op, there has been a lot of up's and down's since then. Went in on a Thursday and came home on Saturday, went back in to hospital the day after because i had Pneumonia I was coughing up blood and bloody mucus.    I am having the occasional good days when i feel like my old self again but there are more days when i feel so tired and sore. 

The wound has healed up great, no problem with that thankfully. But trying to stay asleep is awful as i keep waking up in pain, right now the worst of the pain is in my lower back, yes the tummy is very tender but the back pain is the worst.  I drove myself to the doctor today as i need to get some sleep so i needed some better pain pills. I know i shouldn't have been driving but there wasn't any other option and i went super early so there wasn't many people on the roads and i was back home again before the school run started and there were kids around.

So i'm hoping for a nice sleep tonight, everything is just 10 times worse through the day if you can't sleep through the night.

As i said it's only been 19 days and i still have a lot of healing to do. 

No sign of any hot flashes so far!  Do you think i might be one of the lucky ones or am i going to crash and burn with meno symptoms any day now???