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[sadielouise78]

Hi everyone,

I changed from Elleste Duet 1mg to Evorel Sequi last Thursday and since Friday I've just felt really fed up and down.  All I want to do it go to bed and sleep or eat crap (but yummy) food.  I'm on long term anti-depressants anyway but have been ok for a long while now until this.  Elleste Duet really helped my brain fog to refocus but I had so many side effects I changed to Evorel Sequi last week.  Do you think there is a link between being fed up and the patch?  Has anyone else experienced it?

Thanks,
Sarah

[Mary G]

Sarah, if you have just made the switch, am I right in thinking you are now on the oestrogen only part of Evorel?  Both types of HRT you mention have norethisterone in them which is probably why the Ellesse didn't work out but if you are now on the first part of Evorel (oestrogen only) it is strange that you suddenly feel worse although it could be progesterone withdrawal. 

[sadielouise78]

Hi Mary G, thanks for your reply.  Yes I'm on the Evorel 50 at the moment.  The reason for changing from Elleste Duet was mainly bleeding for over a month and bad headaches.  I'm still bleeding now after over a week on Evorel 50 and it's showing no sign of stopping.  I didn't seem to have any mood problems on Elleste apart from improvement from how I was before starting HRT in the first place so I just don't know what is going on now.  I have read that people struggle when they get on to the norethisterone part but I seem to be the opposite and struggling on the oestrogen part more.  I am actually feeling a bit more with it today which is good.

[Mary G]

Sarah, if you feel better on the norethisterone part of the regime then perhaps you need to find a continuous combined form of HRT that works for you?  Believe me, if you can tolerate progesterone then this is a much easier option because you don't have to put up with periods or have to worry about having regular uterine scans although it might be worth your having a scan now to see why you are bleeding so much. 

How long were you on the Ellesse?  The reason I ask is that perhaps the norethisterone was causing some excess lining to shed.  It is not uncommon for menopausal women to have a build up of womb lining - caused by not having enough progesterone - and perhaps this is what happened in your case particularly if you were only using it for a month.   

[sadielouise78]

Hi Mary G.  I was only on Elleste Duet for 2 months but I had a scan in January (and blood tests) and my endometrium was very thin.  So thin that the specialist actually reported back to my doctor that I was post-meno and my ovaries were non-functioning (which was all wrong as I am definitely peri the more I read about it all).  I thought you could only have continuous HRT when you are post-meno?

[Hurdity]

It is very strange to be bleeding that much if your endometrium was very thin that recently. What was the withdrawal bleed like in February and do you know the measurement? If you are peri-menopausal though - your own cycle could have kicked in and you could have ovulated and produced quite a lot of oestrogen this month ( or two?) in addition to the HRT?

The reason you are feeling rough could be partly the progesterone withdrawal - which is normal when you change from the combi patches to the oestrogen only ones, and then followed by the bleed. Unfortunately for some sensitive women that only leaves a few days per month when you feel good - but if you tolerate the progestogen ( combi patches) that gives you a bit longer!

Yes that's right you would not be given continuous combined HRT if you are peri-menopausal.  If you find the bleeds a problem the Mirena coil could be an option and this does in fact give continuous progestogen so would be a way round the issue?

When you say you are definitley peri- it depends what your cycle was doing in the months leading up to HRT. You are considered post-menopausal if you have been without a natural bleed for 12 months, and do not have a Mirena coil (which stops periods) and not taking the mini pill or BCP.

Hurdity x

[sadielouise78]

Hi Hurdity,

Thanks for your reply.  So to fill you in properly.  I'd gone 7 months without a period and having sleeping problems, night sweats, mood swings, brain fog (to name a few symptoms - these had been going on maybe 2 years) when the doctors started questioning if I was heading towards menopause so they referred me to the specialist.  Just as I got to see the specialist I had a period (Nov 2017).  He did blood tests and scans and reported back to the doctors that I was post-meno and had none functioning ovaries (my endometrium was very thin in the scans).  He advised I could come off the mini-pill due to being post-meno which I did but was not happy he was correct to say that. 

In Jan 2018 I started on Elleste Duet and had a period as soon I started taking it (Day 2).  It was fairly heavy for a week then stopped.  I also went back on the mini-pill at the end of January after discussing it with the doctor to see if the bleeding stopped which it did. My sleeping was much better, the night sweats stopped and I felt happier in myself.  Towards the end of the pack I started to feel rubbish again.   

I had another period at the start of the second packet which again was quite heavy and painful but after a week it carried on, not so much blood but just yak (if you catch my drift) and it would stop and start for the rest of the month often catching me out like the blood just squirted out of nowhere.  I also had a terrible headache/migraine for 3 weeks which nothing shifted and I became very spotty, like I've never been before.  At the end of the second packet I went back to the doctor as I was concerned about the bleeding.  She did blood tests which showed health wise I was ok, not anaemic and she contacted our local menopause expert as to what to do about the bleeding.  Towards the end of the second pack the night sweats started to come back.

I then changed to Evorel Sequi two weeks ago and even though I was still bleeding I started a period (it was a lot heavier and very painful) and I'm now onto my second week of it.  Every 3-4 days I get bad period pains and it all seems to get heavier again (this happened this morning) so it's not showing any sign of easing up.

Also, a couple of years ago I decided to change from the mini-pill and have the Mirena coil fitted.  I nearly passed out when the doctor tried to fit it so had it done in hospital.  I think it was due to having no kids.  I had it in for 9 months and had heavy bleeding on it.  After 9 months I found myself on all fours in the lounge having what I can only assume where contractions.  I actually thought I was having a baby!  But I think it was body trying to expel the coil.  I had it taken out a few days later and swore blind I would never have it fitted again.  After that I had the coil removed I had a terrible time with bleeding and clots.  I was stood in the office one day and a massive clot popped out!  It's a good job I had knickers on!  As you can imagine I am reluctant to have another coil fitted.

I don't have a measurement of withdrawal bleed for February and I'm not sure how I would know.  How would I measure it?

So that's it really.  I'm just at a loss as what to do now.  I am actually starting to feel less fed up now but I'm constantly tired and could quite easily just go to bed and stay there for a few days.  Any help anyone could give me would be gratefully appreciated.

Thanks,
Sarah

[Hurdity]

Hi sadielouise78

By measurement I meant the womb lining not the blood! Sorry - that wasn't clear! If your periods stopped on the mini-pill this doesn't count in terms of periods stopping due to menopause as from what I understand periods can stop anyway with Mirena and mini-pill. The only way to tell where you are in menopause is to stop all HRT and see what happens but you probably don't want to do this. I think I might have mentioned on your other thread about QLAIRA or ZOELY which are contraceptive pills but with the same oestrogen as in HRT, but Qlaira only has 2 tablet free days. This would control your cycle, prevent ovulation, limit bleeding but give you replacement oestrogen to prevent sweats. It contains one of the newer generation progestogens.

Hurdity x

[sadielouise78]

Oooh I've not heard of those ones Hurdity.  I will look them up, thank you

Yes I was aware of the mini-pill stopping periods.  The initial visit to the doctors was to see why when they'd stopped I'd suddenly had some erratic periods.  Then it stopped for 7 months before the December bleed.  It was only later on the doctors appointments I mentioned about menopause as I was having classic symptoms.  They then did the blood tests for FSH and LH and told me I was menopausal and it all carried on from there really with the specialist, mainly because they thought I was young and they didn't know what to do with me.  So this has all been going on with the doctors for over a year.

As for womb lining measurement, they didn't say, just that it was very thin.

Sarah

[Foni1]

Thank you ladies for your input, I'm
heading back to Drs end of
Next week and will see what she comes up with. Definitely going for it, currently feel like I'm on fire and sweating/dripping would be a better description ☹️😬.  Hoping I'll feel like the old me again sometime soon

[sadielouise78]

Hi Hurdity,

I've looked up the two contraceptive pills you mentioned, Qlaira and Zoely, and I won't be able to take them as they are combined pills and I have migraine with aura so no longer allowed the combined pill 

Thanks for the advice though.

Sarah