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[BobbingAlong]

10 weeks ago I increased my oestrogel from 1.5 to 2 pumps.
My Breasts have been very swollen and painful for the last 14 days of my cycle since then. (I'm in Peri.... last 2 cycles have been 21days,& 24 days) .
My mood is much better on 2 pumps, but the breast pain is getting me down and there aren't many days off with such short cycles. Today they are almost "burning" with that inflamed, swollen heat (like when your milk first comes in..... Ouch!).
I know an increase in oestrogel can cause breast pain for a while, but I was just wondering what others experience was with this and how long they waited for things to "settle" before concluding that they needed to drop the oestrogel dose back down.
Thank you. Xxxxx

[Hurdity]

Hi there Bobbing Along

Ouch - if it's like when your milk comes in - gosh I remember that horrible hard not feeling! That does sound quite extreme if from oestrogen as part of hRT?

I'm sorry I can't actually help with your query. Are your cycle lengths artifical from the HRT or your natural cycle coming through and have you been taking the utrogestan (if you're taking it) for the whole 12 days per 28 irrespective of when your bleed comes? It does sound like the oestrogen is very high...but 2 pumps is not a high dose. Maybe it is your own oestrogen adding to the mix?

Hope the pain eases soon...

Hurdity x

[BobbingAlong]

Hi Hurdity
thanks for your reply. And they are a back to "just" painful & lumpy today, without that burning heat and hard feeling! phew!!

I've got a Mirena, so that's the natural cycle going on. My breasts have always been lumpy and sore for a few days before a period, so I am used to some discomfort and this got worse when I entered the "late reproductive phase" about 8 years ago. It was also worse on some oral contraceptives back in the day.

I can like many of us, be a bit impatient and so I've been making myself wait and see if the breast pain would settle rather than drop back to 1.5 pumps as my mood was much better on 2. And if I'd got any responses today saying "oh, yes my breasts took a good few months" then I would probably hang on a bit.
 
However, I think i was mis-remembering how long my "normal" PMT breast pain would last and just now I went back and checked on my Period Tracker App and it was only ever 5 to 7 days NOT 14+.  Can't believe I've racked up 8 years on my period tracker App.....I started logging back when things first started going a bit haywire! OMG it drags on this hormone nonsense doesn't it?!

So, the only time the pre-menstrual breast pain lasted longer was when I was trying an oral contraceptive about 6 years ago that I ditched after a couple of months and then 2 years ago when I first started Oestrogel on 2 pumps and then dropped the dose all the way down to just half a pump. I've gradually increased over the last 2 years each time night sweats reappeared.

And this time when I increased, I had only had a couple of mild night flushes/sweats to be honest and was more trying to see if 2 pumps would help lift my mood.
Maybe the low mood was just life? I don't know. I just know I've been better the last couple of months. Although I am feeling a bit fed up today as my Lichen Sclerosus has been flaring up since springtime and I just can't seem to get it back under control properly.  Sore boobs, sore bits.  ho hum 

[Sammiejane]

hi bobbing along

my breast pain and swelling lasted 8 months on estrogel and have ended up 2 bra sizes bigger not sure if they will ever stop growing but hate it !

[BobbingAlong]

hi bobbing along

my breast pain and swelling lasted 8 months on estrogel and have ended up 2 bra sizes bigger not sure if they will ever stop growing but hate it !

Oh goodness SammieJane, that's a long time. Could I ask, are you in Peri or Meno?

[Sammiejane]

hi bobbingalong

i guess i'm post meno not sure i was surgically induced into menopause at 35 i'm now 40 no hrt between 35-39 felt great but started hrt one year ago in estrogel and have had few side effects it took 8 months for moods and boobs to improve still not great to be honest weight gain hairloss aniexty depression and irritation all since starting hrt !

i'm actually thinking of stopping and just use vaginal estrogen as the symtoms i started taking it for haven't improved although menopause want me to add testosterone but i think this will add to hairloss not improve it ! i have thought about a progesterone too to see if it's and imbalance i just lost all will and had to give up work i cannot go on like this i'm tired with it all take this try that and to be honest if i never had vaginal symtoms i wouldn't of taken anything i'd of carried on as i felt fine now i'm a mess x sorry tmi i know

[BobbingAlong]

Hi SammieJ
Sorry for delayed response. We are in different stages then, although we are obviously both ladies whose breasts are very oestrogen sensitive! The only hormonal thing(contraceptive or HRT) I've found that didn't cause me breast tenderness was Tibolone. I actually prob shouldn't have been on it as it's for post menopause only (long story see my old posts) but my breasts loved it. They didn't get bigger, the breast tissue seemed less dense and no pain.
My younger sister had premature menopause around her late twenties/early thirties and has had HRT to protect her bones etc ever since. She's now late forties and for last 3 years has switched to Tibolone and it's working well for her. Might be another option to look into?
I'm afraid I have no personal experience of hormonal induced hairloss, so cannot share any ideas there.
Xxxxxxx

[Sammiejane]

hi bobbingalong

your sister although she had premature menopause i guess she still had a uterus and took progesterone and estrogen ! it's seems interesting that women who take combined hrt seem to have less hairloss but then i know a few women have had hairloss on estrogel !

[BobbingAlong]

Yes, she does, so has always had e and p.
 Xx