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[Meno44]

I’m on day 7 of oestrogen gel (2 pumps) and 100mg utrogestan (vaginally).

From day 2 I’ve had horrible side effects that are getting worse.

I’ve had bloating, excess wind, stomach cramps and horrible headaches.

I’ve previously tried patches and never had side effects so quickly or so badly.

Has anyone experienced this using this regime?….should I continue with it?

Help!

[Hurdity]

Hi Meno44

The side effects could be due to taking progesterone continuously. You could keep on with it and see if they settle because 7 days is a very short time. If they don't settle then you might like to try taking it cyclically and see if you feel better on the oestrogen only part. Then you would have to have a withdrawal bleed though, like a period, every month. If you are post-menopausal though, and your bleeds on a monthly cycle are very scant, then your doc might be amenable to  lengthening the cycle so you dont have to take progesterone quite so often - say starting with monthly ( calendar) rather than 28 days and then possibly a 5 week cycle?

Hope the symptoms settle for you soon.

Hurdity x

[westie]

Hi

I felt the same as you when I first started HRT. Turns out I wasn’t absorbing the oestrogen via the gel very well so my levels were still very low and the progesterone was taking over and causing all the problems. So I switched to a patch which I took for six weeks and then added in the progesterone. Much better outcome. I do think that once the levels of oestrogen are better it makes the progesterone more tolerable.

Hope that helps.

W x

[AKatieD]

Interesting, Westie, thanks.

Yes I found Utrogestan intolerable within a few days. Could not work or function so had to give up rather than ride out symptoms

[Meno44]

So I’m 2 weeks into the regime now and I’m seeing glimmers of hope.

My headaches have gone and my stomach issues are slowly getting better.

I am actually feeling quite hungry some days which is brilliant for me as the menopause caused me so many digestive issues that I haven’t had an appetite for ages.

My breasts feel a bit sore and bigger (not a bad thing) so I’m still going to carry on and see how it goes.