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[Emjay]

Hi,

I have been using hrt since February.
I was getting hot flushes, vertigo and many more symptoms and have always had debilitating pms/pmdd.
I didn't actually have any night sweats.
I started on 25mg, then upped to 50mg and now on a 75mg patch.
I have been using Utrogestan cyclically,
I have only been using half the dose vaginally as I can't handle the side effects I get from using 200mg whether vaginally or orally.
The past week or so I have suddenly been waking in the night soaking un sweat, this has never happened to me before.
I am now wondering if my estrogen is too high, maybe in comparison to my progesterone or maybe I even need more estrogen?
I am finding this all so confusing and have no idea at the moment which way to go and my GP although lovely isn't 100% what I actually need either.
I have also had bad depression this month, plus anxiety has been worse this month.
I have an appointment to see g.p in 2 weeks, am going to ask if I can have my testosterone levels checked aswell as I know low levels can effect mood.
Does anyone know if excess sweating/night sweats can be also caused by too much estrogen?
I have am also speaking to a nurse tomorrow about possibly having a merina coil fitted because the starting and stopping of Utrogestan is really effecting my mood so wondering if more consistency with it all would be easier to manage.
I am 43.

[Heyfifi]

Hey Emjay
Utrogestan also really negatively affects my mood- I switched to Provera because of a supply issue and found it was better. Not fantastic but definitely less negative impact on mood. Then after reading about it after about 6 months of taking it, I started to worry that it’s synthetic/ not bio identical..
I have just tried the Utrogestan again this month (100mg oral and 100mg vaginal hoping better than all oral route) and experiencing the same symptoms- hot sweats at night and very low mood.
I’m going to go back to Provera. It might be worth considering as an option? I have a sensitivity to progesterone, maybe same for you.
I switched to oestrogen gel rather than patches a long time back & found this part of the cycle (oestrogen only) much better on the gel.

Because I got so sick of feeling down I thought about coming off cyclical HRT altogether- I weaned down the oestrogen gel very very gradually from 2 pumps of gel and managed ok on half a pump of gel, but couldn’t get off it altogether. Lasted two days and the brain fog and anxiety was terrible.
So I am back on one pump of gel per day now. Not sure if any of this helps. I have never tried testosterone or been offered blood tests, as you say it can be SO confusing and a lot seems to come down to trial and error. Hope you get some relief soon ☺️

[CLKD]

Anxiety and brain fog can certainly be due to low oestrogen levels.  U R probably aware that 1 requires progesterone of some type in a regime when 1 has a womb.

Browse round.  Make notes.

[GalwayGirl]

HI Emjay

Utrogestan did the exact same to me as does cyclogest. i never had hot flushes as part of peri (all MH and muscle issues) but I cannot tolerate BI progesterone - i am drenched and i mean drenched in sweat at night, can’t sleep and have very greasy skin and become very low and hysterical and suicidal by end of cylcle, have never been able to do full 2 weeks and can only manage half teh dose. I have had a bleed every month still though and had a scan and all is ok- and am thinking of going to coil in nw year as it’s intolerable for me. It’s such a shame because there were some days that i feel amazing on it but it never lasted. It may well be peri night sweats you’re having but i never had these and never have them until the progesterone started- it blew my mind
Hope you get to work it out - personally I wouldn’t think testerone is playing a role.

[joziel]

Night sweats are almost always low estrogen. If you are on a 75 patch at the moment, you should be able to increase to 100 easily as that's still within the max licensed dose. If you then need more, you will need to go to a private clinic to get prescribed a higher dose. But you can first ask for a blood test to check how much you are absorbing.

You may have stopped absorbing from the patch (it does happen) and could try a switch to gel instead, also.

[Dandelion]

In peri I needed to go upto 100mcg evorel oestrogen only, to stop night sweats.
I use 200mg utro conti, off licence but Gynae and GP approved.
Bleeds meant I had to decrease oestrogen, but my GP recently increased it to 50mcg, I understand you don't need as much in post and my flushes are nowhere like they were in peri.
They recently came back, along with other symptoms, thankfully bad flushes didn't come back, but others did, and more new ones.
I recently added in Testosterone, too early to say yet, I understand T takes a while to kick in, I have only been on 2 weeks.
I wish I had added in T in peri, but back then, even oestrogen was frowned on.

[joziel]

Dandelion, you shouldn't have to reduce E to control bleeds. I mean, that is a last case resort when all else has failed in terms of progesterone and progestin doses and use....

There are many different types of progestin and they are more effective at controlling bleeding than progesterone. There is also the Mirena coil which almost always stops all bleeding.

Please don't suffer menopause symptoms just because your GP won't increase your E due to bleeds. See someone who knows how to use the various progestins available or can fit a Mirena..

[Dandelion]

Dandelion, you shouldn't have to reduce E to control bleeds. I mean, that is a last case resort when all else has failed in terms of progesterone and progestin doses and use....

There are many different types of progestin and they are more effective at controlling bleeding than progesterone. There is also the Mirena coil which almost always stops all bleeding.

Please don't suffer menopause symptoms just because your GP won't increase your E due to bleeds. See someone who knows how to use the various progestins available or can fit a Mirena..

Hi, hopefully the bleeds have calmed down.
My GP increased my E in November, and no bleeding so far. They said they can increase it more if I need.
I was losing clots.
I was in peri.
They did offer another drug but I didn't want it.
I was offered Mirena.
It's the progesterone metabolites I had to watch, as the medication I am on interacts with those, but all is well now. I got vaginal and oral utro.
As for the testosterone part, the NHS computer said no further action, so I felt I had to go to Newson Health who explained my T results and why T is not as available in my body to me as it might be, hence the return of symptoms, so I am trialling that and have a follow-up in March.
I know Newson health like to pass their patients back to the NHS so I aim to do that.
I am also starting to need vaginal hormones, so I will get the GP surgery to issue me some tomorrow.