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[Inbetween]

Hi all,

Aged 45 Started oestrogel 2 pumps every day and utrogestan 200mg x14 days of month mid Jan stopped hrt abrupt 11th April as thought it was causing a rash (I stupidly panicked) Have had 5 weeks of horrendous symptoms...mainly boiling hot face neck chest back and upper arms...skin burning sensation and generally feeling very emotional. Spoke with gp 13th May and recommended restart hrt which I have done..same dose etc..with only slight improvement to the constant feeling of heat. Due a review of dose with gp in 1 week when I will have had 3 weeks back in hrt.
Is it worth trying to go to 3 pumps now to see if any relief from this unbearable hotness? If I did would I split the dose? Think I'm expecting miracles and hoping 3 pumps would give me some relief 😪 Thanks all x

[bombsh3ll]

You might be better switching to patches instead - some people are sensitive to the sharp peaks and valleys that occur with gel.

At 45 however my preference is a combined pill taken continuously (I take Zoely) which completely eradicates bleeding and cyclical hormone fluctuations, whereas sequential HRT typically exacerbates these in perimenopause.

[Inbetween]

Thanks bombsh3ll,
Is Zoely a combined pill? Did take Cileste combined pill throughout my late teens to mid 30's then had to stop due to a high reading of blood pressure and being slightly overweight..gp said too high risk...when I discussed hrt with gp no suggestion of pill from gp...is that typical? Thanks

[Inbetween]

How do the patches differ to the gel..thanks x

[Mariab]

Hi there...I have tried patches and gel...I believe patches give you a continuous small dose whole gel you can change up and down to suit what your body needs that is if your lucky enough to find the right balance and when to change the dose...I still have not found that balance but am considering having coil removed and going on the pill or injection to see if its better. 

[bombsh3ll]

Yes Zoely is a combined pill but it contains natural 17 beta estradiol, not the synthetic ethinylestradiol in older pills like Cilest, so has a much more favourable safety profile.

If your blood pressure is now normal and your BMI below 30 then a pill like Zoely is extremely safe.

If your blood pressure is still high I would address that in its own right for long term health - too often women are told they can't take the pill because of high blood pressure, and are sent away still with untreated hypertension!

If you want a transdermal HRT product I would recommend patches over gel as it delivers a much more stable and consistent level of estrogen that is much easier to control the dose of.

[Inbetween]

Thanks bombsh3ll that's some really useful information..Will have a chat with my GP x

[Inbetween]

Hi Mariab, yes seems to be so many different options and it is just trial and error unfortunately x

[joziel]

Inbetween as you're already on the gel, the easiest thing really is to try increasing to 3 and then 4 pumps of gel. This is still an incredibly low dose... You are not going to die and should feel free to experiment(!) to find what suits you. Don't be afraid of estrogen.

[Inbetween]

Thanks joziel...flushes very bad today ...due my period in about 6 days so this may be contributing to it. Was a bit cautious to increase to 3 pumps as only restarted HRT 2 weeks ago ..thanks for your help.